Confused about 8in1 Ecotrition Snak Shak log???

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crumbilina

crumbilina

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
Messages
3,512
Location
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
I saw this product suggested in another thread but didn't want to hijack the thread, so figured it would be best to start a new one.

I was really interested in getting one of these for my girls BUT when I read the ingredients I found out that it contains pine shavings

Ingredients:
Pine Wood Shavings, Cassava Starch, Glycerin, Alfalfa, Sodium Alginate, Honey, Propionic Acid (Preservative), Peanut Butter Flavoring, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Color Added (FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Yellow #5).

Taken from: http://www.petguys.com/-026851022090.html

Could someone explain why this would be ok to give rats (since I see a lot of people on here have them) and pine shavings are not? Don't they all have the same componants or is this a "how it is made" thing where the toxic compounds are broken down in the processing of the log?

I'm just confused...
 
Manufactured by Ecotrition, this completely edible log, which comes in both large and small, though it contains pine sawdust (though another type of wood would be recommended) as one of its main ingredients, is safe for your pet rat, due to it digesting the material, not breathing it.
Click to expand...

http://ratastic.com/ratical-info/review ... -shak-log/

That is why I assumed they were safe!
 
I dislike the sugar for one. And the pine..in theory eating it might be okay, but it will get peed on releasing phenols :(

ETA I believe those that use them figure it's okay because it would be a small amount. I'm personally not comfortable with them though. It would be so cool if they made one without pine and minimal sugar, maybe with veggies. I can dream right? Lol
 
All good points, as for the peeing I personally (with 7 males) have no issues with them peeing on it. And it really is ingested in small amounts I buy the large log for my boys and it lasts at least 2 months. It really would be great if they would work on the ingredients and I provide a ton of other chew toys but my boys love these so until I find something comparable my boys will keep getting them.
 
After doing a bunch of research, I found that there isnt enough of the toxic compound in the actual product for it to be harmful to rats.

BUT I don't use pine for a reason, so I dont think that I will bother with this.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

It would be so great if they could change both the wood and sugar! Yes, one can dream :) lol
 
Pine is the first ingredient actually, which means it is the ingredient there is the most of. It is mostly pine and when pine is peed on, the toxic phenols are released that damage their lungs and livers. I don't think it is that small an amount of pine. They've shown that even kiln dried pine, which has a lot of the phenols removed, still raises liver enzymes, which means damage is being done :(

http://www.ratfanclub.org/litters.html
 
How would you keep rats from peeing on it? They mark everything and pee in their sleep. Plus even then pine itself releases phenols, it doesn't have to mix with pee to be harmful.

I also didn't say pee turns to phenols, I said that the urine coming in contact with the pine causes more phenols to be released.
 
I'm glad someone posted about these, was just having a conversation earlier in the day about them, as a matter of fact!

I wouldn't get them because of the honey but I wasn't sure about the wood, I can never remember which kinds of wood are ok and which aren't

Plus as far as stuff like this goes, I think they probably don't use the best ingredients to begin with, who knows where they get the stuff, right? could be coming from China and have all sorts of toxic crap in them.

so I try to stick with stuff I know is food/edible.


those little shacks sure are cute though!
 
Dazzle87 said:
They mark everything and pee in their sleep.
Click to expand...
:lol:

These things really do stink to high heck when they get peed on. I never realized that smell was phenols. I've had to throw out a number of these that had barely been chewed on because they got to smelling so foul. I guess it depends on the rat. I'm not too worried by the ingredients because it's not like I take away the boys' food and say "Okay guys, this log is breakfast lunch and dinner for the rest of the week. Enjoy." My guys have a ton of other chews, but when one of these is around they definitely prefer it. I think it would be the kind of thing to have on hand, but not leave it in cages if you're worried about the ingredients. Just bust it out for special playtime occasions or something.
 
I've got one for my rats, they get it during their out time. It doesn't get peed on could be cause it's not in their cage but with mine, they leave behind so much of the stuff that I really don't think they are ingesting it much. It sure keeps them happy gnawing away at it. I've been giving this to them for many many years now.
 
The phenols are released in raw wood, this Shak has been processed, mulched and pressed into form...I wouldn't worry about pine phenols anymore LOL

I use them occasionally and the rats usually adore them :) If they get nasty and peed on, its only pee on wood...blech all on its own :sick2:

Right now I have given a teeny one to Mini and she loves it :)

If you have crazy obsessive chewers I might remove it every once in awhile, just because it can affect the smell of their poop, and not for the better. :nod:
 
Dazzle87 said:
I dislike the sugar for one. And the pine..in theory eating it might be okay, but it will get peed on releasing phenols :(

ETA I believe those that use them figure it's okay because it would be a small amount. I'm personally not comfortable with them though. It would be so cool if they made one without pine and minimal sugar, maybe with veggies. I can dream right? Lol
Click to expand...

Won't it get peed on no matter what the ingreds. ? :giggle:

I have a small log for my girls... they went crazy for it the first few days. And, since then, they get in a "mood" for it. So, little by little it disappears. They don't gorge out on it so I figure it's okay. Esp. since they're on the proper lab blocks, veg and fruit. I allow myself food I "shouldn't" have sometimes so... :D
 
mine totally LOVE them!!
they do not get them very often because I can't get them locally so it has to be when I'm going at walmart or "up in the city"...LOL
I got the jumbo hut for $1 at a garage sale, was brand new, still in the package, and they did not care for the roof part but the house...wow!! it lasted for MONTHS and it served as an igloo while it was large enough...lol
 
Dazzle87 said:
How would you keep rats from peeing on it? They mark everything and pee in their sleep. Plus even then pine itself releases phenols, it doesn't have to mix with pee to be harmful.

I also didn't say pee turns to phenols, I said that the urine coming in contact with the pine causes more phenols to be released.
Click to expand...


Sorry, I just don't understand where this phenol thing comes from.

Everyone says phenol... but I was looking at other compounds (not phenol) that seemed to be far worse in pine (their names slip my mind right now, if I can remember what they are called I'll post again).

Maybe I am over analyzing... it happens ;)
 
I'm sure if they were not safe for rats, people would have seen problems by now. No rat is going to sit down and eat the whole thing in a night haha..i'm sure they are fine. Rats go crazy for them :)
 
I occassionally put these in the rat cages .... they are espeially enjoyed by my more actice little chewers.
I don't think they are ingesting it, they just enjoy chewing things and make quite the mess.
 
The only incidence I've ever known of a rat ingesting what they chew off was when I was trying to switch my boys over to Oxbow. Old man Barnaby had me fooled for a day or two, then I realized he was stashing away the Oxbow and living off the snak shack when I saw how his poo was composed of nothing but snack shack material :/ But otherwise I've never known a rat to ingest it.
 

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