Pet rats: ways to teach outside etiquette

Question
Hello, I own 2, year old, male rats. I've tried harnesses but my guys just squirm out of them. I took mine out as babies, but they were afraid of most everything and stuck by me. Now, they are more adventuress, and won't be afraid to run off. How can I either trust they won't run off or teach them to not fuss on a harness? Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.

Answer
Yes, of course they will squirm out of a harness, just like they'll squirm out of anything...rats will be rats LOL!

I don't think you're going to like my answer very much, and this is said partly in jest:  "Good luck with that!"  But seriously, I don't believe that you can really train rats to not run off when let loose.  For the most part, they will run when allowed the freedom to do so, and may or may not come back, depending upon the rat.

But there certainly is no harm in trying training if you have the patience and a lot of time, but do all the training and practice INDOORS in an enclosed but large area, like a living room that has hiding places like furniture and maybe a lot of plants to simulate outdoors.  If you are successful, I would love to hear about it.

However, be aware of the dangers outdoors for rats.  I would not recommend taking your rats outdoors at all, unless they are in the safety of their cage.  Fresh air is always a good thing, but in a safe way.  I've had rats for years and they have never been outdoors, but they do have freeplay everyday on the floor of our large room and I open the windows wide in their room for lots of fresh air.  

Here is a link to a webpage that explains what I mean about the outside dangers--> http://www.sandyscrittercity.com/dangersoutsideforrats.htm

Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.