🛠 DIY Enrichment Toys for Pet Rats

(Using What You Already Have!)

One of the best things about keeping pet rats? Their playful, curious personalities — and their love for enrichment! But you don’t have to spend a fortune on fancy toys. Chances are, you already have everything you need around your home to create hours of fun for your rats.

Here are some creative, low-cost DIY enrichment ideas to keep your rats entertained, active, and mentally stimulated, using things you probably already have lying around!

1. Cardboard Castles and Mazes

Hold onto your cereal boxes, shipping cartons, and toilet paper rolls, they’re rat enrichment gold! Use boxes and cardboard pieces to build tunnels, hideouts, or even multi-level “castles” for your rats to explore. Cut holes for entrances and exits, and switch up the layout every week to keep things fresh.

🧠 Pro tip: Hide small treats or pieces of food inside to encourage natural foraging behavior!

2. Forage Boxes & Treat Hunt

Rats love a good challenge. Fill a small cardboard box or egg carton with shredded paper, then hide a few treats or food pellets inside. Your rats will dig, sniff, and rummage their way to a tasty reward.

You can also do the same thing with a dig box — just use a small plastic bin filled with paper strips or clean dirt for extra sensory fun. We love eco-earth (found in the reptile section of pet stores) for dig boxes.

3. Hammocks & Hanging Toys

Got old t-shirts, socks, or fleece blankets? With a few safety pins or grommets, you can turn them into cozy hammocks or climbing ropes. Rats love to lounge up high, so these add vertical interest to their cage setup too.

✂️ Safety reminder: Make sure there are no loose threads or frayed areas that could wrap around tiny limbs.

4. Puzzle Cups & Bottles

Poke holes in an empty paper towel roll or plastic container, then fill it with dry food or treats. As the rats nudge it around, the food will fall out in small amounts — encouraging movement and problem solving.

Not all enrichment has to be big — even a small brain game is a big win!

5. Paper Party

Crinkle up junk mail, newspaper (without toxic inks), or packing paper and toss it in the cage. Rats love to burrow, shred, and rearrange — it’s enrichment and nesting fun all in one.

Bonus idea: Try hiding a few sunflower seeds or peas inside the paper balls to turn it into a treat hunt.

Final Thoughts...

At Reno Rats, we believe in more than just raising healthy, socialized rats, we want them to thrive in loving homes full of fun and enrichment. Rats are smart, active creatures who need mental stimulation just like dogs or cats. Best of all? You don’t need to spend a dime to make that happen.

💛 Have fun getting creative, and share your favorite DIY ideas with us below in the comments or on Instagram @renorats!