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When I hear the word exercise, my mind immediately goes to the image of my mom in a leotard and leg warmers, heading off to the gym. Since then, I’ve always hated the notion of going somewhere to stand around with strangers to lift weights and use exercise equipment. I have tried it, and it’s not for me.
Back in the 1980s, the idea of exercise was primarily focused on appearance. But as the decades have passed, we’ve learned that it is just as necessary for our physical and mental health. This is also true for our rats.
Benefits Of Exercising
Regular exercise helps a rat’s body function properly and fight disease. It also delays or reduces obesity. Excess weight puts strain on the joints and muscles, and can lead to hind leg degeneration, heart issues, diabetes, lipomas, and other illnesses.
If your rat is starting to get pudgy, this is a great time to evaluate their food intake and their daily exercise routine. To help you determine just how flubby your rat might be, hop on over to my article “Is My Rat Fat?” It also explains different causes for weight gain and how their diet and food habits affect them.
A trimmer waistline is not the only reason rats need exercise though. It also provides better mental health and reduces stress. A lack of exercise can lead to boredom, depression, and behavioral issues. This is especially true since rats live the majority of their lives in a cage.
Note: This article focuses solely on healthy rats that do not have mobility restrictions due to hind leg degeneration, illness, or injury. For those rats, please talk to your veterinarian about ways to meet their exercise needs.
No Gyms Required
Unlike wild rats, our domesticated ones tend to be more sedentary and need their owners to facilitate activity — without body shaming them of course.
Does this mean that you have to buy a rat-sized treadmill? Thankfully, no.
While the idea of a rat dressed up in 1980s exercise gear is delightfully humorous, “getting exercise” for rats does not mean weightlifting, aerobics, or spin class. They don’t even sweat! All they require are daily opportunities and motivation to get their bodies moving and out of their hammocks.
This can be done through exploration, playing with toys, activity puzzles, agility courses, and trickery. Yes, you can trick your rats into exercising.
Cage Activity For Rats
To prevent your rats from sleeping all day, which is common as they age, they need more than just beds and basic cage accessories. Having a multilevel dwelling is a start, but it is not enough to keep them active. You need to supply additional items that promote movement.
Exercise Wheels: These can be hit or miss. Some rats do enjoy running on a wheel, while others enjoy sleeping in it. Because a wheel is the rat’s version of a treadmill though, it’s worth trying one as long as it is safe and appropriately sized. My preference has always been the Wodent Wheel, but the Silent Spinner is also a good choice. There might be newer brands available now, too, so do your research.
The wheel should be large enough for adult rats (usually an X-large) and made of a solid material with no bars or gaps that a tail or foot could slip through. It also needs to fasten securely to the side of the cage or have a stand with zero space between it and the bars that would allow a rat’s head or other body parts to get stuck in. I suggest trying one out when your rats are still young, because once laziness sets in (mostly with adult males), a wheel will be turned into a bed or ignored entirely.
Interactive Decor: A lot of people decorate their rats’ cages with interactive items that keep them busy. They often use a combination of items made for pets, along with everyday objects that can be turned into climbing devices, bridges, tunnels, and dig boxes.
I tackled this myself when I wrote the article “Cage Makeover With Rat Cage Ideas.” I used a wooden bird perch attached to the side of the cage as a toilet paper holder and let my rats “redecorate” with the paper. I also took out their ramp and used items that forced more effort to get around the cage. This was, of course, for my younger, mobile rats; my seniors had different needs.
Rat Out-Of-Cage Activity
A change of scenery is the quickest way to get your rats moving. Their desire to explore, inspect, and interact with new things and spaces is a fantastic motivator for staying busy.
Free-Ranging: Most rats love the chance to run freely outside their cage, even the lazier ones. This doesn’t have to mean free reign of your entire home either. Instead, you can designate a specific time of day and a rat-proofed room. You will also need to provide items that encourage continual activity while they are out.
For many years I used my bathroom for free-ranging. I would set up igloos, tubes, cardboard boxes, and other items my rats could climb on or in. I would also sit on the floor and allow myself to be their rat jungle gym.
