[Sami]

When Dust gnaws on the wooden puzzle toy I got her I never see any shavings once she's done. It looks like she even stops between bites to chew the shavings with her molars and swallow.

Right now the wooden toy, ladders, and house are in the freezer while we wait another 2 weeks till we're finally rid of lice (I got them a plastic wheel and a washable fleece ball to play with so they don't get too bored), but should I even give this puzzle toy back if she's actually eating it?

I can't imagine it's a common thing.. for a rat to literally EAT a chew toy, but Dust certainly appears to be doing so. She does the same with toilet paper, cardboard, and other chewable things. I search, but I can never find any shavings or ripped up bits of paper when she's done.

Are there any healthy edible toys I could give to her, that wont cause constipation or any other problems if she happens to ingest them?

 

[Kimmiekins]

She's likely not actually eating them. I very rarely see evidence of them leaving pieces behind, but I they're there.

Rats are literately built to chew just about anything, and rarely do they swallow anything that isn't food. They have muscular flaps on either side of the jaw that fold down to prevent prevent splinters/debris from being swallowed as they gnaw. They're natural gnawers, and they're build to handle it.

I mean, let me put it this way... We have about 35 rats here at any given time, and very rarely, do you see evidence of bits of cardboard, fabric or wood that's been chewed. Just shredded toys, missing cardboard and holes in fabric.

That said, you can try the Healthy Edibles Nylabones. They love those. Greenies, too.

 

[CaptainFlow]

They might also be stashing the pieces; my girls like to nest with whatever they've destroyed.

ps. Greenies is doing a free sample from their Website. Just just go in and tell them your dog size, breed (haha, I picked "15 and under" for weight and "toy, other" for the breed!), and your address, and you should get a bag in a few weeks!

 

[Sami]

Wow. With 35 rats and no evidence of gnawing other than the missing bits.. makes you wonder where they put all the debris. n_n;

I watched Dust gnaw on a paper towel last night, and while bits were obviously being chewed off, none could be found and I know that she wasn't stashing them, because she never moved from that spot. Maybe it was just those magical rat powers they all seem to have, which they use to cause our things to vanish. XD

 

[Phoenix]

ps. Greenies is doing a free sample from their Website. Just just go in and tell them your dog size, breed (haha, I picked "15 and under" for weight and "toy, other" for the breed!), and your address, and you should get a bag in a few weeks!

Thanks for the heads up! I'm on my way...

 

[Kimmiekins]

Wow. With 35 rats and no evidence of gnawing other than the missing bits.. makes you wonder where they put all the debris. n_n;

True! I think they just chew them very finely... They're probably there, as maybe a dust of some sort.

 

[glindella]

My ratties love Nature's Animals treats, they are had and crunchy so they're fun to chew and completely edible. I beak them in half and they're usually gone in a night or so. You can also get them in smaller sizes. It might be an alternative to other chews. My boys have the nut nibblers and I never saw dust (that was almost a pun) until I started using dark blue fleece, the dust is ground very fine.