Don't be fooled by this sweet face. This rat will bite!!!
Froody and I spent a great day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I totally enjoyed the feeding show at the Open Oceans and the Kelp Forest exhibit. I also loved all the cool cephalopods in their Tentacles exhibit. But what got me thinking (and Froody) was the Albatross Encounter. Not that there are over 20 different species of albatross, or that an albatross can live for over 60 years. My big take-home message was target training.
Yup, while the perky education staff member was filling our brains with albatross knowledge, the bird handler was target training the bird. Ms. Perky said they use target training to get this wild bird to move from one place to another, get used to different situations, and jump on the scale. Wow! Froody and I both thought of our own version of a wild animal- Silver Rat.
To summarize, Silver was abandoned and I was naive enough to adopt him. After I brought him home, I realized why he was probably given up- he's a biter. Not a nipper; I've been nipped before and it's not a big deal. He bites with all of his being, and it's nasty and hurts like a mofo. He lives on our dining table, loves food, and is extremely cage aggressive to boot.
Anyway, we thought target training would be a nice way to safely interact with him. Since I wanted to begin right away, I took a metal knitting needle and attached a ball of foil to the end. Fortunately, I already have a clicker and he loves to eat corn. We were ready!!
In my rat training book, you should keep training sessions short. Basically, when his nose touches the ball (target), I click the clicker and give him a kernel of corn. Of course, it was very easy at the beginning. I had the target right at the door to his cage. The click made him jump, but after 6 minutes he was relaxed enough not to jump after the click. After 4 minutes, he was pretty much spot-on, so I had the target about 7 inches off the table, making him stand up on his hind legs. No problem for this smart guy!! After our session, I let him explore the table top (as normal) and eventually he put himself away in his cage.
Finally, I can interact with this bitey rat in a way that is fun and rewarding for the both of us!! I can't wait to begin teaching him tricks. :)