Their favorite activity was TPing the bathroom. I discovered this after I had stepped out for a moment and came back to find that one of the rats had pole danced his way up our free-standing toilet paper holder. With his teeth, he had grabbed the paper dangling above him and slid back down to the floor with it. He and the rest of the mischief proceeded to do what any naughty rat, or human child for that matter, will do when unsupervised with a roll of toilet paper. But hey, it had them running all over that bathroom and even climbing for a good long time. They even engaged in problem-solving and working together. For this reason, I let them continue on without a lecture. I even set aside an extra roll of toilet paper for their future fun.
To learn more about the pros and cons of free-ranging and how to do it safely, please read my article “Free-Ranging Pet Rats: What Every Owner Needs To Know.”
Playpens Or Play Areas: A designated play spot for your rats is pretty much the equivalent to recess in the schoolyard. It provides a safe, confined area where your rats can burn off energy. This can either be a physical object that you build, or you can put one together on a protected surface in your house. Over the years I’ve tried store-bought ones for the floor, but my rats always figured out how to escape.
If you’re wondering how to set up a play area, don’t fret, I’ve got you covered! Head on over to my article “Let Rat Play Rule in a Rat Playground.”
The way to make a play area more effective, in terms of exercise, is contingent on what you equip it with. If you want to prevent or stall napping, your rat needs things to do. For instance, pet puzzle toys or a dig box are great. These not only keep rats moving, but these also provide mental stimulation. I also recommend items they can climb or go in and out of — like igloos, tubes, or a wheel on a stand. Get creative with things around your home or from a dollar store, too. I once used a tiny, desktop-sized trash can that I filled with random bits of paper, tissue, and cardboard. This kept my rats busy emptying the “trash” and stashing it somewhere else.
The key to keeping your rats’ interest in the items you’ve gathered is to offer multiple things and consistently change them up. Don’t give them everything at once. Instead, do a weekly or bi-weekly rotation of them.
If you choose to build your play area, think of ways that the structure can double as a “rat gym.” The one my husband built, which was used as an extension to our rats’ cage, was made from two long, shallow storage containers. They were then connected together and reinforced with different-size plastic piping. The thinner pipe we used on two sides doubled as a balance beam, while the much larger pipes on the inside served as tunnels between the two containers.
Toys: Play with your rats using (rat-safe) pet toys, such as a rolling cat toy that can be chased. Or a cat teaser, which is a wand with an object or feather attached by a long string. Most rats love attacking feathers!
Agility Course: If you’re really ambitious and want a challenge, set up an agility course for your rats. There are many examples online, but one of my favorites is Shadow the Rat, who can be found on Shadow Rat Instagram and Shadow Rat YouTube. Not only do her rats get lots of exercise, but they are learning tricks at the same time.
Tricking Your Rats Through Treats
As rats get older, they slow down and become less active — I can’t say that I’m any different. Male rats in particular are notorious for becoming lazy potatoes, especially if they’ve been neutered. But isn’t this what we love about the boys?
The tips I’ve already provided are all a ploy to make your rats exercise, but how do you get these sloths to stay active even when they are hammock addicts? You use food to trick them!
Make Them Work For Their Supper: The use of food crocks, foraging wheels, or treat foragers requires more effort for your rat. If the food dish is on the cage floor, a rat is more likely to sit next to it eating until they are full. Whereas, if the food crock is attached to the side of the cage a few inches from the floor, then your rat has to stand and stretch for each bite of food. Same with a foraging wheel, which takes them even more time and effort to get food out of it.
Pea Fishing: This is very simple and only requires a heavy food container (one that can’t be tipped over), water, and frozen peas. Rats absolutely love “fishing” for the peas! Even if they start off hesitant, they’ll be grabbing for them like little pea-junkies in no time. And if you have a group of rats all trying to steal peas from each other, well then, they’ll be working extra hard to burn off those minimal calories!
Not All Rats Are Equal
It’s often assumed that a fat rat is getting little to no exercise. From personal experience, that’s just not true. Some of my fattest rats were alive when I was allowing free-range through my entire house. Those rats were rarely confined to a cage and spent most of their day running around — yet they were pretty darn chunky. I was careful what I fed them, too, so this wasn’t from overeating.
Sometimes it’s just genetics. If your rat does have significant weight issues though, I highly suggest talking to your veterinarian. They can help determine if it’s a health issue, a diet issue, or if a more structured exercise plan might help.
With our busy lives it’s not always easy to meet our rat’s daily exercise needs. If you can incorporate several different ways for them to stay moving throughout the day, they will greatly benefit.
