# do rats eat small rocks?



## petratts (Feb 14, 2012)

so I have 2 rats. I got them a small tub and i filled it with aquarium gravel. I wanted to give them a place to dig and maybe they would turn it into a litter pan. they like it a lot but one of my rats seem to be chewing on the rocks. I am worried he is eating them. I am more worried he will choke on one. Would a rat do such a silly thing? They have lots of stuff to chew on other then rocks.


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## British (Apr 2, 2012)

I don't know if they would eat the rocks, but when I made a dig box, I used reptile substrate that was made out of coconut hulls. It was the consistency of soil, but without the added chemicals and styrophoam bits you find in potting soil.


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## Rubber Duck (Apr 7, 2012)

I don't think they'd eat rocks. But they probably like to chew on them to wear down their teeth. Rat teeth never stop growing, they're like fingernails. I wish our teeth were like that. We'd look pretty strange but at least we wouldn't need false teeth when we get old.


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## petratts (Feb 14, 2012)

I have seen the coconut hulls around. I will give that a try.


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

I believe they make sterile potting soil. Would that be something safe to consider?


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## petratts (Feb 14, 2012)

maybe if i can find it, ill try things out to see what the rats like more. one of the rats is biteing the rocks in half.


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## BigBen (Nov 22, 2011)

Rats love to nibble on things, and they can actually chew through steel and concrete. Your ratty who's nibbling on rocks is not eating them, just having fun gnawing at them. Rats have folds of skin in their mouths between the incisors and the molars, that keep non-foods from getting into the mouth proper and being swallowed, so your ratty is just keeping his teeth in shape.


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