Training Tips For Mice and Rats

Training Tips For Mice and Rats Mice and rats can be trained to do lots of tricks and rats can also be toilet trained. Rats are quicker learners than mice having an equal intelligence to dogs. They are very food orientated and will soon learn to do something if food is offered as a reward. Mice and rats can be trained to run through mini agility courses which you can make yourself from bits of wood. I found a mouse circus business for sale on the internet once. It came with travelling van, all the equipment including mini Ferris wheels, tunnels, climbing equipment, lights, bells and of course, 40 breeding mice! Can you imagine travelling from town to town just like a real circus only all your performers where the size of a walnut? My inner child was thrilled and I considered buying it for a spilt second but the grown up in me reminded me that my partner would have killed me! If you want to train your mouse or rat to run through a maze or an obstacle course teach it one piece of equipment at a time. Give it a treat when it completes it and then add another piece of equipment and give it a treat when it completes the second one. Eventually you can put all the pieces together and not treat after each one as the animal learns to complete the course. If you want to introduce bells or sounds, introduce them to your rat or mouse from one or two rooms away so you don't scare them. When I trained my pet shop rat I used yoghurt drops broken into small pieces and a training clicker. I trained him to ride on a remote control car. It was quite successful for a while until my border collie found the whole thing a little too 'interesting'! Clickers cost between $6 and $10. They are predominantly used to train dogs and horses, but they work just as well on rats. If you have an inquisitive pet, you can reward its unusual behaviour by giving it a treat each time it does it. The animal will soon learn to repeat the behaviour for a treat. Shy mice and rats can be difficult to train so it is best that you handle the animal for a while before purchasing it. Female rats are easier to toilet train than males because males have a tendency to mark new places with their urine (this includes anyone who picks them up). It is impossible to toilet train mice so be prepared for accidents. I have old t shirts and jumpers that I wear when handling any of my animals just in case. To toilet train your rat put a small tray in their cage with some bedding material. Place some of their droppings in it. If you are familiar with clicker training you could also use this or you could praise your rat each time it goes near the tray. Persevere with this type of training as it may take your rat some time to work out what you want. Always reward and encourage, never punish or hit your pet as it will learn to mistrust you and make training difficult. When toilet training any animal the animal has to be conscious that it has to actually 'go'. This awareness may take a long time to develop especially in young animals so you have to be patient. Sue Day has worked in the pet industry for many years. Now a full time dog trainer, Sue has put together a website of over 50 pages to share her knowledge and experiences of pet care. If you would like more great tips and you would like to save some money on your pet bills for all your pets including dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice or rats, please go to: [http://www.save-money-on-pet-bills.com] To receive great advice on dog training information, please go to http://www.messypawz.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?exper Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com