[Munchies]

So I've been looking through Youtube videos as part of my "getting more informed" exercise and I notice that a lot of rats will stash their food. I'm wondering, where do they stash them? In a designated "kitchen" area in their cage? Or where they sleep? Do you have to then clean it out often or do they devour everything at once so there's nothing to clean up?

 

[LilCritter]

One of mine stashes in a litter box. Another in the middle of the cage floor. Another in the plastic house that no one uses. It depends on the rat. I typically don't really have to clean it out too often since it's usually only 1-2 pellets. But it can definitely get to a point when you have to clean it up... where there are like handfuls of food stashed away somewhere. Again, it depends on the rat. None of mine really stash too much.

 

[Munchies]

In the litter box? Oh no! LOL I wonder why some do and some don't? Are the ones who stashes often more insecure?

 

[Lita]

Our girls are pretty bad. The older girls tend to do it less, they take some from the main bowl at a time and hide it. The younger girls empty the bowl entirely and hide it in various places. They aren't great at their litter boxes yet so they tend to hide it where they sleep. Big piles of it. They eat through it and it usually is all gone and repeat when I refill the bowl. The boys take a small amount and hide that. The tiny babies don't seem to hide it yet.... But I have to feed them daily anyway since they need extra nutrition.

I don't think those that stash are more insecure. Least that wouldn't make sense with our rats. Cricket and Darjeeling (the oldest in the "young" girl cage) are not shy or insecure at all. They are in your face, on your shoulders, in your mouth (least Cricket loves my mouth). Cricket is a bit of a whiner when it comes to food, if anyone walks by her she squeeks and squalks about it. But she is just a bit of a loud mouth. Then the older girls like Sips, who are very jumpy and skiddish, don't do it as much. I think some just like to have their piles more then others.

 

[LilCritter]

I think it's how much of a foodie the rat is. I was late by a couple hours in getting the food into the cage (stupid traffic) and Denna flipped. She started hoarding food like it was the apocalypse... I'd find handfuls of huge HT2018 pellets stashed away in the plastic house and she'd get a little grumpy if I messed with her stashes. Then, after a few weeks, she realized that food was still in order and now only stashes one or two pellets.

 

[LittleBird]

I have one girl who is a big stasher. She's also my alpha and has been doing this ever since I got the girls. She puts all the food in a cube that I'd made for the girls to sleep in. No one sleeps in it, so it's become Buffy's private stash. Rather than refilling their bowl all the time (when I know there's a huge pile of food in the cube) I just reach in there and grab a handful and put it back in the bowl. Then Buffy sets about stashing again. 😂 Once I see that her stash is getting low, I'll go ahead and add some to the bowl which she promptly hides. Luckily, all the girls know where she keeps the food and since she's a really good alpha, she always allows her sisters to help themselves.

The main thing I have to watch out for is when she stashes fresh food in there. I usually go in and take that out right away before it spoils.

 

[Munchies]

Cricket is a bit of a whiner when it comes to food, if anyone walks by her she squeeks and squalks about it. But she is just a bit of a loud mouth.

Oh wow! I thought rats were quiet. That's so cute!! ;D

I think it's how much of a foodie the rat is. I was late by a couple hours in getting the food into the cage (stupid traffic) and Denna flipped. She started hoarding food like it was the apocalypse... I'd find handfuls of huge HT2018 pellets stashed away in the plastic house and she'd get a little grumpy if I messed with her stashes. Then, after a few weeks, she realized that food was still in order and now only stashes one or two pellets.

LOL!!!!

I have one girl who is a big stasher. She's also my alpha and has been doing this ever since I got the girls. She puts all the food in a cube that I'd made for the girls to sleep in. No one sleeps in it, so it's become Buffy's private stash. Rather than refilling their bowl all the time (when I know there's a huge pile of food in the cube) I just reach in there and grab a handful and put it back in the bowl. Then Buffy sets about stashing again.  Once I see that her stash is getting low, I'll go ahead and add some to the bowl which she promptly hides. Luckily, all the girls know where she keeps the food and since she's a really good alpha, she always allows her sisters to help themselves.

The main thing I have to watch out for is when she stashes fresh food in there. I usually go in and take that out right away before it spoils.

Will all rats who stashes share their stash with other rats? Is it possible to train them to stash in designated areas only?

 

[mimsy]

Buttercup stashes in her food bowl. She puts all the toys on top of the food, making a huge mound. When anyone needs to eat they have to move several batches of toys first. Buttercup carefully replaces all the toys on top again once they are done. fresh veggies are usually devoured but any left overs are stored in the litter box/dining room.

The boys don't really stash, but they take their helping to their favorite places. Several like to bring it to the middle of one of the hammocks and eat there. One of the boys has a little wooden house he likes to bring his food in and then eat there. I never find any stored there, so they just like to eat in those places.

 

[Munchies]

Buttercup stashes in her food bowl. She puts all the toys on top of the food, making a huge mound. When anyone needs to eat they have to move several batches of toys first. Buttercup carefully replaces all the toys on top again once they are done.

That is adorable!!

 

[LittleBird]

Will all rats who stashes share their stash with other rats? Is it possible to train them to stash in designated areas only?

I'm not sure if you can train them to stash in certain areas, but I guess if you wanted to try, I'd start putting a few pieces of food in that designated area. Do it like a rat would do it...make a little pile and cover it with something like a piece of fleece or a toy. Even though Buffy stashes her food in a cube, she still covers the food with whatever she can drag into the cube. I'll usually find several of the fleece blankets that I've put in the baskets around the cage in her cube, along with toys and lots of miscellaneous stuff. She keeps her cube crammed full of stuff with the food hidden at the very back in a corner. LOL If I'm ever looking for something, the first place I look is in Buffy's cube. 😂

 

[Munchies]

I'm not sure if you can train them to stash in certain areas, but I guess if you wanted to try, I'd start putting a few pieces of food in that designated area. Do it like a rat would do it...make a little pile and cover it with something like a piece of fleece or a toy. Even though Buffy stashes her food in a cube, she still covers the food with whatever she can drag into the cube. I'll usually find several of the fleece blankets that I've put in the baskets around the cage in her cube, along with toys and lots of miscellaneous stuff. She keeps her cube crammed full of stuff with the food hidden at the very back in a corner. LOL If I'm ever looking for something, the first place I look is in Buffy's cube. 

LOL!! Guess that's where they got the term "pack rat"?