Training Your Rat
Training you rat is can very difficult, or it can be very easy, it just depends on the rat. Marie and I have found that our rats are too busy being hyper to to tricks and we figure that when they're adults they will be easier to train. During training you and your rat will have a great amount of bonding time. All you have to do is find a treat that your rats like. Chicken bones are delicious to rats and they are a good source of protein. Just don't give them too much of anything, to prevent diarrhea, which can cause death. We noticed that our rats love grape and cherry tomatoes. Slicing one of these into fourths and giving them two or three at a time was like a delicacy to them. I found a rabbit and guinea-pig treat thing that came with many rat-safe morsels that the rats enjoyed. I've also found that unbuttered popcorn is a healthy snack and the rats seem to enjoy their taste. Once you have found the perfect treat for your rat, take it out of it's cage and give it one or half of the chosen treat (you might want to put it in a walled play area if you have one). wait for them to eat it, then show and let them sniff the other piece.
1. Tell them to do something like lay down or stand up. Say it about three times- make sure you speak very clearly so they can understand what it is hearing. Then help it to do the trick. (Example: If you want him to stand up, take his front paws and make it so that it is standing up.) Once you do that give it the the treat.
2. Then repeat step 1.
3. After that, do the same thing except don't help your rat do the trick. If he does it give him the treat. If he doesn't, repeat the first step. Then try again. If it still doesn't work, repeat the first step. Ect, ect, ect.
For more on training your rats, visit Rat Pages Ratazine!