rats-training

Training

Training rats is not like training dogs, because you have to make sure to keep giving them treats every time they do the trick right, not just the first few times. The training for anything you want to teach your rats can be basically the same each time, but different people like different ways of doing it. The basic method I use is to first let them know the treat is there, then make them work for it a little, gradually making it harder to get.

Teaching Names

Teaching rats their names is probably the most useful thing to teach your rats, but it can be a bit tricky, especially in homes with multiple rats. They may never learn the difference between their name and their cagemates name, but that usually doesn't matter to much. The important thing is that they recognize the tone and pattern you use to call them, because it's much better to try to call one rat and suddenly have a stampede of rats charging at you then to call one and have no-one come. The first thing you need to do is decide on a pattern to use to call your rats. I like to use their name in a singsong tone, followed by three to five tongue clicks. If you have a home with only two rats, then you can try using two different kinds of tongue clicks, but make sure they are very different so that the rats can easily tell. I find that there are two kinds of tongue clicks that I can easily do, one's at the front of the mouth, and the other's at the back. They sound fairly different, but the further-back one is reserved for my rabbit, so the rats have to have the same click. You also need to make sure not to use the clicking sound you use for anything else. For instance, the tongue click I use with my rats sounds like a scold, so I need to make sure not to scold them, or anything around them, otherwise they think they're about to get a treat. If they hear it to much without a result, they will come to ignore it completely. After you choose the pattern you want to use, you then give your rats a treat while calling them in the pattern you chose (from now on, calling them means making the pattern noise). Also, any time you give them a treat for any reason, call them. The important thin is that they come to associate treats with calling. Once you think they have it down, try putting them about three feet away from you and call them. If they come, praise them tons and give them their favorite treat. Try this over and over again, making the distance they have to come greater each time. Note: Just because they know their name does NOT make it safe to let you rats run around outside off-leash. Dogs, cats, birds can still jump on them, they can still run in front of a tricycle or teeter-totter and get crushed, plus all the excitement of being out doors can make them ignore you, even if they never have before.

More Coming Soon!