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In need of some toys

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crystalratmom

New Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2019
Messages
3
Location
GA
hey, if anyone has any extra toys they don't use I would really appreciate them. I'm in North GA and I can't afford to get my patties a ton of toys, but I don't have many. I can pay for shipping. Message me if you have anything or know where I could find some good toys that won't make me go broke! Thanks
 
oh yes rats actually seem to prefer the free toys over store bought ones! lol

boxes of all sizes are very popular! they love clean paper to shred.

an almost finished roll of TP is a big hit, just be prepared to clean up after they have their TP party lol
 
Hi Crystal, and welcome to the forum! As Dena and Petunia said, rat toys are best made. Boxes with doors cut out and paper inside have been the favorite of all my rats, and definitely better than anything from the store. On YouTube, look up "DIY rat toys," and you'll find a bunch of video suggestions. Shadow the rat has several posted, for sure. Just watch then get busy! :D
 
As said, give them a box of kleenex or hang a roll of TP. I put small pasta (ditalini) on shower hooks used to hang their hammocks for them to chew off. Take cardboard TP rolls and fills with treats, folds sides in and small hole for them. You can get treat balls in cat section to fill with treat too and mine love cat crinkle balls.
 
Check out the toy links on the Reference Thread https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/

Also for in the cage you will want to buy or make hammocks, hang tubes, get a 12 inch diameter solid wheel, buy a space pod or two, buy corner litter boxes, and have some houses - you can use cardboard boxers

I would suggest you get this toy garage second hand (yard sales, craigs list or Kijiji) for the play area

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I usually buy bird toys that are on clearance for less than 5 dollars. I make sure there isn't string, just because I don't want anything bad to happen. I've used cat toys before. The plastic balls with bells inside-- those are hits with babies, apparently. I'm sure some dog toys would work as well. My rats aren't picky.
I have a friend who works at a fabric store and they gave me this gigantic cardboard tube. I don't think it was for just any old fabric... Can't remember what they called it. Even my biggest rats can fit in there, albeit they have to do the caterpillar to squeeze in. Anyways, you could ask fabric stores if they have any extra cardboard tubes they were about to throw out.
I'm re-purposing an old paint tray that had never been used. Going to clean it up and make a little bath/pea diving toy for them.
One idea I read forever ago is you can get an old bin and fill it up with rat- safe soil (presumably organic, no pesticides, etc.), and then plant seeds in the soil. Allegedly rats will dig in the soil, find seeds, and then eat them. I haven't tried it simply because it sounds so darn messy.

I've made quite a few things out of TP tubes and even paper towel tubes. A lot of Pintrest and YouTube results for what you can do with those. I've used paper cups to make foraging toys. I always like those rats who meticulously are trying to figure out how to get into the toy, and then you have the big rat who just brute forces his way into it. That's always a funny sight to see.
You can make toys out of food as well. I've hung up sugar snap pea pods on a string before. I've done the same to a corn husk as well.
If you have any fleece, you can make a "fleece forest" as I call it, mostly because I can't remember the name of it. Hang various strips of fleece up on a number of strings and make a little forest. Apparently rats are well entertained by this. I keep meaning to do it, but just forget every time I bring fleece bin out.

My rule of thumb is if it's kid safe, it's rat safe. I gave my rats some infant toys (like those baby keys they make for a teething baby) and they chewed those up within days. Just make sure whatever you're getting is really cleaned off by yourself, especially if it's from a garage sale, Kijiji, or Craigslist.
 
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