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Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / October 2007Potty Training???
So today is the first day of my potty training experience. I have attempted it many times before and failed misrably every time. Each time I buy that little box and the little pellets from the pet store, and every time they just play in the little container, and never actually use it as the potty. This time I got some advice from someone else, and the way they did it is completely different than how I did it. This time I have completely removed the problem of buying new special litter for the box, and I'm using the same stuff I have always used. What I changed was the bedding for their cage. I am using fleece instead. i was always afraid of them chewing it, but I fiure, let them chew it... its not that expensive, and this way there is less of a mess on a consistant basis. The second big change is that I am not using those stupid little tiny boxes that you connect to the cage. I bought a big tub from wal-mart, and put the bedding in there. I had to remove their big house, but I like it better this way. So far Scoot loves the box, and has been eating in there since i put it in their cage. Scat seems pretty freaked out by all the changes, but i think he will figure it out. Eventually, once they are potty trained I may go down to a smaller box, but at this point it works well, and because its so deep, I think the mess will be contained. I'll keep you all updated on how it goes. I hear it can be done, so we will see if my boys are smart enough to do it too. > So today is the first day of my potty training experience. I have attempted > it many times before and failed misrably every time. Each time I buy that [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > I'll keep you all updated on how it goes. I hear it can be done, so we will > see if my boys are smart enough to do it too. Those are good ideas. Another thing, clean up all poops that are outside of the box, every time you see a poop somewhere, place it in the box. I use real kitty litter pans as well. Good luck!  SignatureJoanne The Rat Shack www.jorats.com So far, not so good. Day 2 is upon us, and so far they think it is a big toybox for them to play in. Right now they are power grooming eachother in it. They are still pooping anywhere they see fit. I am cleaning it up and throwing the poop into their box in hopes that they will realize that I want them to use the box. Does anyone have a rat that is litter box trained? At the moment I'm getting made fun of and having people tell me it is impossible. > So far, not so good. Day 2 is upon us, and so far they think it is a big > toybox for them to play in. Right now they are power grooming eachother in [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > -- > Message posted via PetKB.comhttp://www.petkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/rat/200710/1 Do not despair! My boys are potty trained, even Barkley who came to me at a year old. I didn't consciously set out to train them, their mum used to go in the potty, so I provided them with three in the mansion. Sometimes I think they miss, coz I find poop on the outside every now and then. The girls on the other hand...Well, Christmas doesn't like to poop on rat litter, so she chucks it all out, or else moves the tray and makes a nest in it. The little girls will poop in the designated potty corner as well. Maybe I should try just a regular old tray with no litter... It can be done. If they have a regular corner they poop in, use that area for their potty. It takes a kitten or puppy a bit of time to work out where to go, so I imagine that rats would be much the same, or longer if they are older. cheers M&m When they begin playing in it and sleeping in it, should I make them move? I dont want them to feel its a place that they cant be. I mean, for the last 5 months their whole cage has been their potty, so I think it is only natural for them to be in it. So far they havent tried to chew the fleese, which makes me happy. Right now Scoot is sleeping in there, and I just dont know what to do. I dont think they are happy that their cage has changed so much. Anytime I give them a treat they seem to take it right into the litter box to eat it. At first I wanted them to stop, but then i realized that it means less for me to clean later if its all contained in their litter box. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. > When they begin playing in it and sleeping in it, should I make them > move? I dont want them to feel its a place that they cant be. I [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > for me to clean later if its all contained in their litter box. Any > other advice would be greatly appreciated. I was wondering whether it might be a good idea, after cleaning out, to make sure the rest of the cage is completely (as far as is possible, considering rats' sense of smell) deodorised, before sprinkling a few poos you've saved from the cleanout in the litter tray and putting everything back. I managed to litter-train two of my rats, Spot and Stripe, but they were very intelligent rats and I spent a lot of time doing it - I haven't managed to teach any since, and stopped trying a good while back. Good luck - I hope you succeed. Rosemary > When they begin playing in it and sleeping in it, should I make them move? I > dont want them to feel its a place that they cant be. I mean, for the last 5 [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > -- > Message posted viahttp://www.petkb.com I used to dismantle the potty tray nest, but that didn't do anything. Every time it was refilled, Christmas would pull everything out of the 'proper' nest, to make it in the potty tray. I watched her :s So I stopped putting the tray in there. I'm fine with them going in one corner. If your boys don't have a potty corner things might be a bit harder, but I am sure you can do it...or they can..which ever way you look at it. > So far, not so good. Day 2 is upon us, and so far they think it is a big > toybox for them to play in. Right now they are power grooming eachother in > it. They are still pooping anywhere they see fit. I am cleaning it up and > throwing the poop into their box in hopes that they will realize that I want > them to use the box. Does anyone have