Pet Care: Ratty Pinata

I'm always looking for ways to make my ratties lives more exciting. They tend to be a little withdrawn, and they don't much like coming out of their cage. So, when I can find ways to do something to enrich my ratties sheltered lives, I try to take advantage. Tonight, I made my rats a pinata of treats from instructions I found on this site.

 

This is about as far as my ratties will venture outside the cage.

So, to make a ratty pinata, I needed some treats, paper towel, string and a length of tape. I opted for corn and black-eyed peas as the treats for my rats. My rats haven't actually had these as treats, but I've read on the internet that most ratties love them.

First, I spread some corn and black-eyed peas in the middle of the paper towels. I used two paper towels for a little bit of strength.

Next, I bunched the sides of the paper towel up creating a ball at the bottom where all the treats rest. I wrapped the length of tape around the bunched up part of the paper towel at the top to secure it.

Next, I wrapped some string around the taped part, tying it into a secured knot. This string will act as the anchor to hang it in the cage.

Finally, using the long pieces of string, I tied the pinata to the top of the cage. It's still low enough that the rats can reach it when they stand on their back feet, but not so low that it's too easy for them to rip it open.

By the time I went to bed, the ratties still hadn't explored the pinata, but I'm sure it will be a great treat for them when they are ready for it.