How to Train Your Pet Rat

If you've adopted a pet rat, you've got a bright new friend to light up your life. Rats are highly intelligent and sociable, which means that they're also highly trainable. Even so, there are right and wrong ways to train your pet rat. Let's explore the world of pet rat training, from proven motivators to specific examples of things you can train your rodent to do.

Getting to Know Your Pet Rat

The first thing you need to get your pet rat to do is trust you. Trust comes gradually as your intelligent new pet gets comfortable in its surroundings. Let your rat explore its enclosure, feed it with a spoon to protect your fingers, and let it understand that you're a friend. You can even experiment with placing your arm inside the enclosure so your rat can climb onto it and get to know you.

Once your rat seems content to receive food from you and crawl around on your arm, you may be able to hold it without incident. Always pick a rat up by its sides, never by the tail. Hold it gently at all times, allowing it to consume treats from your palm. Your rat may decide to roam about your arms and shoulders as it grows more and more relaxed with you.

Bonding with a rat can take time. Start out by holding it and interacting with it for a few minutes at a time, lengthening the session times as the rat gets increasingly comfortable. Soothe your rat by talking to it in calm, quiet tones. If your rat isn't in the mood to be held, don't force the issue; instead, save the training session for later.

Socializing Your Pet Rat

Rat socialization may prove simple enough with humans, but what about socializing with other rats? If you plan on bringing an additional rodent into your household, you must introduce the two rats with care. If you just throw both of them into the same enclosure without advance preparation and training, the animals can respond with aggression and do serious harm to each other.

As a first step in the rat socialization process, make sure each rat has its own separate cage. Place the cages near each other and watch the rats' reactions to each other. If you notice hissing, tail swishing, or loud squeaking, stop the introduction and move the cages into different parts of the house. Keep re-introducing the rats to each other until they calm down.

Next, you're ready to try placing the rats in a single enclosure -- but not the one your first rat has made a home for itself in. To minimize territorial disputes, put the rats in a brand-new cage that neither of them has ever been in before. Watch your rats for several days to make certain that they're getting along. Normal dominance displays include chasing, grooming, and pinning; bloodshed, hair pulling, and loud noises are cause for concern.

Teaching Your Pet Rat Tricks

Rats can learn an impressive range of commands and tricks. When your rat does what you want, reward it with a treat while clicking a clicker to reinforce the behavior. After a while, you can put the treats aside and get results simply by using the clicker.

Some useful early commands to teach your rat include "Up," "No," and "Come." Calling your rat by name as you issue these commands will teach it to recognize and respond to that name. You, your treats, and your clicker can also teach your rat to hold an item and put it in its mouth, sit still on your shoulder, and climb over obstacles.

Whatever you train your rat to do, remember that the only valid reinforcement is positive reinforcement. Never punish your rat (or any other pet, for that matter) if it gets something wrong or refuses to learn. You'll only breed fear and hostility instead of friendship and obedience.

Do you worry about finding rat poop all over the house? If so, good news: You can actually train your pet rat to use a litterbox! Rats prefer a clean environment anyway, so yours should readily respond to this type of training.

Pour a few centimeters of kitty litter into a shallow container, placing the container in one corner of your rat's enclosure. Reserve the other three corners for food, water, and bedding. Keep those three corners spotlessly clean, and place a tiny amount of soiled bedding in with the litter every time you change it so your rat will understand what that corner is for.

Training Problems? Talk to an Exotic Animal Vet

Like other pets, rats can have trouble learning new skills if health issues get in the way of the learning process. For instance, a rat that doesn't respond to clicker training might not be able to hear the clicker, while a rodent that can never get to the litter box on time may have a digestive ailment or other condition.

Seek out an experienced exotic animal veterinarian, not only to investigate specific issues but also to serve as a general health and wellness provider for your furry friend. With any luck, you'll end up with the best-behaved, smartest, healthiest rat you could possibly hope for!