The 3 Stages of Rats Learning to Share a Wheel!
My rats learning to run together on their large 15 inch wheel - they can comfortably run together in pairs (and sometimes even in trios), but for some reason this group has trouble sharing. It seems like we finally hit a breakthrough though and now I've seen Egg sharing the wheel with both Olive and Donut!
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#fancyrats #petrats #ratsonwheels #sillyrats
My girls tried the "you run inside and I run atop of the wheel" It went as well as you'd expect xD
i don't need a video to picture it ='D
*супер пупер классные*
I've had almost 2 dozen rats in the past 10 years . . . and never had a single one that used a wheel for anything other than sleeping.
Mine only run when i'm away. I hear it from the other room and once they see me they stop. XD
Same here. Maybe it's because all of mine have been males.
I love how they really try hard to get it to work
Aaawwweee the cutest part was when they first started to share hahaha so adorable
My four girls are exactly the same way 😂
I also love how my girls kick eachother off to run solo or they force the wheel to turn the direction they want
You've shown me that rats are capable of figuring things out on their own.
My friend’s rats like going like “we didn’t do anything on the wheel” when we come into the room or look at the wheel when we hear noise.
c'mon dude, left left right right we got this.
Aww, they got it!
I'm still training mine to get on the wheel there terrified of it currently lol
A lot of it just comes down to leaving the wheel in their area and letting them investigate at their own pace. Personally I tried training my rats to step onto the wheel when they were freaked, but I found it often sensitized them to it and made them less likely to try on their own. So now I take a back seat and let them just try at their own pace, and usually within a month or so they start to use it.
Run like the wind. No, the wind is blowing in the other direction!
I was laughing this whole video😂😂😂😂
Cute - sharing the wheel :) God job girls. Was that Olive and Egg ?
Yup! At least the first ones were, then Donut took a spin with Egg and they managed to sync up better than Egg and Olive
My mice (yes mice, I don't have rats yet) don't understand this to this day, they're still at stage 1 and will probably never reach the synced run xD
When the gym is full but you promised you'd go
I got that same wheel from your recommendations and this wheel is AWESOME. my big girls buried the wheel at first but the babies figured it out right away and even my non runners before are runners now 💛💛💛
That's awesome - heh yup, I've definitely seen my younger rats encourage the others to be more active and pick up the pace!
cute rats running on there wheel keep up the good work shadow the rat i lover your video ;)
haha cute moment to share with us ! i like it ♥
Thank you!
Молодцы девчушки, труженицы...
so cute and funny!
very nice
Lol. When Natasha was alive, her and her twin Pepper were so synchronized the moment I installed their wheel. Lolol. Their problem was Pepper was always working out so if Natasha wanted to play with her, she had to interrupt her, Natasha: "excuse me twin, but you've been working out now for a whole 5 minutes. I wanna play tag now." Pepper: in a minute, in a minute cardio first. Now, Pepper barely runs in it. It's more like a power 2 minute walk. No fun now that her twin is gone and she's slightly over 2yo. 😞😢 💗
I used to have one rat that found out how to get on top of the wheel and made it her favourite sleeping spot (even though their were plenty other sports available) and another rat who loved jumping in the wheel and started running on full speed immediately XD I tried to convince my other rat to find a better sleeping spot but with no luck so she got yeeted off 2 times. After that it seemed like my running rat understood and never ran the wheel when she was sleeping on top.
Jajajaja 🤣, it's so funy !!!
Ваууу какое колесо 👍👍👍💪
I got 1 stage of Rat! I got all excited to get a wheel for my boys, set it up in their house and….. they got in and rocked themselves to sleep!🤦🏻♀️🤣🤣🤣🖤🐀🖤
Hehe hey now, at least they aren't afraid of it! I've had some rats avoid the wheel for a solid month before finally investigating it, and after that thankfully they'd typically start using it some. I did have two girls who actually ran on the wheel, then when they finished they'd just nap on it for a few minutes, then run again, and that was pretty funny. Rats are such silly little creatures, gotta love them!
@@ShadowTheRat I agree! My boys are definitely adorable little guys🖤🐀🖤 They’ve helped me in so many ways🖤🖤🖤
Sweetbabies♥️🐀🐁♥️
😂😂
I got a video Idea for you, be cool if you could show how to train your rat like from The Suicide Squad. I know they had 3 rats trained for different things, like climb on shoulder, and stand up on que. Simple stuff but might help get some views.
I like that idea - I do have a ton of trick tutorials, but it would be fun to do a movie special!
