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   At some point in your rats life they might escape off a table, couch or out of a room.  The steps below suggest some ways you can retrieve your pet safely and quickly. 

Prevention:

 We should always take steps to prevent any accidents from occuring.  If you take your rats out of the cage make sure that what you put them on has sides so that they do not have a chance to fall off.  When a rat falls, they are likely to injure their legs.  Also, if you have other pets, set the cage in a safe place away from cats and dogs to protect the cage from accidently being knocked over.  

Thinking Like a Rat:

If you do find yourself in a situation where your rats are lost in the house, it is a great time to learn how to think like a rat!  While rats are curious, they are most interested in being safe, warm and well fed.  So, when they escape, they might be injured if they fell off of something and this might scare them.  Also, the smells are different  on the floor and for an animal that relies not on sight, but on smell, the floor can be a scary place.  The first step is to start quietly removing any other pets.  Dogs and cats might be attracted to the rats movement or smell and a prey drive may cause your pets to be attracted to the rat which is very stressful and not to mention dangerous for the rat!  The next step, is to quietly close the doors to contain the rat in one room. 

If your rat is a kitten and new to you, they might not come out from their hiding spot right away.  If you can see them under something you can try to coax them out with a treat, your voice, your hand, or use their hammock (which has their smell).  I sing to all of my rats softly from the day they are born.  I have a phrase that use when I enter the room.  They all come to the doors of their cages when I come in, unless they are in a really sound sleep!  Some times, when a kitten gets down onto the floor and runs to hide, I sing to them or use some item that smells like them, to coax them back to me.  This usually works, because rats want familiar, warmth, and food as this means safety.  I mean safety to them.  So, as you start bonding with your kittens/rats, sing to them or teach them their name, so that when you need to call them back to you, they will recognize your voice and return to you.  

 If the kitten does not return using the above methods, you can also try putting their cage on the floor, with the top door open.  If there are other rats in the cage remove them for the night, and place them in other appropriate housing.  The familiarity of the rats "home", the cage, has succesfully attracted rats out of hiding.  In the morning you may find your little friend curled up in their hammock, ready to greet you as if nothing happened at al!