[yonksgirl]

How do you know if your rat is chewing enough that their theeth will not get over grown?

I have plenty of things in my cage for them to chew on but I only see bare min chew marks on them......I would think it would be instint for them chew but none of my guys seem to be chewers

 

[Forensic]

As long as they're getting hard food and they don't seem to be having trouble with their teeth it's probably fine. The upper teeth and lower teeth can grind each other down as well, I believe. None of my boys are really all that chewy either.

 

[thegrotto]

The "they NEED stuff to chew on to keep their teeth short" is really a myth. Just by eating hard foods grind their teeth. But toys are great too. Maybe they're not chewing because they're entertained.

 

[yonksgirl]

Thank you that is good to know! I feel alot better now! Everyone always talks about rats being this horrible chewers and mine do not really chew anything, I thought mine were just strange.....well I guess in a way they are! LOL!!!

 

[thegrotto]

Meh. When I got the newest of my cages, the clerk lady got kind of bitchy with me because its a plastic bottomed and ramped cage "You know rats chew on things" ... yeeaah. The last time I was there, she couldn't sex the babies they had. My rats haven't chewed on any part of it. Most rats don't chew as much as people think.

 

[Forensic]

Some do, though, but I agree, many don't. That said, they also will offer you salt licks and stuff like that. :lol:

 

[thegrotto]

lol. the clerk was too dumb to bring it up thankfully. i really dont like that store. its a petland, i only use it to get bedding and decent cages. the last time my mom was there they offered her a free hamster if she bought something for hamsters. why? ALL of them were pregnant. lame.

 

[Forensic]

To petstores. Here's a hint. If you don't learn to sex your animals you will have eighty bajillion more animals.
8O

 

[thegrotto]

Tch, they dont care. It's more money they can get for selling them. Even if they're sick or inbred.

 

[Night]

Rat's teeth grow continuously. That is NOT a myth by ANY means. If they're fed the correct diet, usually the teeth stay trimmed nicely.

Rats love to chew on things, or at least "test" things with their teeth. It's one of the ways they can tell what the object is.

 

[thegrotto]

Rat's teeth grow continuously. That is NOT a myth by ANY means. If they're fed the correct diet, usually the teeth stay trimmed nicely.

Rats love to chew on things, or at least "test" things with their teeth. It's one of the ways they can tell what the object is.

Yes rats' teeth never ever grow, theyre just like peoples' teeth!!!
Yeah notice the sarcasm. I didn't say that they never grow now did I? I said that them needing wood to chew on is. Do I give my rats things to chew on? Yes I do. A good diet provides the grinding down of their teeth.

 

[Night]

You said that it was a myth. There was nothing to show that it was sarcasm at all.

 

[thegrotto]

...wow. the sarcasm part was for the "yes rats' teeth never.." part. are you not reading what I'm saying? i said they need something to chew on..as in a wooden toy..to keep their teeth short. how did i say that their teeth don't grow?

 

[Night]

True, I skimmed. I apologize for mis-reading what you wrote.

Still, though, some rat's teeth grow faster than others, and they need more to chew on than just their regular feed.

Non-chewers ARE totally the minority! I assure you. Rats love to chew, chew, chew. Especially things they're not supposed to.

 

[OnlyOno]

i agree that they need stuff to chew on, but usually their food is adequate unless they have monstrous teeth. i give mine stuff to munch on though, cuz they think hamsteroids are the most fun thing ever, and it helps in case the food isn't enough.

 

[Vixie]

Rat's teeth grow continuously. That is NOT a myth by ANY means. If they're fed the correct diet, usually the teeth stay trimmed nicely.

Rats love to chew on things, or at least "test" things with their teeth. It's one of the ways they can tell what the object is.

Yes rats' teeth never ever grow, theyre just like peoples' teeth!!!
Yeah notice the sarcasm. I didn't say that they never grow now did I? I said that them needing wood to chew on is. Do I give my rats things to chew on? Yes I do. A good diet provides the grinding down of their teeth.

I've found sarcasm is hard to construe over the internet. Keep that in mind, because here you seemed very sassy, as if thinking 'How dare this person not get what I'm saying'.

Consider it.

 

[twitch]

before this spins out of control no more on sarcasm please. stay on the topic of rat teeth only. anyone replying to sarcasm will have their post deleted. also please be sure to read the post throughly before replying so as not to repeat yourself or mis-construe anything.

stay to topic please