Rat Roller foraging toy

This cage-mounted food dispenser releases treats when rats rotate the roller. It is designed to be mounted on the cage wall at a height suitable for the rats to stand while interacting with it.

You can fill the roller with small, dry foods like nuts, puffed rice, or Gerber baby puffs. To encourage use only from below, position it under a platform or near the top of the cage.

Initially, I created a wood-mounted version (see demonstration in the video below).

In the spirit of 3D printing, I’ve designed this fully 3D-printed version where all components are made of plastic—no wooden parts required!

Print Instructions:
> Print the following parts: roller tube, mount, two half axles, and two axle nuts.
> All components were printed using PLA on an A1 Mini printer with a 0.4mm nozzle.
> Brims were manually added to the half axles and nuts to ensure stability during printing.
> For a visually striking result, use multi-color silk PLA, if available.
Note: Some minor cosmetic imperfections may occur. The roller tube might show small layer-line defects near its openings and light stringing near the top.

Assembly Timelaspse :

Design Features:
> The interior of the roller tube has conical ends to guide treats toward the slots during rotation.
> Both the nuts and screws are chamfered to simplify assembly. Align the chamfered sides of the parts to ensure proper mating.

Wood-Mounted Version :
For the wooden version, the roller tube is mounted on a 6mm wooden dowel, secured with 1/4"-20 nuts.

Constructive feedback is welcome. Have fun and happy printing!