On the latest episode of a channel dedicated to two rats named Kuzko and Kronk, their Canadian family teaches them to drive small rat cars — or rat rods.
"That's right: These two boys are going for their driver's license!" read the caption to the introductory post by the channel Emperors of Mischief.
In the videos, the family teaches the rats to drive by feeding them snacks. Inside the rat rods, the animals learn to drive by using three levers. The left one turns left, the right one turns right, and the middle one drives forward.
The rat owners said that the rat rod project was inspired by a University of Richmond study in which researchers looked at how an enriched environment affects stress responses.
"In it, scientists taught rats to drive tiny cars, and found the experience of learning and acquiring mastery over a new skill decreased their stress hormones," they wrote.
The family explained that they've been training the rats over the past few months with one 5- to 10-minute lesson per day.
"At first, we rewarded them for any interaction with the buttons. Then, as they began to make associations with what each button did, we slowly increased the threshold of accuracy required before they got their treat," they said.
"Eventually, they came to understand their task was to maneuver the car so that the portholes in the windshield aligned with wherever we held a delicious rice puff," they continued.
