# Is adhesive tape okay for rat enclosures / free time?



## rat-fiend (Mar 7, 2008)

For my future rats, I was thinking of binding some cardboard boxes together with masking tape, creating different levels for them to explore. Then I was thinking - would adhesive tape like masking tape, duct tape, sticky tape etc be okay for rats? I know that rats like to chew things and I bet a sticky thing like adhesive tape would be really irritable to them if they tested their teeth on that. Or is it likely that as soon as they find out that it is sticky, they leave it alone and divert their attention elsewhere?


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## Flying-Dumbo-Rat (Aug 9, 2013)

Rats do like to chew things, but they do a little at a time to see if they'll get sick or not, or if it's not tasty, and if it's either they won't chew or eat it. That's why it's so hard to poison rats.
So if they chew something sticky (like adhesive tape), it'll likely leave a bad taste in their mouth and they'll learn.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

The adhesive on tape can poison your rats, make sure they do not have access to it.


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## TheRatPack8 (Dec 10, 2012)

Rats aren't going to eat something that tastes bad. At most they will chew on it. They have flaps in their mouths that stop the debris from chewing from getting in their mouth. Yes that can get sick if they eat A BUNCH of tape but the likely hood of that is slim to none. (Courtesy of my cousin who is a vet tech) and besides the fact that I have used tape as a deterrent for a long time because my girls are chewers (not that it stopped them much -,-) 


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## binkyhoo (Sep 28, 2008)

If you are that worried, maybe try nontoxic elmers school glue.


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