create your own

How to Train Pet Rats

90
rate or flag this page

By Whitney05


Training Basics

Rats can be easily trained to do simple tasks. You may actually be training your rat already.... You just may not know it.

Teaching your rat to come when called- When you go to the cage and either say the rat's name or make a clicking noise, you teach the rat to come to the cage door so that you can open it. The rat comes to you when he hears his name or the noise, and you reward that behavior by either giving him a treat or taking him out to play.

Cute Tricks

Simple tricks that do not require much serious training.

Kiss

You can teach your pet rat to kiss you by smearing a small bit of yogurt or baby food on you cheek or the back of your hand. Let the rat lick it off your skin. You'll need to do this several times over a period of time. But, every time the rat is offered your cheek or hand they will lick expecting to taste yogurt or baby food.


Training Clicker

I-Click, Blue I-Click, Blue
Price: $2.00
StarMark Clicker StarMark Clicker
Price: $2.18
List Price: $5.99
SitStay Clicker SitStay Clicker
Price: $0.65

Clicker Training

The clicker is a powerful training tool for training just about any animal. When used wrong it is highly ineffective, but properly, it makes a effective training aid.

A clicker works on the basis of positive reinforcement to which the animal wants to work for you. By using positive reinforcement methods for training, the animal remains attentive and focused for longer pierods of time.

Because rats do not understand human language, we can confuse them with different voice tones and noise, so using a clicker for training works best, as it is a distinctive sound that they will quickly associate with a reward.

You will want to try to minimize talking to your rat when training because you will usually confuse it. Use the clicker as the praise, as you will not click until the right behaviors are performed. Wrong behaviors are ignored completely.

Using the clicker training method, it's a more hands-off approach, so never punish your rat.

Training Pet Rats

When getting started, make sure that you have a clicker and small treats that your rat can eat quickly. Make sure it's your rat's favorite treats, so that he won't get tired of it. You can use yogurt or baby food so that you rat gets a lick and you can take it away.

Make sure there are no distractions around you or the rat. No toys. No other rats. Etc. Make sure that it's you, your rat, and an empty table or bed.

When you start using the clicker, the rat may jump at first, but be patient, he will get used to the sound.


Training to Come When Called


Training Your Rat to Come

Without saying anything, when the rat starts to come towards you click the clicker. Wait a second before treating the rat.

Don't let the rat have too much of the treat because you want him eager for more.

You will want to try this again, but at this point your rattie friend may not want to leave your side, hoping to get another taste, so go to the other side of the table or bed and wait for him to come to you again. Once he does, click and treat.

Repeat this a few times.

Then, start to wait longer between the click and treat, so that the rat knows that the treat comes after the click, and when you release the click, he will be rewarded.

Depending on how fast your rat picks this up, you may want to stop now before he looses interest in the game. Otherwise, if you wait too late, he will get tired of the clicker and more than likely loose concentration.

As you continue training you rat to come towards you, he'll start to master it. At this point, you will want to begin alternating the time you click and treat with clicking without treating. Basically, start giving treats out more sparingly. Otherwise, you'll have a rat that will only work for food until he's bored or full.


Training Your Rat to Beg

The next step includes luring the rat to do the behavior.

You can start with "begging."

Using the treat, draw your hand above the rat's nose, so that he gets a good sniff of the treat. Hold the treat right above his head. He should automatically reach up to grab the treat, and when he does click and treat him.

Repeat this a few times until he knows what you want him to do.

After a few repetitions, you may want to take a break.

When you start a new training session, begin where you left off. Then, start to vary the time between the click and treat.

Move towards varying the up treat giving. Remember to always click, even if you don't give a treat.


Rat Trained for Agility Course

Training Pet Rats by Shaping a Behavior

When you shape the behavior, you are basically using natural behaviors that your rat already does, but now showing him to do it when you ask, so to speak.

Take training a pet rat to use a weave obstacle. To start, you will want to click after every stage of the behavior, one pole at a time.