So cute! And the wheels looks pretty cool, I’ve never seen one like that before, may I ask where you bought it? :))
This is the exotic nutrition 15 inch by 6 inch wheel (called the chin sprint) - its a great wheel for sure, but a bit pricey. I've had this once for a bit over 2 years and plan to use it for a long while yet, so at least so far it seems to have been worth it. Anyways I did a review of the wheel here if you'd like to see more footage of it in use with various rats, or hear more about it in general: kzhead.info/sun/jbtvqbGBfXujfa8/bejne.html You can find the wheel itself here: www.exoticnutrition.com/Products/Chin-Sprint__ENC308.aspx Etsy also has a lot of nice options for larger wheels (usually less wide, but still perfectly good for rats). Otherwise I will say that if you aren't in the US, then a better wheel to check out would be tic tac wheels. These wheels are based in the UK, ship all over (shipping to the US is quite pricey though which is why I went for this made locally one instead), and are fully metal and 14-16 inches (plus they come in a range of fun colors!): www.tictacwheels.co.uk/metal-wheels
@@ShadowTheRat omg wow thanks for your detailed answer!!! Etsy would’ve been the last place I’d look for wheels - pretty cool! I’ll watch your video right now 😇
Do you have a link to that wheel?? I can't find a good one!
This is the exotic nutrition 15 inch by 6 inch wheel (called the chin sprint) - its a great wheel for sure, but a bit pricey. I've had this once for a bit over 2 years and plan to use it for a long while yet, so at least so far it seems to have been worth it. Anyways I did a review of the wheel here if you'd like to see more footage of it in use with various rats, or hear more about it in general: kzhead.info/sun/jbtvqbGBfXujfa8/bejne.html You can find the wheel itself here: www.exoticnutrition.com/Products/Chin-Sprint__ENC308.aspx You can also type in chinchilla wheels on Etsy to find a variety of 14-16 inch wheels, usually thinner than this one but still very usable and loved by rats (often these are cheaper as well). Otherwise I will say that if you aren't in the US, then a better wheel to check out would be tic tac wheels. These wheels are based in the UK, ship all over (shipping to the US is quite pricey though which is why I went for this made locally one instead), and are fully metal and 14-16 inches (plus they come in a range of fun colors!): www.tictacwheels.co.uk/metal-wheels
Could we get a website to buy this from or a product name? I have the silent spinner but it ain't so silent anymore. Lol. I have a feeling this would stay much quieter.
Ve ry good cute. Giống 2 cho con cung đáng yêu quá
Could you please let us know the name of that wheel? It's so hard to find a relatively quiet/sturdy one and that one looks amazing!
This wheel is the exotic nutrition 15 inch by 6 inch wheel (called the chin sprint) - its a great wheel for sure, but a bit pricey. I've had this once for a bit over 2 years and plan to use it for a long while yet, so at least so far it seems to have been worth it. Anyways I did a review of the wheel here if you'd like to see more footage of it in use with various rats, or hear more about it in general: kzhead.info/sun/jbtvqbGBfXujfa8/bejne.html You can find the wheel itself here: www.exoticnutrition.com/Products/Chin-Sprint__ENC308.aspx Otherwise I will say that if you aren't in the US, then a better wheel to check out would be tic tac wheels. These wheels are based in the UK, ship all over (shipping to the US is quite pricey though which is why I went for this made locally one instead), and are fully metal and 14-16 inches (plus they come in a range of fun colors!): www.tictacwheels.co.uk/metal-wheels
Just got an awesome wheel for my 3 boys but they won't go near it :( I've tried dotting around some baby food but they just spin it with their hands and lick it off 😅. Any tips?
Just give it time - many of my rats took up to a month to start using the wheel, and really it just comes down to them getting to slowly warm up to it and investigate it at their own pace.
My girl loved her wheel, and sprinted on it every night, but my boys do what yours do! One will go for a short walk every week or so, but the other just uses it for sleeping. Maybe our boys just are a bit lower in energy?
My Degus used to that, now i only have one left.
I'm sorry to hear that :( Degus are such awesome animals, and I'd love to have a group some day.
@@ShadowTheRat thank-you. My girls where adopted from Pats At Home.
😀💚💚💚
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
lol
how did you train your rats to do this? i've been wanting min e to get more exercise, seeing as i'm busy and cannot always be with them. so i got them a wheel but they completely ignore it!! i've tried treats on the wheel, (seeds, peanut butter..ect.) but they don't care, what did you do or do your girls just like it? :D
Imo you can't really force it some rats like the wheel, some absolutely love it, and some are not interested at all (and you have the odd one out who uses it as a sleeping spot).Leave it in there for a few months and see if they get used to it and/or start messing around with it but don't force it. Not all rats are gonna be interested.
