The rat is a very intelligent animal. It is able not only to carry out the simplest commands, but also to participate in experiments, overcoming mazes and solving rather complicated tasks. To teach your pet such tricks, you need to understand how to train a rat, what techniques you need to use for this, and what maximum you can achieve.
First stages
Training of any animal is recommended to begin with the simplest. Accustoming to a name, the ability to come to the cage by knocking, the habit of climbing on the shoulder at the command - these are the basic knowledge that a rodent must possess before more complex actions are required of it. It is curious that a white domestic rat learns slower than an animal with a different coat color. However, this does not mean that it does not make sense to waste energy - you just have to show maximum patience and spend a little more time.
Stunt training
Before you train a rat, you need to pay attention to the degree of satiety - it should not be hungry. But feed before the "lesson" is not worth it. Well, if she got food 12 hours ago. One of the easiest exercises is the hind legs stand. With all the simplicity of training and execution, the trick looks quite impressive. In order for the white domestic rat to stand on its hind legs, you need to give it a sniff of a treat and slowly raise it from her face. The animal, reaching for the aroma, will be forced to climb the back of the body. After the animal has taken the desired position, you can give the treat.
Understanding how to train a rat at home, it is easy to teach her to jump from one object to another, perhaps even through a hoop. For example, you decide that she will ride on stools. First, let the animal explore the area where the training will take place. After this, the objects are slightly pushed away from each other. An animal located on one of them, with the help of goodies, is forced to switch to another. There it gets a "yummy". Such actions will have to be done many times until the stools are at a sufficient distance. It is very important to fix each correct action. You cannot scold a pet, otherwise it will cease to trust you. Using a treat, you can teach a rodent many interesting actions.
Clicker Training
Before you train a rat, you need to understand at least a little of its psychology. For example, these animals hardly distinguish the sounds of human speech. Therefore, it is very difficult to train specifically for the teams of this pet. The animal is confused in the words you pronounce. Instead, it makes more sense to use sounds. For example, you can use a clicker. Training with this device is based on the positive reinforcement of the correct actions of the pet. The application of this technique allows the animal to concentrate on the task for a long time.
It is difficult for rodents to understand speech. Therefore, the clicker is ideal for those who do not yet know how to train a rat. The sound emitted by the device is quite clear. The pet will quickly realize what it means to reward. During classes, it is better not to talk to the animal at all, so as not to distract or confuse him. Clicking with a clicker is necessary as praise, while the lack of results is simply ignored. You cannot scold or punish rats.
Advice
Training tips are useful even for those who already know how to train a rat. For beginners, this is very important information, without which all of their activities may turn out to be meaningless:
- A lesson should not take much time. 15-25 minutes is the maximum during which the rat is able to concentrate.
- Do not skimp on affection and praise - this will allow the animal to feel more confident.
- So that the rat is not afraid of the voice, it should be talked a lot and often - but not during the lesson.
- If there are several animals, each should be given the same amount of time.
- Training is best combined with games, then the animal will be less tired.
- Training without dainty will be ineffective. As praise, you can use chopped nuts, pieces of vegetables, fruits or meat products. The pieces should be very small so that the animal does not eat up, but understands that this is an encouragement.
When training, it is important to observe the principle of "from simple to complex." Only this approach will give the desired result.