Scabbers the Rat Does a Magic Trick!

I am a senior psychology major at Cedar Crest College taking a class on learning theory. Our assignment was to teach our rats a behavioral sequence. My rat was named Scabbers, so I thought it fitting to teach him a magic trick. The idea behind the sequence I chose was similar to the trick magicians do when they switch cups around and a participant has to guess which cup the ball is under. When he performs this trick, the audience doesn't know that he can see which one the ball is actually under. After he flips all the cup, he does the command "ball" and plays with the ball, passing it between his paws or rolling it across the table.

I hope you like it! I really enjoyed teaching him the trick and am amazed at how well rats can learn commands and sequences such as these.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• rats
• rat
• training
• train
• psychology
• learning
• conditioning
• condition
• operant
• magic tricks

[korikittemidnightsun]

Awe X3 such a smartie -3

[wowderval]

@korikittemidnightsun

He says thank you, I'm sure! He learned this sequence in about only five days, so I must agree that he is quite the smartie :) He would've had it down-pat if I could've had a couple more days, but unfortunately the semester was over by then :(

[MyDogHasATrollFace]

Nice Magic Trick. NOT!

[wowderval]

@MyDogHasATrollFace

A mirror is not a dog, quit fooling yourself!

[shaggy60378]

soo cute!!!

[wowderval]

@shaggy60378

Thank you! :3

[MrFerret333]

Soo cute I want 1 sooooo bad!!!

[JessiCat5150]

Hess so cute!!

[JuhMoskita]

looks like my teemo.. miss him so mutch :'( me and all his 14 relatives i have with me.. how can u not love rats..

[EpicTwistedOne]

He/She looks kinda like my rat Parmesan.

[LF12389]

I'm going to teach my rat Harriet to do that!

[1928WaltDisney]

I didn't understand the trick until i read your description. But, now that I do, your smart little rat seems even smarter.

[WarriorWasser]

@MrChineseCHEKERS you wish...what's the point of being so easily offensive? Laughable.

[funnymane2]

Hes like forget this im liking to camera

[dagny1984]

aww, Scabbers is a smarty-pants cutie-pie. please don't let the neuroscience people at your school get hold of him.