# Chewing plastic balls?



## ahrat (Aug 12, 2013)

My boys love to play with cat toys and ping pong balls. Which they also love to chew. They chew little holes in them, and from what I can tell, don't eat the parts they chew off.

Is it okay for them to do this? I'm just afraid they might accidentally swallow a piece.


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## TheDragonsIris (Dec 26, 2013)

I don't think you've caused any damage doing that, but I would personally stay away from things they can chew plastic pieces off of. I'm sure that if they swallow a bit of plastic, their digestive system could handle it, but that being said, I would hate to think what would happen if they swallowed a piece that was on the sharper side. Probably wouldn't feel too good passing that through any part of the body. Plus if they end up eating multiple pieces of plastic it could cause a blockage eventually. I've heard of rats chewing on plastic cages and whatnot, but with them being able to shew holes into the balls and actually remove plastic pieces from it, I wouldn't risk it. I'd definitely keep an eye on them if you want to keep letting them play with the ping pong balls. I've known pet stores to carry some pretty nifty little toys for small animals that are safe to chew / eat and are made out of more organic, safe materials. Even bird toys can make great chew toys for them. I try to avoid toys that have either plastic or rubber. I've thought about getting my boys one of those kong toys they make for dogs, but I know I would never be able to let them at it unsupervised. They'd tear it to pieces over time and it's the pieces I'm worried about. One of my friends (who is also a member on this forum) uses tissue boxes as fun toys. He even leaves the tissues in the box because they love making bedding out of it then going after the cardboard outside if they don't use it as a hiding place. Timothy hay is safe for rats to chew up into bedding. Just avoid alfalfa, they can't digest it. I'm not too worried about the cat toys, they're usually more robust, but I'd either do away with the ping pong balls or watch them extra carefully when they play with them. Better to err on the side of caution rather then end up paying a high vet bill to remove plastic that's causing a blockage.


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## Andyurgay (Jun 10, 2013)

Rats have teeth that allow them to chew things with little to no risk of swallowing non food items. This is partly why it is so hard to switch a rats food. They can easily chew up just about anything, but you will really only find bits of it around the cage. They don't actually take much into their mouths while chewing, using mostly their front teeth to chew or tear bits off. 
My girls LOVE those little plastic cat balls and kong toys. They really only pay attention to the cat toys if I hide treats in them, but then I find mounts of chewed plastic in one corner. Same with the kong toys. I eventually had to buy one of the black, super strong kongs because they shredded the little pink puppy one within days. They know what is food and what is not and will not swallow non food items. You should have no problems using the plastic cat toys or rubber puppy toys. You might just have to clean up more chewed up bits than you expected.


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## zombiesrkewl (Nov 28, 2013)

I have the same worry as you. I use the cheap plastic cat toys with bells inside of them, but I only let them play with it during free range time so I can keep an eye on them. So far, no one's chewed a piece off, but my girls aren't big chewers.


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## ahrat (Aug 12, 2013)

These are the only thing my boys chew. Occasionally they'll chew a chew stick, but mainly it's pingpong balls and my lucky bamboo plants -_-


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## TheDragonsIris (Dec 26, 2013)

I've never thought of using lucky bamboo. There's a shop in a mall near us that sells small sticks for like a quarter a piece. I might look into that.


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

Lucky bamboo is toxic to a certain point I believe. I remember I had one in my fish tank once, the sucker fish chewed on it, and the next day we found a dead sucker fish. D=


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## ahrat (Aug 12, 2013)

I yell at them every time they chew on it. They don't ever get much. I've been watching them really closely. I don't like them up on the window sill, which is where the plants are, so they rarely get to it, although they do try very hard, the little buggers. I know it's mildly toxic to dogs and cats, it gives them a pretty upset stomach. I've been growing them actual bamboo, which I know is okay for them. I'm hoping this will keep them away from the toxic stuff.


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## ahrat (Aug 12, 2013)

Lucky bamboo isn't actually bamboo, it's part of the lily family.
SPCA and Pet Poison control mark it as "mildly-moderate". 
I wouldn't let them chew it. Spend the extra money and get a real bamboo plant (most have them fro 20 or so dollars) and harvest your own little stalks for them.


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