Litter Training

[emmalouhoo]

Hey , Ive been trying to train my girls for a while now but Im having trouble. Just lookin for some help. We tried laying down towels in most of the cage and using the bedding theyre used to in a small part of the cage and I found while they did start to poop only on the bedding they still peed on the towels, and chewed them to bits, even though they have lots of chews already. Is this the best Im gonna get or does anyone have better suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[jorats]

Are you using litter pans with a different bedding in it for the rats to use? You'll need to place these litter pans in the areas where you find the rats pee the most. As for the poop, you will need to be diligent at picking it all up and placing in the litter pan. It can take a while for them to catch on.

 

[victoria]

Rats will often not pee in the litter pan all the time either. They have poor bladder control and tend to spot as they go or where they sleep a lot.

 

[emmalouhoo]

Thanks Is there anything I can do about them shredding the towels I put down?

 

[victoria]

If you make them as flat and fitted to the surface as possible and weight them down with something that should help. I find giving my guys fabric scraps to nest with diverts their attention away from the liners.

 

[emmalouhoo]

Thanks

 

[victoria]

I should also mention that you should be careful with loose threads and small holes in the towels. Loose threads can be tripping/sprain hazards or in worse case scenario badly injure limbs by cutting off circulation and small holes can lead to strangulation if rats try to go through them and then twist to get loose. You should regularly inspect the towels and cut holes to make them big enough for them to fit through or any loose threads. As towels get old, you can cut them into small pieces and use them as nesting scraps and replace them with new towels. (Low pile towels are best.) A lot of people use fleece because it doesn't have threads but it doesn't absorb as well as organic fibres.

Other types of chew toys help distract them as well. I made these from shower curtain hooks, foam shapes from Dollarama, and block chew toys for birds (sold by healthy Bird in NB):

You could even add some sliced veggies to that to make it more interesting. I have skewers I bought from my vet's office that I filled with different types of wooden chews but no pics at the moment. You can also buy apple tree twigs or slices, give boxes or cardboard rolls, paper or paper towel... the possibilities are endless. You just have to make sure it's not toxic, hazardous, or unhealthy for rats.