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Jess<3Rats

Active Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2008
Messages
41
Location
England UK
Is there anyway I can teach my rats to stop chewing up their hammock?
They've started on a corner and its gradually built up into a HUGE hole and I had to stitch it back up. I know its hard for them to understand but I don't want to go through buying hammocks to replace them a few weeks after :snooty: They tend to take some food up there do you think that has anything to do with it?
Any tips?
 
There is no way to stop them from chewing on stuff. It is just natural for them. You need to make sure you have plenty of chew toys for them wood sticks, toilet paper rolls, etc. Also if you are worried about spending to much on hammocks you can go to the dollar store and buy small towels as hammocks just make a hole in the tips and put a metal shower hook through the hole or you can buy giant paper clips as hangers as well.
 
I bought a hammock for my guys at the petstore and they only chew 3 holes in it then never chewed it again :roll: i didn't bother sewing it back up because they would just undo my work, I guess because i undid theirs :lol:
 
Hmmmm... My Jiggy went through a phase of chewing all the corners off her hammocks and completely dettaching it fromt he cage roof.... I wish I'd been able to see her as she chewed the last one off not realising it was the only thing holding her up!...

But they tend to stop when they're happy with their creating. Now Jiggs hasn't chewed her hammocks, but she's got a fluffy bag she has chewed the lining out of and sleeps under the lining and now she's happy with it it's not chewed anymore.... it's all in the nest making chewy habit.

It may help stop if you put other things to chew in... I bought a huge sheet of fleece from a local department shop and cut it into squares and put those in her hammocks so she can chew them instead... they get shredded fairly quickly!... also kitchen roll is good so they can shred it too.

So yeh, i think the best thing is to line ur hammocks with a bit of fabric that they can get under, scrumple up and chew instead. Also i find they like it if i rip strips of kitchen roll and leave them hanging through the bars all over the cage... they drag them all in and chew them all to pieces and sleep with them... So yeh, give them other fabric to shred instead of their hammocks, but also make sure they've got plenty of hard chewy things for their teeth, like rat wood chews, hazel n brazil nuts still in their shells, and mine love the occasional drumstick chicken bone (a big one, that wont splinter or spike anyone)...

Hope u stop the devils!
 
Thanks for all of your wonderful ideas! I shall give them ago..as for chewing material..i give them big rolls of cardboard left from the Christmas wrapping paper or any left from kitchen towel and toilet paper. I also make sure they have plenty of woods blocks hanging and lying around but they don't seem to get the hang of chewing them yet :roll: they prefer softer things i think..and yes regarding to the comment about the hammock almost collapsing from the ceiling, they are both managing to do the same thing! One corner has already fell off just recently :?
Anyway thanks again for all your much appreciated advice :D
xXx
 
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