@@laartje24 ive actually realized this over time thank you, My Rat Pebble LOVES. running on the wheel, and my rat cricket sleeps on it like a little cubby :)
Does the black rat have scratches or does she suffer from mites? Our Girl looked the same and was diagnosed with mites. Stronghold (Selamectin) cured her :)
Neither - she's a poor rex and they tend to molt weird, so her fur has a few bald spots from time to time. All my rats have been treated with revolution (US name of stronghold) several times to prevent mites and other parasites, most recently being just a few weeks back when I was caring for a foster rat, so I can assure you it isn't anything like that. It really is just her fur type, which is quite whispy and thin and molts like this. Both her and her sister Donut (same fur type) get funny molts.
Oh, I‘m happy to hear that :) As long as they don‘t suffer :) Thank you for your detailed answer! I‘m impressed by how much time and effort you put in your rats happiness :)
What wheel do you use? I have 28 cm one (11 inch) so only young rats can use it. I am searching for one for my big boys....
This is the exotic nutrition 15 inch by 6 inch wheel (called the chin sprint) - its a great wheel for sure, but a bit pricey. I've had this once for a bit over 2 years and plan to use it for a long while yet, so at least so far it seems to have been worth it. Anyways I did a review of the wheel here if you'd like to see more footage of it in use with various rats, or hear more about it in general: kzhead.info/sun/jbtvqbGBfXujfa8/bejne.html You can find the wheel itself here: www.exoticnutrition.com/Products/Chin-Sprint__ENC308.aspx Otherwise I will say that if you aren't in the US, then a better wheel to check out would be tic tac wheels. These wheels are based in the UK, ship all over (shipping to the US is quite pricey though which is why I went for this made locally one instead), and are fully metal and 14-16 inches (plus they come in a range of fun colors!): www.tictacwheels.co.uk/metal-wheels
I have 3 new rats and I've tried so hard to bond with them but they're so skittish and scared all the time and I don't know what to do anymore. I gave them a whole week to settle in and fed them lots of treats and they're still terrified after a month of trying. The breeder I went to was really bad and the rats were so nervous when I got them that they stunk up the whole car with their nervous diarrhea. I'm frustrated since I did so much research on breeders and rats and I failed miserably. Can you help?
Poor ratties :( In this case I'd guess they may naturally be a bit timid, and so you'll want to go slow and progress at a pace they are comfortable with. Continue to feed yummy treats, and try to offer liquid treats like yogurt off a spoon and then your hands (rats LOVE liquid treats and since they can't run off with them they are perfect for taming and training. Just make sure to slowly build the amount your rats get, as liquid treats or any wet food can cause stomach issues if you give too much too soon). Otherwise instead of handling them, I suggest teaching them to voluntarily climb onto your hand for a treat when offered. This is a huge confidence booster for rats, because they are voluntarily approaching you and so it becomes a much more positive experience. To teach your rats to hop onto your hands when offered, you can use a liquid treat to lure them into putting one paw onto your other hand (held palm up), then let them finish the liquid treat and run off. Repeat this until they place their paw onto your hand without any hesitation, then start to lure them into placing 2 paws onto your hand. Repeat this until they are doing it without hesitation, then work to 3 paws, and then all 4. On e they hop on fully without hesitating, then you can start to add some movement, working up to handling them for a few seconds before putting them down. For some rats it may take several days at each step, and for others they may progress faster, but regardless you will want to go at their pace (in my rats case for example my girls Egg and Sugar aren't super keep on handling - Egg is mildly skittish, and only took a few days to master hoping onto my hands for treats each time. Sugar on the other hand is extremely skittish and took several months to hop up consistently - but it was more than worth it and honestly we had a few setbacks when I picked her up my accident mistaking her for one of my more confident rats that looked nearly identical to her, so it likely would have gone faster if I hadn't done that). In addition to this if they are okay with being picked up, you can continue to do that and pair it with treats. If they aren’t okay with handling, then I’d first work on them. voluntarily hopping onto your hand, as that is a great confidence boost. Other than that just keep working with them daily and if you can establish a routine of playtime and interaction, that’s a great way for them to adapt to your schedule and be up and active when you are around. Training also helps because it makes us more predictable and teaches the rats that new things or scary things aren’t so bad and are often indicators of good things like treats. Since your rats are young I wouldn’t expect any cuddles or such because most young rats are just too hyper for that, but working on handling and play (either hand wrestling if they like that, or just chasing down your hand, or chasing a string or straw, and so forth is great) and training is a great way to bond with young and energetic rats. Overall it sucks that the breeder wasn't great, but sadly that's how it is with a lot of rats. People find they can make a quick buck selling rats, and ethical breeders are few and far between. I only just got my first rats from a nice lady who bred them and socialized them, and they are an amazing trio - but I've had many, many, MANY rats from oops litters and pet stores and feeder bins and so forth, and all have still made amazing pets. Some took time to warm up to me, and some of the more skittish ones never enjoyed handling or touch - but that's okay, because there are so many other ways to interact that this doesn't impede bonding. Remember to honor the small things like approaching for treats, because for some rats this is a huge show of trust. Again using my old girl Sugar as an example, she took weeks to take food from my hands. She is easily one of the most extreme cases of skittishness I've seen in a rat, but even she learned to volunteer for handling, enjoys training with me, enjoys hands-off play, likes to cuddle under blankets (as long as I don't touch her), and generally enjoys being around me. It took some time, and maybe she isn't as outwardly affectionate as some of my other rats, but in a way I feel even more bonded with her because the amount of work it took to get her trust means that I value it so much more. Your rats will get there and make progress, so just go slow, honor the small steps, and enjoy them for the wonderful individuals that they are.
