Training Rats?

First I tame the rat to the point where it comes to me several times when it is out of it's cage, just to say hello and give me a kiss or to take a nap in my lap, and the walk away when it wants to, just to back later. The rat has to see you as a safe place/person. Then I usually train the rat to come when I call it.

At the time I started to take up interest in agility for rats I usually let my rats out on my bed, so began the training there. I sit crosslegged on the bed, with a jumping fence in front of me. When any of my rats walks between me and the fence I gently lift up his front paws on to the fence, and encourage it with words to jump. I don't use my hands to make it jump and I don't force the rat. At first it might back away and go somewhere else, then I just try again later.

But you have to be prepared to praise the rat when it goes over the fence, and some rats go over the fence the first time! Praise the rat, and many rats like to be cuddled, but be fast. The rat must get its reward immediately! I used to have all my males out at once, so I had a bunch of rats to reward... Some rats even went over the fence on its own. When my rats got a very good reward it seems like they get a kick out of it, and then the rat just wants more.

The rat is allowed to climb over the fence, jump up on it and down on the other side, or actually jump over the fence, whichever it wants to.

I know that people say that you shall only train one rat the time, but I always had a bunch. I felt like they inspired eachother and wanted to train much more when they were together. But I soon learned to only use one fence at the time because you can only praice one rat at the time...

When all rats, or at least most of them, know how to get over a jumping fence, you can try another fence. But the jumping fence is easier and I usually succeed to train just one rat over more than one first before I try another type of fence.

This kind of training I describe is supposed to give the rat a chance to like agility, and that is the main thing here

I'm not sure about rats specifically, but hamsters can be, and mice, so I'd guess rats would be able to be trained.

Set up some sort of an obstacle course with little ramps, and tubes, etc. Place the rat in it, and show it a treat (something it really likes, and has a scent they can smell immediatly). Hold the treat in front of them, and as they walk for it, move your hand around the course so they follow it. Give them the treat at the end.

Do this over and over again, holding your hand just a bit further out of reach, and eventually (in theory), you should be able to train it to run the course and find the treat waiting at the end without you hand baiting it.

What I would recommend is looking into Karen Pryor. She is the queen of clicker training, which is what I recommend for these rats. I'm not sure if she has a book for small animals, but even a book for dogs would be helpful with the basic techniques. Rats are extremely intelligent critters and can be easily trained for the right treats. Good luck!

My daughters rats are trained to use a litter box. They also do the "running from one hand, behind the neck and along to the other hand" thing. One more thing...equine refers to horses.... what has that got to do with training rats?

Rats have been trained to work like sniffer dogs but they find land mines. I see it on a documentary a while ago. they are not house rats but giant rats, slightly bigger than a cat. They use them because they weigh less than dogs and they don't set off the land mines and dogs do.

Obviously you cant do this but it proves that rats can be trained.

as a rat owner at one point it is quite possible to train rats to do a wide range of things with Patience naturally

yeah they can be trained, i have 2 rats patsie and eddie.They come to me when i call them I'm teaching them rat basketball at the mo! www.rattiecorner.com is a good website for tips on training!

For my science project in 6th grade i tought my female rat to come to her name. It was really easy to. Just use a lot of food and praise.

i trained my rats by justing giving them food for doing what they were suppose to do and eventually they would do it without the temptation of food

Yes, Fairley Easy, NOT SIT!!!

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