Any tips on litter training a rat?

I've read a lot about it and it does not sound too hard. You just need to put some sort of litter that is different from the rest of the cage in a box and continue to put her stool in it right? (The rest of the cage would be comfy towels and stuff) And if she is seen going somewhere else you just put her back in the box..? Also what about when she is out of the cage? Does she need a litter box set up where she is (b/c that would make sense). Also what type of litter would you recommend, I was thinking about putting either carefresh or yesturday's news in the box. How thick should it be? Thanks.. :)





Picture of my baby:


http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r249/...

Any tips on litter training a rat?
Some rats litter train easily. Some don't. Some go in one corner all of the time. Some don't. Mine are part of those that don't fit into the normal rat category. Just in case yours ends up in the same category, I'll go ahead and let you know what I have done.





My rats poo whenever the feeling hits them. If that means they are in the middle of a bound over the couch, so be it. Out it flies. They have since stopped using the couch as a pooing area, but that was the first few months I had them. Now they poo in the cage while doing whatever. There is no "poo stance" that I can find. Some individuals can tell when theirs are ready to go. Mine don't do this.





It was a nightmare to potty train them and I followed the dapper rat instructions as best I could. The problem for me was moving them into the litter box on the off chance I found them pooing outside of the box. That was impossible when to get to the girls, I had to open up the crazy cage door and by the time I got it opened she'd have finished or bolted for her home because a giant hand was coming her way.





They had no specific corner they went in. They went in all but the food corner. That's when I read an article that said they generally won't poo in the same corner as their water, food or housing (not true btw- mine pood behind their house constantly). So, I put the water bottle in one corner, a grass ball home in another corner (got rid of the wooden colorful home I had due to its size and the wood soaking up the urine smell) and their food in another with the litter box in the remaining corner. Then I grabbed the biggest ferret litter box I could find and put some Kaytee brand smelly litter (mint or lavender- the rose smell made me ill) in it, crossed my fingers and prayed. I used YN for the bedding. They took to it almost immediately. I now have far more poop in the litter box than the rest of the cage. They don't poo in the grass ball corner, nor do they poo in the food corner. The water bottle corner tends to be a toss-up. But, the more poo in the litter box means less cleaning for me.





So ultimately what worked for me was simply putting Kaytee smelly litter bedding in the litter box and making sure the litter box was large enough for them. I think the combo of the smell and the different texture clued them in.





As for outside of the cage- when they are babies, every twenty minutes or so let her back in the cage to do her business. When she is grown, she will be able to hold it for an hour or so and you won't need to worry. It would be fine to just bring the litter box out with you when they are out so they can go. Mine like to play in it when it's outside their cage *sigh*. So I just make sure to either have the cage on the floor so they can run in when they need to go, or I just put them back after an hour.





Also, rats do FAR better as a pair. Please get your rat a friend. A same sex litter mate is best. If you cannot devote 4 plus hours a day to your rat, she will be lonely. Another rat is no harder to care for and she will live a happier, more fulfilled with a friend. (http://www.nfrs.org/company.html)





Good luck =)
Reply:Rats usually go in one corner of cage.


When you determine that area, put a low dis/container with a few droppings in there (litter too),.. ratty will soon use the provided pan.
Reply:The best was is to adopt a wild, adult cat to get rid of the discusting rat droppings left by a nasty rat, by getting rid of the rat.
Reply:Aww! She is so itty-bitty!





I have been trying to litter-train my rat since I got him..he is a bit of a blockhead and hasn't grasped the concept yet ;).


What I do is use yesterdays news in one corner and pick up his poos and pop them there..if he assumes the position to wiz, I try to pick him up and place him there - but that doesn't always work. If it doesn't, I scoop the little eco-bedding he peed on and pop it in the corner. I am hoping he will get the idea soon and start doing his business in the corner.





You are on the right track using a potty-box and placing her little raisins in it - keep it up and be consistent and she will learn in no time! It is also a good idea to see if she uses a particular corner..if she prefers to potty in another corner of the cage, sometimes it is a good idea to move her litter box to that corner and just utilize that one instead of the corner you may have chosen. Good luck!!
Reply:I saw on the TV, I think it was on Dirty Jobs, that rats are incontinent, and they dribble urine all the time. So I would think, from that information, that rats cannot be litter trained.
Reply:Buy a litter pan and some sand (included) at your local petstore.
Reply:Cute pic!





In the cage she will pick her spot; if you put a litter tray there and she uses it fine, but she is just as likely to pick somewhere else because you have.





Little dustpan and brush, for the place she chooses?





The cage is her home and she will keep that tidy, but outside when the girl wants to go she will go.