[kksrats]

Freyja is my little adventurer, she tries to slip out of the office every time I open the door and will usually follow at my heels if she thinks that's where I'm going. I'd really like for her to be able to walk with me around the house, but there's a lot of furniture, cabinets, etc. that she could get into or under. She's probably around 8 months old now, so is it too late to train her to walk on a leash or would it just be an annoyance to her?

 

[ksaxton]

I once tried to train my maybe 5 or 6 month old to wear a leash/harness and it did NOT go well and resulted in scratches all over my arms from trying to stuff her into it. I guess you could make a shoestring one and give it a go just to see how she reacts to wearing it

 

[Malarz]

Is that at all possible to do? I've seen pictures. But the concept seems otherworldly to me. I can not imagine my two devils tolerate anything on their bodies, and not shredding it to pieces.

 

[kksrats]

I did last night. She just sat there and let me put it on then gladly followed me down the hallway. She got a little freaked out when we made it further than she's been before, so she turned around and we walked back to the office. I'm going to try again today.

 

[kksrats]

Is that at all possible to do? I've seen pictures. But the concept seems otherworldly to me. I can not imagine my two devils tolerate anything on their bodies, and not shredding it to pieces.

There's someone on the forum that makes harness/leash combos that people seem to like. I just did a makeshift one because I was unsure if freyja would actually tolerate it. I'm fairly certain that none of my other rats would lol freyja is just my special girl

 

[Rat Daddy]

Although I don't see any major risks to leashes indoors, keep in mind going under and into things is what rats like to do. That's where all of the fun is. Be careful not to get the leash tangled under the stove etc. Also keep in mind rats don't get lost and they are pretty good at navigating the darker places in your home. And usually they come back when called or bribed.

 

[nanashi7]

While it's not leash trained, I have a harness and have strove to allow each rat the opportunity to feel grass and dirt and bark under their paws. This saw Remus, my papa rat, out at 15 months. Caius also tried but didn't enjoy it as much. Caius outside is my picture. If she makes it to spring or we have an Indian summer, my elderly (3yo) rat will go next.


Walking a rat on a leash is nothin like a dog, keep that in mind. A leash is good for peace of mind but I would have base commands like no and come down fairly well and just be prepared to use the leash to bodily drag a rat back to you.