Toys, Tricks, and Games For specific toy, trick, and game suggestions, go to the "Reviews" section of this site. Toys... Rats love toys they can climb on, chew up, chase, and get treats from. Be inventive and you can find many toys for your rats in everyday household items. They don't always need to come from a pet store. Give your rats some time when you introduce a new toy to them. It might take them awhile before they decide that the toy is safe or interesting enough to play with. If giving them homemade toys, be cautious to make sure nothing you give them is toxic. For example, your scrap wood could be treated with chemicals that would be harmful to your rats. Boys are usually less playful, and as all your rats become elderly, they will become much less playful with their toys, but that doesn't mean they should not have them. Young rats enjoy running on wheels the most. Females are more likely to keep it up then males. Tricks... Do not start training your rat until you have bonded well with them. Keep in mind that rats only learn from positive reinforcement. Never punish your rat for not doing the correct behavior. Keep your training sessions short. No more then 5 minutes is recommended. One word commands are the easiest for your rat to learn. Be consistent! Use the SAME command word every time, and ALWAYS reward proper behavior with a treat. We recommend you use Rice Krispies cereal as your training aid. Rats love them, they are small, quick to consume, and have very few calories. Remember, when training any behavior, you should always break it down and teach it through one small step at a time. (See my method for teaching "come" in the "Reviews" section of this site as an example.) Always be careful with the timing on giving your rats their treats as their training rewards. You must be sure that your rat has completed the behavior you were looking for, before rewarding them. But don't be too slow on giving up the treat either, or the rat won't connect the treat with the behavior they have just completed. In other words, give your rat their reward at the exact moment they finish the desired behavior. Once you teach your rat a trick, you should have them regularly perform it so that it always stays fresh in their mind. For example; you teach your rat to come at the age of one month. Later, when they are a year old, they become lost. You can't expect your rat to come to their name if you haven't used the command with them since you first taught them the trick. Games... Do not start playing games with your rats until they have become somewhat comfortable with you. Otherwise they might become scared of what you are trying to do. Rats will become more excited while playing with you, with the addition of verbal sounds. While interacting with them, make happy, higher-pitched, excited sounds, like "getcha, getcha, getcha" or "chhhicka, chhhicka, chhhicka". Respect their wishes. If they don't feel like playing at that moment, don't force them. The younger you start teaching them games, the better. Don't expect males to stay playful nearly as long as females. As your rats become elderly, they will become much less playful. Always be gentle. Be patient. They may not understand what you are trying to do with them at first. Not all rats like the same games. As you try out different games on them, you will quickly learn which ones are their favorites.