As soon as the rat moves towards the weave, click and treat. Repeat this a few times, but stop after the rat realizes, "Ok walk towards the obstacle, get treated."

Now, you will only click and treat the rat when he moves around one weave pole, in the right direction. Repeat this several times. It may take different training sessions to complete this one stage.

Once the rat picks up weaving one pole, only click and treat if he does 2 weave poles. Then, 3, 4, 5, and so on until he completes the full weave.

The goal is for the rat to perform the full weave obstacle with only one click and treat. Once the rat understands this and can complete the task without fail, begin to vary the time frame between click and treat and then start being stingy with the treats.


Tips to Remember

  • Keep training sessions short- no longer than 10 to 15 minutes
  • Always stop training before the rat gets bored or tired
  • Work on one behavior at a time
  • Do not speak when starting off with a new behavior- add the cue LAST
  • Recap previous sessions before moving on
  • Vary your click and treat once the rat starts to get the hang of a behavior
  • Click AT the behavior, not before or after
  • No hands. No punishment

Adding the Command

So, now that your rat knows the behavior that you want him to do, you probably want to teach him to do the behavior on command. I mean, that's what a trick is, right?

Ok, so here's where it gets a little tricky.

Before you consider adding a cue, you need to make sure that your rat is performing the behavior almost all of the time without fail.

One he is, you can start to exchange the click for the command or cue that you want to use. Make sure that is short and clear, so that it's easier to understand. You will confuse your rat with longer phrases and cues.

In this instance, you will have the rat do the behavior and say the cue, then treat. No click.

Repeat this over and over and over again.

Don't start adding multiple cues with multiple behaviors at once. Work on one at a time, as to not confuse your rat.

When agility training, the rat will recognize the obstacle and perform the behavior from memory.

Comments

RSS for comments on this Hub Small RSS Icon

singpec476 profile image

singpec476  says:
17 months ago

Hi Whitney really great hub, I never knew you could train a rat like a pet thanks.

Abhinaya  says:
17 months ago

Whitney,this is great!I never knew we could train rats.You have a way with animals.Great hub.Thanks for sharing.

cliffysmom profile image

cliffysmom  says:
17 months ago

Clicker training is the way to go! I've used it on my horses, dogs, cats, and a goat. I've never tried it with a rat (yet). Very interesting hub, thank you!

alex  says:
16 months ago

this is kind of helpful

Sarah  says:
12 months ago

This training method is very effective as we have already used it to tame and train our rainbow lorikeet. I was wondering how to toilet train these animals?

Whitney05 profile image

Whitney05  says:
12 months ago

You will need to find the area that they use most, put a litter box there. Fill it with a different substrate than what you regularly use. IE if you use aspen bedding, fill the box with carefresh or hamster litter. It will be helpful to put a little poo and some urine soaked bedding in the box as well. They'll typically use the same spot.

chester083  says:
7 months ago

rats are always keen to a certan place in your house so its best to teach your rat in its fav place in your house it will then be less lightly to ignore you couse he will be happy were he is read everything on hear to teach your rat the best and coolest tricks!

Abbey  says:
5 months ago

Do you know how to train a rat to use the toilet. My mom and I saw a video on you tube of a rat using the toilet. So I was just wondering.

Whitney05 profile image

Whitney05  says:
5 months ago

Do you mean like a litter box? If so, you'll want to start with some soiled bedding, in a litter pan.

Luke  says:
5 months ago

Hey Whitney my rat doesnt seem to be ever interested in learnining anything listed here. i have a clicker and evrything and also shes not interested in any treats/snacks i use. can you help me here?

Abbey  says:
5 months ago

No, this rat was actually using the human toilet.


It was on youtube maybe you could find it.

Whitney05 profile image

Whitney05  says:
5 months ago

Luke, what kind of food do you feed the rat normally? If you feed a seed mix, it can be hard to find a treat that the rat will want to work for. Also, in some cases, you may have to have the rat work for its meal.


Abbey, I'm not sure how safe that is. I wouldn't try it.

