# Rats Chewing in Bathroom



## macydingus (Apr 15, 2017)

I recently stopped throwing a rat blanket over my bed for my rats to have free run and have instead been putting their boxes, homes and toys in the bathroom with the toilet brush and trash can up and out of reach. I pick up any mess they make and it's been going good. But, sometimes I'll catch them chewing off parts of the walls. I live in apartment so it isn't that good and it isn't good for the rats. I don't think they swallow the chips as much as they just chew on them like they would a toy. What can I do to have them stop? Also, they are boys around 3 months old if that helps.


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## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

Unfortunately, rats are notorious for chewing, especially after they get bored of their free range setup. And as your boys are so young, they're bound to get bored quickly (too much energy! lol) Rats don't actually eat what they chew, so your rats shouldn't be hurt in any way from chewing your wall. When I free-range my girls, I do it inside a cardboard pen in my room. My issue there was that my girls like chewing on my carpet. I was able to get them to stop by blocking the carpet with cardboard pieces, but even so, I'm still working on completely eliminating the behavior.I also find that if I create high places for my rats to climb to during free-range, they're less likely to chew. You can also try to stimulate them mentally during free range, whether by training or by using one of those "brain teasers" for rats (that you can refill with treats.) I recently made one of these brain "teasers" for my rats by poking holes into a large tube that I had. In my case, I actually have lids for the tube, so all I did after poking the holes was to fill the inside with cheerios and then close the lids. My girls had a blast learning how to roll it in just the right way that treats com out. I find that if I use challenging "food toys" during free-range or if I train with my rats first, they're much less likely to chew and cause me any damage.You can also try blocking all available parts of your wall with cardboard boxes and other toys.Lastly, you can try the "bitter apple" sprays marketed as tasting bad enough that your rat will stop chewing. But as rats don't actually taste as they chew either, I can't see this being too effective.Good luck!


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

Yeah unfortunately if they're chewing then the only way to prevent it is to keep the things you don't want chewed out of their reach. Consider making a play pen for them, the easiest way is to use cardboard for that since rats can easily climb store bought play pens that have bars. There are some tutorials online or on YouTube to help you with that. If they're not jumpers then make them a play area on a table. It's true, bitter spray won't likely work because rats have a furry pad behind their teeth which separates their mouth from things they decide to gnaw, on so they can chew toxic, splintery or foul tasting things without suffering from it.


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## macydingus (Apr 15, 2017)

Thank you both for the helpful ideas . I did actually make this cool thing for them which is a long carpet roll which is pretty thick. I used hot glue rings around it for them to climb but that didn't work so I just stuffed socks with other socks and wrapped them around the roll. They really like it now and it allows them to reach the towel rack.


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

That's a cute idea! My rats always love their do-it-yourself toys and furniture the best.


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