Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everybody, spring is very busy for me around my place, getting inside animals outside, building new pens, planting and always mowing! VBG.
Not sure if I mentioned before but about 3 months ago my daughter bought a hairless female, the rats name is Luna. This is one of the sweets, loving rats I've come across in along time. My daughter, shes 19 yrs. old, would like to teach Lune how the wear a harness and maybe walk on a leash. Does anybody have any ideas for a harness that would fit a rat?
I suggested she make her a jacket out of a tube sock, poor Luna gets cold.
Would love any suggestions.
Thanks, Robin
Harm None.

Interesting on the harness thing, never thought of using one but now I might just have to see if my hairless would use one I know that you can get them at Petsmart.
This is a Homemade Rat harness I found on the interent this might work?
Get butchers twine. 80" long (about 200 centimeters)
Double it. Now you have a double length of twine 40" long. Thread a
Christmas bell or a button onto the string, slide to the middle of the
string. Knot it in. Now double the string again so you have a length
of string, 4-ply, with a bell on one end, 20" long.
Note: The idea is to use a soft, cotton string with NO STRETCH. You
quadruple it so it's nice and thick and it won't cut into the rat's
skin like a thin little string would.

Practice on a toy. Hold the rat in your lap with his butt facing your
tummy, his head facing out. With the left hand, place the button on
the back of his neck -- at the middle of his shoulders. Now with your
right hand, bring the string down his left shoulder, down across his
chest into his right armpit, up his right armpit to his back. Bring
the string clockwise around the button/bell, and down over his right
shoulder, down across his chest and under and up his left armpit. Then
slipknot around the button.

Sara

Thanks for the idea Sara, I remember seeing a string harness at petco, I think it was for ferrets, not sure if it would be small enpough for a rat, Luna isn't very lg.
My daughter walks around with her siiting on her shoulder and would like to take her to a family picnic. With the harness we thought it would add extra secruity, in case she decided to wander.
Robin
Harm None.

Hi Robin,
Glad to see you here again. I know what you mean about being busy.. I am so busy right now it's not funny.
Sara did good on the harness suggestion.. I've often wondered if one of those made for iguanas would work but I don't even walk the dog on a leash so lol....

This place is too quiet lately.. glad to see somebody talking!
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PHRatz

OH something else just occurred to me.. I wonder if you could modify one of those harnesses they are now selling for pet birds to wear? All the parrot supply catalogs have them now.
That might be something to look into.
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PHRatz