Luke  says:
5 months ago

Yea i acyually am feeding it a seed mix..should i stop leaveing the food in the cage and make her work for it? also i tried yogurt,peanut butter, ect so wahtever advice you can give me thank you

Whitney05 profile image

Whitney05  says:
5 months ago

Sead mix is probably one of the worst foods to feed rat. you want to stick with a high quality rat block, such as mazuri. The food you're using is probably one of the main reasons the rat isn't being cooperative when training. He's thinking 'why should I work for food, he's just going to give me in my cage.' the sead mixes are junk foods, essentially.

Luke  says:
4 months ago

OK thank you whitney ill ty that and by the way my rat seems to have discharges from her eyes do you know what my cause this. i think it might be blood

Whitney05 profile image

Whitney05  says:
4 months ago

It's not blood, but it's not typically a good sign. I would consult a vet, if the rat is having diet changes and appears lethargic.

jj13  says:
3 months ago

i just got two new white rats and they wont pat attention how do i train them? i can't get a clicker either so what do i do????

Whitney05 profile image

Whitney05  says:
3 months ago

You should give them time to settle in before you try training them. Otherwise. Follow the instructions that I said for Luke. If you're feeding a seed mix, switch to rat block. They won't work for treats if they can get free junk foods in their cage. Otherwise, it will just take a lot of patience. Clickers are like 99 cents at the pet store.

audrey  says:
2 months ago

i was just wondering how you would train a pet rat how to use a litter box?

Whitney05 profile image

Whitney05  says:
2 months ago

Typically they will choose a spot to go, so just put the little box in that spot, add some of the soiled bedding with some bedding of a different texture. each time you clean the cage, clean the litter box leaving a little soiled bedding.

Billyandhisratlouie  says:
2 months ago

i was just wondering at what age can you train rats or do you have to train them i just bought mine yesterday and they said he was around 5 to 6 mnths old is that good..and is fiesta max a seed mix would you call it that?

Whitney05 profile image

Whitney05  says:
2 months ago

Fiesta seed mix isn't the best thing you can feed a rat. You want a quality rat block. You can begin training at any age, but if you offer the seed mix, the chances of training are slim to none.

samantha  says:
4 weeks ago

will they take drinking yougort because thats all we got

Whitney05 profile image

Whitney05  says:
4 weeks ago

You need a rat block, not yogurt. If you don't have the capabilities of proper food, you need to find a new home for your rats.

heather  says:
4 weeks ago

i have 2 pet rats and they r great

Breanna  says:
3 weeks ago

I have 1 beautiful 10 month old rat... i feed him nutriphase, is that a good food besides a block? It has pellets and fruit chips, peanuts, corn, and some sunflower seeds in it... also i give him yogurt dips and almond slivers for treat, those are fine right? Also... this doesnt happen anymore but when i first got hyim and for a couple months after there was the reddish crust/discharge around his eyes... what is that? Like i said it doesnt happen anymore but i am very curious. Sorry but one more question... he keeps getting bloody noses maybe once a week... could that be from knawing on his "snack shack" house and bumping his nose or is it usually something more serious?

Whitney05 profile image

Whitney05  says:
3 weeks ago

Not really. If it has seeds and dried fruits, it's not recommended. Yogurt dips is ok in small amounts, they're not healthy. The bloody noses could be stress or an illness. It's not generally caused by chewing.

Breanna  says:
2 weeks ago

OK... so what is a rat block? If thats the best to give him then i will... what types of foods should he be eating? Any fruits and veggies ok?

Whitney05 profile image

Whitney05  says:
2 weeks ago

I have found that the mazuri rat block is the best. Fruits and veggies on occassion, as they can casue diarrhea. For healthy treats see this link:


http://hubpages.com/_rats/hub/Rat_Munchies

Submit a Comment

Members and Guests

Sign in or sign up and post using a hubpages account.


optional


  • No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked
  • Comments are not for promoting your hubs or other sites

working