voice leading ??
I might be able to get a rat! Finally! But the breed i want i dont know much about,,, shadow can you reply and tell me a bit about it? Its a Cinnamon Silvermane Whiteside Velveteen Dumbo!
not shadow but maybe i can help a bit. first, maybe the wording was just wrong but it sounds like you're only getting one rat. you need at least 2. cinnamon is a brownish colour silvermane is usually a mix of silver and black hairs on the rat, but can be with other colours too. i would expect a brownish rat with some lighter hairs. velveteen is a coat pattern similar to rex. its kinda curly/wavy. as babies they look very fluffy. whiteside is a marking of white across the belly any sides of the rat. it looks similar to like, a banded guinea pig, but stops around the top/spine of the rat. dumbo means their ears are on the sides of their head, not the top. rats are not separated by "breeds"; some varieties of rats can have health issues due to them being inbred but for the most part, they're just markings and will have no effect on the temperament or health of your rats. congrats on the rats btw, they are a joy to have! :)
Like Bethany said you will need at least 2 rats of the same sex, so please make sure you are getting at least 2 (and 3 would be an even better starting number). As for variation (rats don't have breeds like mentioned above) I again agree with Bethany, with the one caveat that silvermane actually isn't a color but rather a fur type. Silvermane fur is translucent and hollow, causing the base fur colors to take on a silvering look. It usually appears when babies start to molt between 2-6 weeks, but can appear as late as 12 weeks.
My boys don't use their wheel at all. I understand they may just not like it but I am not sure its my fault they don't. Its the recommended 12-inch one from your Amazon UK list. Is it still too small? People who i have asked say they just run in it without any training and never having seen a wheel before. Is this true?
How big are they? Male rats typically need a larger 14-16 inch wheel because even a small male is typically too big for these smaller 12 inch wheels. 12 inches worked well for the smaller adults (usually females), or for babies. Even so I keep both a 12 inch and this 15 inch in my rats cage, and even with all girls they nearly exclusively use the larger wheel when its available. Even at 5-6 weeks my current girls were choosing the larger 15 inch over the 12 inch, and as they continued to grow it became more and more common for them to only use the large wheel. Unfortunately 12 inches is the largest most commercial wheels come in, so you have to find a more custom seller in order to get the larger wheels. If they are young or small adults then its also possible they ust haven't adjusted yet - plenty of my rats have taken up to a month to start using the wheels, and I just help the process by leaving the wheel in the cage 24/7. Often they are a bit weirded out by the movement at first, so they need time and continual exposure to it in order for them to learn to trust the motion and run on it. Usually one will figure it out first and then the others will quickly follow - in my current case when I got my current younger girls my other girls were all over 2 years and so not as interested in running anymore. So because of that the babies had to figure it out themselves, and especially with the metal wheel that took some time. Once they got the hang of it though they became huge fans and now they all like to use it (with the exception of my oldest girl who isn't too interested in extra exercise anymore). All that is to say you can try leaving it for a few weeks to see if they start to use it, or if they seem too large then it may be worth looking into some custom 14-16 inch wheels (in the UK Tic Tax wheels come in 14-16 inches and are nicely priced - I wanted one for my rats but sadly shipping more than doubled the cost so I ended up getting one local. But I've seen great reviews for their wheels and they are quite popular in many rat groups).
