DIY Rat Basket Pulley Trick

Teach your rat to use a basket pulley! Build a training platform by cutting squares of foam board, gluing PVC end caps to the middle of each board and placing a PVC pipe in the caps. Cut off the bottom of a Styrofoam cup to make a basket, attach a piece of pipe cleaner as a handle and tie a piece of ribbon or string to the basket handle. Tape the ribbon to the back edge of the platform, place a treat in the basket and have your rat retrieve the treat from the basket several times. Hold the basket over the edge, continue lowering the basket as your rat successfully retrieves a treat and teach your rat to pull on the string when the basket is too low to reach.