a rat that is litter box trained? At > the moment I'm getting made fun of and having people tell me it is impossible. I find with males it takes longer. But don't give up! It is doable, a few of my rats are potty trained. And mine still sleep in it or play in it. I don't stop them. SignatureJoanne The Rat Shack www.jorats.com > So far, not so good. Day 2 is upon us, and so far they think it is a big > toybox for them to play in. Right now they are power grooming eachother [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > the moment I'm getting made fun of and having people tell me it is > impossible. Art and Tar used to be about 99% litter trained, Tars back legs aren't what they used to be and he does get lazy sometimes but Art still uses , the litter pan all the time. Behn , Fhean and Doowie are another storey, I am persevering though with time they should improve. I use paper cat litter for the litter trays as they eat the corn based litter for small animals. > So far, not so good. Day 2 is upon us, and so far they think it is a big > toybox for them to play in. Right now they are power grooming eachother [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > the moment I'm getting made fun of and having people tell me it is > impossible. yes, mine are litter trained. the best time to teach them is when they are very young. my rats were using it since they were about 5 weeks old. i use a cereal bowl full of mint-scented cat litter. i change it often but almost never wash the bowl. i believe that the smell of old waste (undetectable to me)encourages them to keep using it. the older a rat is, the harder it seems to train them to use litter boxes. Day three, not much better than day two. Today started off really hard for me... I woke up so late that I didnt have any time to even check on them (probably mistake one), when I got home I found the box completely turned over, and all their litter all over the place. Their toys had been completely thrown around, and it was so dirty, I just couldnt believe it. I am a bit worried that they are getting sick again. I noticed a big spot of red stuff on Scoot's back. It was pink, but it could have been from one of them sneezing on the other. I gave them a bath, and hopefully they will be okay. I also re-set up their cage and blocked in the box, so hopefully it will stay in place. The biggest problem that I have is that the fleese smells from here to high heaven. I need to get some more velcro so that it will stay down. I may end up switching it out tonight though. For those who use fleese, how often do you have to replace it in a week? > Day three, not much better than day two. Today started off really hard for > me... I woke up so late that I didnt have any time to even check on them [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > For those who use fleese, how often do you have to replace it in a week? I change my fleece every 2 to 3 days. It depends on how big the cage is. SignatureJoanne The Rat Shack www.jorats.com Day Four... ah... maybe it will happen... So today I came home and I found that they hadn't tipped the container over. They had pulled all the fleese up and had it moved around, but the tub was still standing upright with no mess on the bottom of the tub. I havent looked yet to see if they pooped all over the place. I changed the fleese out last night, and their noses arent red anymore so maybe it was just from the fleese being yucky. I had left it there for the past three days, so maybe I'll just make sure I change it every other day. I bought them some new cat toys today as special treats since I feel bad they they are going through so many changes. They love them and Scoot has been going nuts on the little lady bug I bought him. Scat is all about the little blue fuzzy ball. Can rats see color? I'm thinkin of switching the litter, but maybe I'll wait until I have them fully trained. > Day Four... ah... maybe it will happen... > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Can rats see color? I'm thinkin of switching the litter, but maybe I'll wait > until I have them fully trained. Potty training can take quite a while, so whatever you do, keep at it. Rats can't see colour like we do. They see shades, here's a great page that explains it better: http://www.ratbehavior.org/RatVision.htm Those lucky little guys with new toys... sweet! SignatureJoanne The Rat Shack www.jorats.com > Day Four... ah... maybe it will happen... > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > wait > until I have them fully trained. I woke today to find Doowie, Fhean and Behn had been on a wrecking spree. Or should I call it a cage tidying spree? Litter and poop everywhere, LOL, it had travelled half way accross the room. Day five... ugh... so today was a tough day, not only because of the rats, but because we had tornatos running through the town. I got stuck at work in the tornato shelter because of it, and when I came home I found the box half over, and I found that they had been pooping in a different corner of the cage. So I took them out, and cleaned it all up, wiped down the base except for the corner they have been pooping in. I moved that side of the corner to where the box is so they will hopefully still smell that and then poop in the box where the corner is. Its wishful thinking I'm sure. I have officially decided to give it a full 3 weeks at least. If after that it still seems as hopeless as it does now, then I'll give it up. I'll keep you updated > Day five... ugh... so today was a tough day, not only because of the rats, > but because we had tornatos running through the town. I got stuck at work in > the tornato shelter because of it, [snip] This looks just like 'tomato' on my screen... for an insane moment I pictured some kind of mass escape ;-) SignatureIgenlode Visit the Ivory Tower http://ivory.150m.com/Tower/ its: belonging to it - it's: "it is" (contraction ) Day Six... Man! I came home tonight to find the box over again. Tonight I decided I need to attach the box to the cage to hopefully just keep it down a bit. I also cleaned the cage up and wiped it down with clorox wipes that are lemon sented, so hopefully that will kill the sent of the cage and they will go in the box. I'm not really sure if they are using it or not. I'll have to wait until Saturday to really know for sure so that i