by Debbie “The Rat Lady” Ducommun
If your rat disappears, he probably hasn’t gone far,
depending on his personality and how much experience he has had. A rat who is
used to exploring on the floor might go a lot farther than a rat who never
leaves the couch or bed.
The first step is to look everywhere, even places you
wouldn’t suspect a rat could fit. One rat owner finally found his rat
wedged under a bookcase where he didn’t think the rat could have
fit. Rats will usually hide under
objects whenever possible, so check under every appliance and piece of
furniture. Look inside boxes, and
even in trash cans, and in cabinets where he might have been shut in.
Call your rat’s name and
then listen carefully. Sometimes
you’ll be able to hear her scratching or rustling. Also, don’t move around
immediately after calling your rat.
Stay in each spot for at least 1-2 minutes to give her some time to
respond before moving on to the next location.
If you still haven’t found your rat, he or she is
either having so much fun they don’t want to come back yet, or is too
scared to come out. Put your rat’s
cage on the floor near where you think the rat is hiding. If your rat lives
alone, you can leave the cage open. Otherwise, put a hiding place, like a box,
next to the cage. In or near the
cage or box place some food that the rat can’t carry off, like a large
corn cob or some soft food on a plate like baby food or yogurt. Hopefully, the rat will come to eat and
get in the cage or box. Then, you
can sneak up and cover the opening of the cage or box with a piece of cardboard
and then pick it up.
The final option is to buy or rent a live rat trap from a
feed store or humane society and bait it with peanut butter. For baby rats, use
a live mouse trap.
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