Tricks and Treats

As I discussed in an earlier post, Rats are very social and intelligent animals. They can be taught many things much like a dog can be taught to fetch or to roll over. Rats are auditory animals which means they associate with sounds more effectively than other things. Within weeks, they learn their own names and can recognize certain words or sounds that you use frequently when around them. In the beginning of your young roos life, you should call them by name as much as possible. It didn't take long for Charlie and Linus to come running down the back of the couch when I'd say their names. One of their favorite words is "treat." As soon as I utter the word, their heads pop up and their nose starts twitching. Another sound they have grown quite fond of is the rattling sound of a plastic bag, which they associate with either they're food or a cereal treat. Either way, they know they are getting something good. By using treats like this, you can teach your rat to do almost anything. Its a case of classical conditioning. Once you have showed your rat what it is you would like him to do, and he does it, you reward him with a treat. After enough practice, they will do it for nothing. The first thing we taught our rats to do was just to go through a cardboard tunnel we have for them to play in. When teaching rats, you always want to pick one word or phrase for the trick. Some other phrases Charlie recognizes are stand, jump, come here, and kisses. They are always learning and will do anything to satisfy that tummy.