can actually watch them. Any other advice you guys will help me bunches, so please let me know what you know! >> Day five... ugh... so today was a tough day, not only because of the >> rats, [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > This looks just like 'tomato' on my screen... for an insane moment I > pictured some kind of mass escape ;-) Lmao - like one of those terrible horror movies 'Killer Tomatoes Run Rampage'! On a serious note though it must be so scary living somewhere where you are hit with tornadoes - those, along with tidal waves seem to put the bejabbers up me more than anything else nature throws at us. We've actually started having iddy biddy ones in this country (England) on odd occasions. Ok, back to potty training! I managed to get all my ratties using a litter tray in next to no time, and one was an adult rat of around two who had never used one before. I just kept popping a few poops in the tray and then the young rats started going there, the older one must have observed that and copied them. They would also use the litter tray to eat and sleep in! Oh and they continued to pee anywhere and everywhere! I only ever had one rat that was choosey about where he piddled, and if he was out of his cage you'd see him suddenly sprint back, take a pee, and then dart back out to continue whatever he was up to before - it always made me laugh, bless his heart. Keep persevering - I'm sure they'll get the hang of it before long! Tracey I think its odd that rats are the only animal I know of that choose to pee in the same place they sleep. My guys love sleeping in their hammoc full of pee. Its crazy. They also will choose to pee where they eat too, I cant think of another animal that does that. > I think its odd that rats are the only animal I know of that choose to pee in > the same place they sleep. My guys love sleeping in their hammoc full of pee. > Its crazy. They also will choose to pee where they eat too, I cant think of > another animal that does that. Rabbits will do that too. SignatureJoanne The Rat Shack www.jorats.com Day 8 and 9... sorry I forgot to update yesterday. Attaching the box has really helped. There haven't been any turning the box over, or messes since then. They have now decided to play with the fleece since its not attached. No chewing yet, just moving it around. I woke up today (after 17 hours of sleep) to find their cage (except the box) completely torn up. They had turned everything else over. It was quite the mess. They are still pooping everywhere, but I'm still gonna keep working on it. Well, today I woke up and found the boys had done a pretty good job. One of them has gas though. I didnt even know that rats could have gas. I think now its just a waiting game of making sure that start using the box. I'm just hoping that they start using is soon as possible. Okey Dokey, Today is officially one week and a few hours.... im not sure how my count got off, but I set it up last week on Saturday night... today I cleaned out the cage, and only found probably 15 poops. This is from 2 full days of not cleaning it. This means that at least one, if not both is using the box!!! I never thought it was possible. I'm gonna keep going and hopefully by this time next week they will be fully potty trained. Keep me in your thoughts... > Okey Dokey, Today is officially one week and a few hours.... im not sure > how [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > me > in your thoughts... Yay! I knew if you gave them time it would sink in! Fingers crossed they will get even better with the placing of their raisins! Tracey > I think its odd that rats are the only animal I know of that choose to pee in > the same place they sleep. My guys love sleeping in their hammoc full of pee. > Its crazy. They also will choose to pee where they eat too, I cant think of > another animal that does that. Not just pee either. A couple of days ago I caught Peach pinching a loaf in the food dish. >> I think its odd that rats are the only animal I know of that choose to >> pee in [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > A couple of days ago I caught Peach pinching a loaf in the food dish. Lmao, never heard of that expression before :oD Tracey So far so good. The hardest thing is that my little guys keep pulling up and moving the fleece wherever they want. The box is pretty stable, so I'm pretty happy about that, but I realized that its gonna be hard to clean it though. I really wanna put their big igloo back in the cage, but it seems impossible until i can move to a smaller box, if that will even happen. I may be looking into getting a bigger cage though, as this one is getting a bit small for them both. Right now I cant afford it though. Scat has completely out-weighed Scat at this point, I think. I gave them both baths yesterday, and Scat is huge compaired to Scoot. I dont have a scale though, so i dont know for sure. > So far so good. The hardest thing is that my little guys keep pulling up > and [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > though, > so i dont know for sure. I've been potty training my young guys, when I had them in the furet tower they mostly ignored the litter pan and used the extra shelves I had put in with the lino on top. Now I have them in the ferret nation it is an istant transformation, they mostly use the litter tray. Difference is I have covered all the shelves with fleece or other material. I think they thought they were being cleaner by using the lino , now they don't have that option :-) Poor Tar isn't using his litter pan much now, his legs are too bad, his bedding was soaking when I got in tonight :-( He is getting worse quickly. >>> Day five... ugh... so today was a tough day, not only because of the >>> rats, [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > Tracey lol, yeah, i notice that my rats also often love to eat in the litter box. imagine... eating a big meal while you're sitting on the crapper. works for them though... > Day three, not much better than day two. Today started off really hard > for [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > For those who use fleese, how often do you have to replace it in a week? use a "litter box" that is too heavy for them to tip. a haeavy piece of something ceramic for example. |
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