How to Make a Rat Playground

Being active, sociable and inquisitive, rats appreciate time outside their cage every day to explore and play as well as interact with you. If it is inadvisable to give your pets the run of your living room, perhaps because there are too many cables they could chew when you̵7;re not looking, you could create an enclosed play area. Some people also like to create a play area simply for the sake of it, to give their rats stimulating things to do.

  1. Things You Need

    • If the playground is to be enclosed, you̵7;ll need an exercise pen. One for rats, guinea pigs or ferrets is fine. Everything else is optional. You can include almost anything in a rat playground provided it is non-toxic and cannot trap little feet. Recommended items include tunnels, things to climb and problem-solving activities, such as mazes, which you can make yourself. Rat obstacle courses, which are basically just the same as those in dog shows, except a lot smaller, provide a way to play with your pets. Collect a bag of newspapers, cardboard boxes and tubes, which can make countless different rat toys.

    Making Toys

    • Simple cardboard toys are straightforward to make and you can change them every time, preventing boredom. A pair of scissors, a plentiful supply of cardboard and some non-toxic tape are enough to make tunnels, mazes and puzzles. Try cutting rat-sized holes in cardboard boxes and joining them together with tubes, stacking boxes to create a tower and hiding treats in a compartment at the end of a tube.

    Putting the Playground Together

    • Choose a room you plan to work in and erect the pen, if you are using one, on a bare area of floor. Although using a pen means you don̵7;t have to stare at your pets continuously to make sure they are not endangering themselves or your belongings, rats are intelligent and may well find a way out if you leave them in the pen completely unattended. If you are working at a computer, watching TV or reading, position the pen where you can see it, at least out of the corner of your eye. If you are proud of your carpets, lay old newspapers on the bottom of the pen. Rats often leave tiny spots of urine behind them whether they are toilet trained or not.

    Using the Playground

    • While your rats will enjoy using the playground by themselves, they also like socializing with people. Guiding them through some of the more challenging toys, offering treats and petting them makes the playground rewarding for you as well as your pets. Rats need at least an hour out of their cage every day and it is up to you how much of this time is spent exploring a playground and how much clambering over you or sitting in your lap. Once you return the rats to the cage, dispose of cardboard toys or dismantle them to create new ones and throw away the newspapers.