[ratvocate]

Hello anyone give their ratties apple branches to chew on? I wanted to cut up some branches from my friends apple tree but was not sure if I needed to prep them in any special way?? I cant see paying 3-4 bucks for a box of branches.

 

[OnlyOno]

i suppose if you wanted to you could try to boil the branches before giving them to your rats, it would kill off anything living in the wood, etc. seems a lot of work though, and i don't think, unless the tree is visibly not doing well (has spotty leaves, etc) that you'd have to worry too much.

i just know that fish hobbyists boil branches before putting them in tanks, but that's because fish are super sensitive to anything in water, and you don't want them getting sick and dying. your rats probably won't *eat* the branches, just chew on them, so i don't think you'd have to prep them.

 

[Poppyseed]

I would bake the branches for a short period of time. You don't want to give them mites...

 

[ratvocate]

yuck mites ... Ok I will bake them

 

[IceLore]

Apple branches are the best! My rats love them to chew and climb on. I stick them in the freezer overnight to kill off any bugs. Cooking them on a VERY low temp in the oven will sanitize them too, but I've found that my rats prefer to chew them when they are fresh, and the oven dries them out.

 

[ratvocate]

Oh I did not think about freezing them. That is a good idea too.