@@ShadowTheRat It is in their cage but they are terrified of it, also it maybe too small as well. They do fill it up a bit too snugly! Thank you for your help! I will get a bigger one and work with my silly nervous babies to get them accustomed. Very happy to know they will figure it out on their own without prior expereince when they are more comfortable with it.
@@cryptidofthevoid I'd recommend leaving it in the cage for a few weeks at least - they will adjust to it over time. At first they will go around it because its a new object (and one that moves at that), but over time one will get curious and then the rest will follow (I've had many rats start scared of the wheel and that's always the pattern I see - one eventually approaches, then the rest follow).
Don't rats poop on everything ?
🥲 🤍 🖤
So cute but I thought rats couldn't use wheels for safety reasons
Wheels like the one in the video are fine. As long as they can't catch a hand, foot, or tail in part of the wheel, and the wheel is large enough so that they can walk/run naturally, it's perfectly safe.
I heard running wheels are bad for rats did I miss hear that?
You need to consider the size and surface of the wheel. It needs to be large enough for their spine's to be straight when running. The surface needs to be flat to avoid catching their feet or tails. Most inexpensive, chain pet store wheels are too small for anything but young females.
^^This! A nice 14-16 inch solid wheel is great for rats, but 12 inch wheels (maximum pet stores carry) will only be good for dwarf rats or very young standards. I've even had 4 week olds use my 15 inch wheel here so really there is no reason to start with a small wheel as even babies can use a large wheel and they will grow into it as well.
@@ShadowTheRat where did you get this wheel from? I've never seen one this nice
Колесо узковато для 2 крыс
Nothing is more satisfying when that rat bastard is caught between the jaws of Mr Asian monitor and his skull explodes from that bite!!!!!
None of my rats will run on the wheel. Why????
How long have you had it in the cage, and how big is it? Many of my rats have taken a month to start using the wheel, so you may just need to wait longer. In addition to this if your wheel is small (rats typically need a 14-16 inch wheel to run freely and most pet store wheels max at 12 inches) then your rats won’t feel comfortable using it.
@@ShadowTheRat My rats have no cage. I converted a 10X12 room for just them.
@sandra foreman In that case just leave the wheel out - but you'll still want it to be at least 14-16 inches which will mean a custom stand. Its possible they simply aren't too interested yet due to the large space, but likely with time they will come around to it.
Why is my rat barbering my other rats neck to the point of blood?
Poor rat :( Barbering should never draw blood, so I'd suspect its something else going on. Have you treated them for parasites? That's always my first step with any scratches or scabs, just because they can cause a lot of itchiness. Every rat needs to be treated when parasites are suspected, and I'd recommend revolution as its the safest and most effective treatment. Other than that, you can try adding more enrichment (you can add a wheel, dig box, foraging toys, scatter feed, etx.), give them more free-range if possible, and just generally try to make sure the rat doing the biting doesn't have any need to fulfill that could be causing it. If it keeps happening though and you are sure it is the other rat, then you may need to separate them temporarily in order for the other rat to heal, then you can try to slowly reintroduce. Its also worth getting them vet checked to rule out any health issues, and if its just 2 rats then getting a third/fourth buddy (of the same sex or altered) to balance out group dynamics can help (although if you plan to try this you would need to have a large enough cage for 3/4 rats, and you'd want to rule out any medical issues). If they are intact then neutering/spaying can also help, but that's a bit of a last ditch effort.
@@ShadowTheRat I have 2 girls, the younger one is getting garnered on the back of her neck to the point of blood. The cage can’t even fit a wheel. I try to give them free roam of my room everyday so they can run, climb, and chew. I’ll talk to my mom about the vet and maybe a bigger cage. Any cage recommendations?
@@ShadowTheRat they also have very natural bedding. Flax? Can’t remember. We might go back to the petsmart stuff. We also got them from a really good breeder near me.
Rats dont should have a wheel (but can have) they can build addiction to the running wheel and running all day and all night if you see this take it out for the day or night , thx ........ I have many rats in my life but only one was like drug addict she was sleeping in the wheel only go for food or drink and then go again sleep in the wheel becouse she dont want that the other rat start running and she will be not there . I saw her sleep in the wheel then He wake up and like 1-2 min walking then 3min running and fall asleep again in the wheel
Крысики обложенные
Some rats pee on there wheel 🤮
I had gerbils that did that, I washed the wheel daily and they kept peeing on it
Lol yup - I had one rat that pooped on the wheel (Espresso), but thankfully moving it across the cage made her continue to use it to run but stop pooping on it. Fast forward a few weeks and I was able to move it back and she never pooped on it again.