Rats Love Coconuts!
Recipe for Coconuts and Rats: Prepare one coconut: Take fresh whole coconut, scrub well. May scrape holes lightly to clean them slightly, but do not puncture holes in coconut holes. Take one rat, place in private, solitary cage. Add coconut. Allow to mix well. Expect first few times to be long trial-and-error process for rat to figure out the importance of coconut holes and how to work them.
Allow rat to have at it for upwards of 30 minutes or more. Expect rat will expend lots of energy discovering and digging into the coconut holes. Rat gets to work hard to figure out a difficult puzzle. Good mind work. Good body work. Consider the small amount of coconut the rat will eat to be a fruit treat for the day, perhaps the same as one grape.
Remove coconut when play time is over. Store in refrigerator for another play date, for upwards of 10 days.
WARNING: Rats cannot share coconuts. One coconut per rat, and one cage per rat-coconut pair. This warning comes from experience!
Do not leave coconut in cage with rat over night, or rat will (1) successfully make a huge hole in the tough coconut shell and gorge on the fattening meat, thus becoming a fat rat, and (2) tip the coconut on its side such that the milk pours out all over the cage floor, making for a big cleaning job, and then (3) drink that milk and become an even fatter rat.
Recipe for Coconuts and Rats: Prepare one coconut: Take fresh whole coconut, scrub well. May scrape holes lightly to clean them slightly, but do not puncture holes in coconut holes. Take one rat, place in private, solitary cage. Add coconut. Allow to mix well. Expect first few times to be long trial-and-error process for rat to figure out the importance of coconut holes and how to work them.
Allow rat to have at it for upwards of 30 minutes or more. Expect rat will expend lots of energy discovering and digging into the coconut holes. Rat gets to work hard to figure out a difficult puzzle. Good mind work. Good body work. Consider the small amount of coconut the rat will eat to be a fruit treat for the day, perhaps the same as one grape.
Remove coconut when play time is over. Store in refrigerator for another play date, for upwards of 10 days.
WARNING: Rats cannot share coconuts. One coconut per rat, and one cage per rat-coconut pair. This warning comes from experience!
Do not leave coconut in cage with rat over night, or rat will (1) successfully make a huge hole in the tough coconut shell and gorge on the fattening meat, thus becoming a fat rat, and (2) tip the coconut on its side such that the milk pours out all over the cage floor, making for a big cleaning job, and then (3) drink that milk and become an even fatter rat.
Showing the distribution of rats and their respective coconuts in the separate cages.
Bonny has fun with her own personal coconut. I love watching her get intense and frustrated when she can't get at the meat the way she wants to, immediately! Good enrichment activity.
Please don't let rats share a coconut! I left the cage doors open in order to film, but I knew this moment would come because each rat always wants to steal the other rat's coconut. (Some version of, "The grass is always greener on the other side.") I know Chancy's and Lila's styles are to not erupt in an immediate fight, so I trusted I could let them meet at least briefly.
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