Toys are important for adding enrichment to your rats’ lives.
They keep them entertained and active throughout the day, which is important for their overall happiness and well-being.
You can find a toy to suit every need, whether it is climbing, chewing, burrowing, or encouraging focus.
The best rat toys can be purchased online or locally from most pet stores. If you are feeling creative, you can even make your own toys!
What Makes A Good Rat Toy?
Before picking out some new toys for pet rats, think about what they seem to like to do the most.
For example, rats are naturally inclined to chew, so it might be a good idea to stock up on a variety of chews for your mischief. Or maybe your rats are energetic and could benefit from having an exercise wheel in their cage? The possibilities are endless.
When picking out a new toy for your rats, it’s important to ensure that it is safe to chew. Rats will try to chew everything, so you’ll want to stick with toys that have been painted with food-grade food coloring and won’t damage their teeth.
Additionally, you should avoid fabric toys that become stringy when chewed. Finally, avoid toys that your rats could get trapped in, or could injure their tail or feet.
10 Best Toys for Pet Rats
1) Kaytee Perfect Chews For Rats
- The Perfect Chew for pet rats includes wood balls, wood cheese wedges, a wood log and a block in...
- A completely chewable kabob toy with a metal attachment hook make it easy to hang in any habitat
- Disposable chew, simply discard after your pet devours it, and buy a new one
- A Kaytee Essentials Chew item for healthier, happier pets
Pet rats keep their teeth trimmed by chewing food and toys, so you should keep their cage stocked with wooden chews at all times.
Kaytee Perfect Chews are popular because they’re inexpensive , rats love them, and they’re good quality so you don’t have to worry about them falling apart the first day.
2) Kaytee Nut Knot Nibbler Wooden Chew Toy For Rats
- Made of all natural wood and contains almond nut
- Encourages healthy playing and chewing
- For rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas, pet rats, or other small animals
- 4"L x 4"W x 3.25"H
- Safe wood chew toy satisfies for pets need to chew and gnaw
This toy is a good choice for rats because it offers a bit more of a challenge than the Kaytee Perfect Chew.
Instead of hanging, this toy can be left anywhere in your rats’ cage for your rats can explore freely. It won’t take long for them to discover that there is a hidden treat inside!
3) Ware Fun Tunnel Play Tube for Small Pets
- 30-Inch Long Fun Tube, Great for Bunnies and Small Pets
- Durable Stain Resistant Plastic
- Accordion Design Allows the Flexibility to Set-Up in Unique Shapes
- Easy to Clean and Unique Design Makes It Easy to Store
- Measures 30" Width X 8" Depth X 8" Height
Rats are naturally inclined to burrow and hide throughout the day, so a tunnel is a great toy to include in their cage or during supervised playtime. The Ware Fun Tunnel is a good choice because it is long (2.5 feet) and flexible making it easy to change its shape and enhance your rats’ play. Don’t be surprised if this tunnel transforms into a bed throughout the day too!
4) Kaytee FerreTrail Flex-E Fun-Nels
- Flex-E Fun-nel stretches to 8-foot to create plenty of hiding places and tunneling space for your...
- Easily connectable to various ferretrail products, by using a ferretrail connectore ring (sold...
- Encourages exercise and hours of fun and healthy playtime for your pet
- Ideal for ferrets, guinea pigs, pet rats, chinchillas, and other small animals
- Compact tube expands to a full 8-foot long tunnel for play
This tunnel might be marketed towards ferrets, but it will work great for your pet rats, too!
At 8 feet, it’s substantially longer than the Ware Fun Tunnel, so it’ll work well for playing outside of their cage. Another nice feature about this tunnel is that its transparent so you can see your rats playing inside of it.
5) Kaytee Silent Spinner Exercise Wheel For Rats
- Specially designed for quiet spinning
- Encourage healthy exercise
- 6.5" diameter
- Best for pet hamsters and gerbils
- Free standing or attach directly to any wire cage
Exercise wheels are fantastic for encouraging exercise and helping energetic rats burn off some steam. Not all exercise wheels are safe for rats though, feet and tails have been known to get stuck or injured while using wire exercise wheels.
