# Anti chew spray?



## BlueDumbo (Nov 30, 2015)

Hello,

Two of my young girls are becoming incessant chewers. They have food in their cage but during free roam they are going after the wood panel on the walls and the carpet. I am wondering if anyone knows of any tricks to prevent them from chewing things they shouldn't, perhaps a spray? Thanks!


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## Grotesque (Mar 19, 2014)

Bitter apple spray (sold in any pet store as a chew deterrent for dogs) supposedly works on rats. I had to use it a few times for various things and it worked on keeping a rat from chewing her stitches and it worked on stopping obsessive cage bar chewing. Never used it on walls or carpet. It is safe to try at least. One word of warning though - all my girls would be disgusted by the smell and taste of it except one. Wafer. She LOVED it. She'd rub her face on where I sprayed and licked it... it was like catnip to her.

My vet suggested that bitter cherry is more repulsive to rats than bitter apple but I couldn't find it. Bitter orange spray also exists but I wouldn't use that around rats even though you have girls.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I've heard that many of the sprays will do nothing and the rats still chew.

I'd suggest just trying to prevent them from being able to. You can make a playpen using poster boards/coroplast. You could even just put it against the walls. 

They are not chewing because they are hungry. They chew because they are either bored or trying to escape. 

You can try to make their play area more exciting. Move their attention to something else they can chew instead. Cardboxes inside cardboard boxes is always a fav. Add treats for them to discover. And always supervise them.


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## BlueDumbo (Nov 30, 2015)

Thanks for everyone's help!

I tried the bitter apple spray with unfortunately no luck.

I definitely try to entertain them in their play area, it's really just two of them that chew. I think they just find a scent they like and begin to chew and then they think it's fun. But I'll work on distracting them!


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

Rats actually have flab of skin behind their teeth which separates their mouth from the things they chew. That way when they chew (they use their teeth like we use our fingers) they are generally safe from toxic, splintery or inedible chewthings. That's probably the reason the spray doesn't often work for rats.


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