Anyone who owns rats knows how much they adore their toy collection. But like anything else, these toys break apart, get chewed up, and wear down over time. It would be best if you replaced them after they start to break down or are non-functioning. Depending on the material, some rat toys will last longer than others.
Are your little long-tailed darlings getting sick of their old toys? If you’re looking around to find some exciting new toys for your rat babies, we’ve tailor-made a list of excellent picks from around the web. Take a look at these reviews about the best rats toys you can buy this year.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024
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Best Overall
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Niteangel Small Animal Trio of Fun Balls |
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Best Value
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Kaytee Perfect Chews Rat Toy |
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Premium Choice
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Living World Teach N Treat Toy |
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Check Price |
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Kaytee Lava Ledge Toy |
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Oxbow Apple Stick Bundle Chew Toy |
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Check Price |
The 5 Best Rat Toys
1. Niteangel Small Animal Trio of Fun Balls – Best Overall
The Niteangel Small Animal Trio of Fun Balls are a terrific choice for lengthy entertainment. We loved this product as the best overall rat toys because of the variety of texture and movability. Rats love chasing, hiding, and chewing on their toys, so these balls serve as a multi-purpose tool for entertainment.
These balls are made from all-natural materials, so they work fine for your whole rat pack—containing seagrass, water hyacinth, and rattan. Spaces are just big enough to fit little treats inside for your rats to sniff out. There are also a variety of textures in each ball that will keep your rats busy and interested.
It’s totally okay if your rat chews the balls apart—that’s what they’re designed to do. Chewing the material helps them naturally file their teeth. Since they can come apart with moderate force, they might not last too long in a cage with three or more rats.
2. Kaytee Perfect Chews Rat Toy – Best Value
If you wanted a rat toy at a reasonable price, check out the Kaytee Perfect Chews Rat Toys. These products are the best rat toys for the money. This wooden toy is the type you can latch onto the cage wherever it works best, so it isn’t bulky and in the way.
Each section is made from dyed wood that is totally rat-safe. Each wood section is hard and thick, so it’s the ideal material to trim your rat’s teeth. As they gnaw away, the teeth will organically file down.
The wood is tough, so even though your rat will be able to chew at their leisure, it should take a while to break down. Since the toy hangs, your rat might be able to chew through or dismantle the pieces.
3. Living World Teach N Treat Toy – Premium Choice
If you’re looking for a super-fun interactive toy for your rats, you might want to look at the Living World Teach N Treat Toy. It might be one of the more expensive toys, but you’ll quickly get back the money that you put in—your rats will love the search.
This toy teaches exploration, weaving through different compartments. Rats love nothing more than venturing around to see what goodies they can find. It helps to curb and channel that desire, so they learn good problem-solving and foraging habits.
This fun little game works both inside and outside of the cage, but you won’t want to leave it unattended. Once your rats figure out that food comes from inside, they might tear up the whole thing trying to find crumbs. It would be best if you only let your rat use this toy under supervision.
4. Kaytee Lava Ledge Toy
The Kaytee Lava Ledge Toy is a terrific addition to the cage for several reasons. The first significant perks are that it’s hard to break down and stays secure to the side of the cage. Your rat doesn’t have the capability of carrying around or chewing through it on the first day.
This toy is made of pumice rock, which is completely safe for your little rattie to have in its mouth. Each is dyed explicitly with pet-safe food coloring. The coarseness cleans and files their teeth naturally so that they can maintain their dental health.
You can attach this toy practically anywhere in the cage. So, if you want to set up a few to entice your rat to jump around and explore—you totally can. If there is a lot of pressure on the metal pieces, the lava ledge can get loose, so make sure to keep an eye on tightness.
5. Oxbow Apple Stick Bundle Chew Toy
This pack of Oxbow Apple Stick Bundle Chew Toys offers a way to keep your rat busy gnawing. These apple sticks are perfectly safe for all cage critters, and they have a slightly sweet taste, too—so that should be extra motivation to chew.
These sticks have no harmful chemicals or extra additives. They’re made for all sorts of rodents, not limited to rats alone. Depending on how much of an aggressive chewer you have, this bundle should last quite a while—so it’s a smart buy.
One downside to this one is that you never know if your rats will take to them. Some rats do, while others prefer different tastes and textures. That’s a lot of sticks to get stuck with.
Buyer’s Guide – Choosing the Best Rat Toy
Until you own a rat, you might not realize just how playful and interactive these pets are. Rats are incredibly smart, outwitting you at every turn—but they also love to spend time and play games with you.
Social is an understatement. These creatures thrive on connections to others—even outside of their own species. To strengthen their abilities, you must give them proper playtime outside of their cage and inside of it.
Rats’ Learning Capability
Rats need lots of activities to stay happy because they have such busy minds. They’re frisky little buggers—when they aren’t napping, that is. They’re also one of the smartest creatures on earth, so they get bored quickly.
Rats are highly advanced—showing insane problem-solving skills and heightened empathy. They need attention at all costs, so having playmates of their own kind is essential. They will explore, learn, and form unmatched relationships.
Even when you buy them toys, you’ve probably discovered by now that toys don’t last long! Rats have a natural desire to chew. So you’ll need to make sure you get them plenty of woodblocks and other textured toys so they can file their teeth.
Importance of Rat-Safe Products
If your rat can chew on something, you can bet they will. That’s one of the reasons it’s so essential to buy products that can’t hurt your little rodent.
Avoid buying toys with:
If your rat ingests something they aren’t supposed to, it can cause severe internal harm. Rats don’t have the ability to vomit, so they pass anything they eat into their system.
*Note: Never give your rat chewable pine or cedar toys, as these materials can be toxic to rats.
Rats Need Stimulation
Just like humans, rats get bored easily. There is a lot of momentum inside those little brains, so you have to garnish their home accordingly. Provide lots of rat-safe toys throughout their cage. You can get bird toys, chew toys, treat balls, and other interactive playthings.
Rats are very stimulated by different:
It’s equally important to offer as much stimulation out of the cage. You can even find rat mazes and puzzles for them to complete during floor time.
Why Rats Need to File their Teeth
Rats have four large teeth in the front of their mouths called incisors. Incisors are open-rooted teeth, which means they never stop growing. If your rat doesn’t have something to chew on, they can’t naturally file their teeth.
Overgrown teeth is a real concern because it can lead to several issues, including starvation. It’s vital to your rat’s life that they have lots of chewable toys in their living space. Rats should have access to these tools at all times.
Conclusion
We stand by our top pick—Niteangel Small Animal Trio of Fun Balls. It promotes healthy exercise, provides different textures, and acts as a treat dispenser. Plus, it’s a 3-pack, so it’s really quite a steal. Your little guys will have fun chasing these balls around.
If you want a terrific rat toy but want to go the less pricey route, Kaytee Perfect Chews Rat Toys is a fantastic choice. There are fun colors, hard textures, and flat surfaces. Your rats will have a blast chewing it up.
No matter which one you liked, your guys or gals will come full speed when they see this new mysterious package. Hopefully, our reviews were informative, so you can better make a decision.
Featured Image Credit: Africa Studio, Shutterstock