The Kaytee Silent Spinner is perfect for pet rats because it has solid construction and isn’t as noisy as most wheels. It comes in a few sizes, but you’ll want to get the Large (10”) size for most rats.
6) Living World Teach N Treat Toy For Rats
- Interactive and rewarding toy
- Helps teach pets to search for treats
- Stimulating and educational
- Three levels to provide the optimal learning experience
- Keeps your pet healthy and alert
Anyone who has experience with pet rats knows how smart they can be. A good way to encourage an active mind is to offer puzzle toys like the Living World Teach N Treat. You use this toy by hiding treats in different compartments and letting your rats figure out how to remove them. It usually doesn’t take long, but your rats will get a kick out of it every time.
7) Niteangel Small Animal Activity Ropes For Rats
- Sturdy, durable cotton rope net is ideally suited for rats, ferrets and similar companion pets.
- The included metal clips allow the net to be hung in a variety of positions within her cage.
- Can be used as a platform or hammock, a vertical climbing ladder, or a fun and challenging ramp.
- Encourages movement and exercise which benefits her overall health and helps prevent her nails from...
- Net measures 13.4 x 8.3 inches; combine multiple nets together to create an even larger play...
If your pet rats are big climbers, this is the toy you’ll want to have in their cage. It can function has a hammock or as a hanging climbing rope, either way your rats will probably enjoy it.
A problem with some hammocks is they are easy to chew and get destroyed easily, but the Niteangel Small Animal Activity Toy is higher-quality and durable, so your rats should get more playtime out of it.
8) Ware Fleece Hang-N-Tunnel Crinkle Sleeper for Small Pets
- Hanging tunnel sleeper with fun crinkle sound for small animals
- Made of super soft materials with no foam - washable
- Your pet will love to run, hide, and sleep in this Hang-N-Tunnel
- Hanging design keeps pets clean and comfortable while expanding your pets living space
- Fits inside any cage, durable nylon straps and clips allow for easy attachment
If your rats are anything like mine, they will enjoy playing and napping in the Ware Fleece Hang-N-Tunnel Crinkle Sleeper. It’s covered with soft fabric and offers privacy for naptime and hanging out. It’s easy to clean, just throw it in the wash and let it air dry.
9) Etbotu Natural Wooden Roller For Rats
- 1. Material: Made of Natural Wood, Non-toxic, harmless and durable.
- 2. Pattern: Cylindrical Wood Roller with Bell, It will make sound when your pet play or bite it.
- 3. Function: Gives your small rodent the perfect opportunity to play and work out.
- 4. Benefits: Keeping them healthy and active, and helping them play around their environment in a...
- 5. Designed For: specifically designed to give all types of small animals, such as hamster, rat,...
Your rats will enjoy chewing this natural wooden toy and rolling it around their cage. If you’re worried about your rats chewing painted wood, this is a good choice because it’s completely natural – no paint to worry about at all.
To keep your rats’ interest, there is a bell inside the toy that will be heard while it is being pushed around. It should be removed from the cage if it falls out of the toy to avoid hurting your rats’ teeth, but it is safe entertainment until then.
10) Cardboard Boxes For Rats
As the old saying goes, some of the best things in life are free. Cardboard boxes are no exception, your rats will have a blast exploring, hiding, and chewing any cardboard box you give them. If there is any color on the box, check to make sure it was done with soy-based ink before giving it to your rats, and remove the box once it becomes too wet and smelly.
Also, avoid boxes that have staples or other sharp areas on them, as these can be dangerous!
Fun Toys for Rats!
Pet rat toys are important for adding enrichment and fun to your rats’ lives.
It’s recommended to have an assortment of toys available to keep your rats interested throughout the day.
Don’t forget to ensure that toys are non-toxic and free of choking hazards before leaving them in your rats’ cage.
Related Articles:
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- 10 Fun Facts About Pet Rats That Might Surprise You
- 13 Famous Rats from Movies and TV
- 4 Best Rat Hammocks In 2024 (Easy To Clean)
- 5 Best Rat Cages in 2024 (With Complete Buying Guide)
A lover of animals, peace and quiet, and reading. When Fern is not working she will be engrossed in a Fiction book or drooling over the idea of going out for dinner.
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