# Safe plants/woods for toy parts?



## Kai (Nov 17, 2014)

I was making my parrots toys and was just wondering if any of the following were safe for rats too

loofa
yucca
vine toys e.g. vine balls (like here http://makeyourownbirdtoys.com/Natural-Toy-Parts/)
sola wood
balsa wood
manzanita wood
mahogany wood
pine cones
banana leaves
gourd cups

I'm fairly sure bamboo, palm, coconut and seagrass things should all be ok?


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## Love My Rats (Sep 3, 2015)

not sure on the mahogany wood but the rest look ok


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Over the years, our rats have gotten into all kinds of things... pills, creams, medications and even two full Windex bottles they shredded... And recently they ran off with my toothpaste. While I don't encourage people to introduce rats to poisonous things... but it's a wonder what won't kill or even hurt them. 

Try and use common sense, if you wouldn't chew it or eat it, I wouldn't give it to your rats, but otherwise take it from someone that's watched his rat fight off ants for scraps of moldy food in the park... rats have amazing metabolisms... and there isn't much that they will eat that will harm them. We had one rat, Cloud, that actually wouldn't eat food that she didn't find in the trash can... if it wasn't moldy it wasn't ripe enough for her to eat. Watching her eat, may have turned my stomach, but it didn't upset hers.

...well, with the exception of poison mushrooms, Fuzzy Rat ate one and got really sick. I was told by a vet on the phone that the same mushrooms were very toxic to dogs and there wasn't anything to do but wait and see if she dies... Fuzzy Rat actually regurgitated the mushrooms and although she was deathly sick that night, she was fully recovered by the next night... Rats aren't easily killed and usually they don't eat or chew stuff that makes them sick. I'll add that Fuzzy Rat never ever ate another mushroom of any kind. When she got tumors I tried to give her shitake and turkey tail mushrooms and she wouldn't touch them a full year after she got poisoned. 

Keep in mind, my rats have constantly amazed me by doing things I didn't expect or prepare for. They mostly live free range in our house which isn't rat proofed in any way. They pretty much learn to become competent and not get hurt or killed. Still, I might also have rats that are luckier or smarter than yours. I have learned a lot of things by mistake along the way... had I thought about it, I might have done things differently and in some cases I do... I now hide the pills and creams for example... and yes even the toothpaste. I do still let the rats dumpster dive the kitchen trash... they just enjoy it too much to stop them. 

I would rather you took away that rats are hardy and resilient smart animals from this post rather than an excuse to leave poisons around where they can get at them. Rats don't get poisoned easily, but please don't try it on purpose.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

If it is a hard wood it is fine; if it is a soft wood don't give it to your rats. So for the woods you cited, look it up if it is a hard or soft wood. i don't know about banana leaves. Pine cones (cleaned, boiled) are ok even though pine wood bedding would be bad. Everything else is rat safe.


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## Kai (Nov 17, 2014)

Brilliant thanks! I was wondering about safe plastics too – like if chewed, I think rats know not to swallow plastic, unlike chins and degus (correct me if I'm wrong), but I don't want to risk splintering plastic or sharp edges... granted, the plastic stuff sold on bird toy parts websites is probably pretty safe in that regard or it would be a hazard to birds.


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