Heureka's beloved pet rats
Heureka's rats are among the science center's most popular destinations!
Rats appear for the public in shows that tell about the behavior of rats and illustrate the training of animals. The background of both shows is scientific information based on animal research or studies related to animal training. The rats always decide for themselves if they want to participate in the show or not.
There are about 10 rats in Heureka. All rats are domestic rats and they live together in a herd, which includes animals of different ages. New rat pups come to Heureka a few times a year. There is no rat breeding activity in Heureka, but rat pups are obtained from private domestic rat breeders.
The rat performances are on hiatus until the beginning of 2025.
We feed the rats!
Daily show times can be seen in Heureka on the day of the visit. The rat feeding show lasts about 10 minutes.
Why does a rat hide its food? Did you know that Heureka's rats get fresh restaurant food every day?
In the rat feeding show, the rat inspirer serves the rats fresh delicacies such as salad, cucumber, carrot and grains. While the rats are munching on vegetables, the inspirer talks about the rats' behavior, feeding and everyday life at Heureka's Rottala. The bravest rats may also catch grains of rice from the bottom of the pool! After the show, the audience has the opportunity to talk to the rat inspirer and ask questions about the rats.
Rat basketball performances
Note! Rat basketball shows are on hiatus for the time being.
In the rat basketball shows, the inspirer talks about the training of animals and the biology of rats. The effort is also to increase information about the proper care and handling of rats.
The rats' basketball games are always based on the voluntary action of the rats. Rats are not forced to play, and can always leave the playing field during the performance. There are usually approx. 2–4 rats in one game. In the show, the rats pick up the ball from the field, carry it in their mouths to the end of the playing field and finally drop the ball through the hoop while standing on their hind legs. All these movements are natural to rats. For each basket made, the rat is given a small food reward (e.g. boiled rice grain)
Read more about the rats
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The training of rats
The basketball rats are trained in Heureka, and the training is carried out by inspirers specially familiar with the task. Training does not use coercion or punishments, but reinforces the desired behavior with food rewards and sound signals. The presentation of the rats is based on scientific information based on animal research or studies related to animal training
Heureka's rat basketball operations began at the end of 1995. Our example is the COSI science center in the United States . Numerous generations of rats have shown their skills in the unique rat basketball stadium.
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Home of the rats
The rats live in a windowed room designed for them. The auditorium for public performances is behind glass outside the room, and the public does not have access to the rat house. The room is the home of rats and therefore it is wanted to keep it quiet. During the day, the rats are allowed to move freely throughout the room, and at night they spend the night in a large sleeping cage. Feeding the rats, cleaning the cages and other care is taken care of daily by an instigator trained for the task.
Blog
Unfortunately, the rat basketball blog written by Heureka inspirers is no longer updated, but you can read the old posts! In the blog you can read e.g. about a rat's daily life, rat training and animal welfare.
How do you get a rat to make a basket? Who are Heureka's brightest basketball stars? What happens in Rottala after the basketball match?
