why can't i seem to be able to litter train my male rat??

Question

I have been trying to litter train my pet rat who is about a year old. He is not doing very well for some reason he just doesn 't seem to be getting it. The only place there is litter is in the litter box the rest of his cage doesn't have any. I had to put a box in half of his cage bottom because he was peeing in the corners and not his litter box. Is he too old to train?? Should i just give up? Maybe trying to train with cat litter is not the right choice. What litter do you use with your rats??

Answer 1

don't give up, he's not too old to train. i just trained my 17 month old rat how to toilet train, i gave up the first time because i wasn't sure how to do it. when i recently adopted 2 more girls they came litter trained and i asked their previous owner about how she went about it.
she had a corner litter pan for her girls and in that she placed a flat rock to hold the pan in place and informed me that her girls didn't like stepping in their own mess. the litter she uses is crushed up walnut shells its like course sand, and i tried it with my girls and viola there trained!!!
you have to place some of your boy's urine soaked bedding or whatever he's peeing on in the litter pan along with some of his raisins (poop) and when ever he makes a mess in his cage, pick it up and put it in the pan. when i started litter training with my older girls i totally cleaned their cage out and used paper towel the first 3 days so i could find the corner most used for the toilet and then just moved the pan to that corner.
the name of the product that i used (usually found in with bird litter) is: KAYTEE all natural litter for birds.
theres link below to show you what it looks like.
don't give up and good luck!!!

by the way, someone said in there answer just to change the cage as usual and not to bother litter training, don't listen to them. i go threw far less care fresh with 9 rats then i did with 2 now that i've litter trained. you do have to change the cage, just not as often when litter training.

Answer 2

I think he may be too old? The oldest I've ever been able to train one of my rats was 9mths. Keeping in mind they tend to only live a few years, they become set in their ways quickly. The way I was able to train her was identifing the spot in the cage she tended to go the most and putting the litter box in that spot.
So when you clean out the cage or tank and find one corner that is more sticky and obviously pee'd in alot. That's the spot to put the litter....
She stopped messing in other parts (it's a double decker ferret cage) after getting used to the litter.

Answer 3

rats normally go to the bathroom in the same area of the cage anyway so you can just scoop it out. why are you trying to litter train it anyway? just scoop out the poop and change the bedding like everyone else. they need fresh bedding anyway so there is no point to litter. then you have to change 2 things

Answer 4

Try putting a Mayo jar in the area you
want him to go. Not the small jar, but
the next size up. Put some litter in the
jar. Then put some used, peed on litter
mixed in with it. This is his new bathroom.
Easy for you to clean to.
If he doesn't like it for a bathroom,
you might see him clean the jar out
and sleep in it. For winter sleeping it's
warm and cozy.

Answer 5

Just move all the poop to whatever corner he usually poops in and get a "rodent litter dish" or something like that, they have them at pet stores. And put it in that corner underneath the bedding.