# Dog chewables and rats



## Willieboo (Oct 22, 2012)

I love the idea of getting HQ natural (small) dog chews to entertain my rats and their teeth, as a thing to keep them interested in the cage and switch it up in free range. 
But I'm nervous when looking around at dog chews at the pet store. I am familiar with the _foods_ that rats should never have, so I do stay away from that. But reading ingredients and being careful is still difficult for me because I find myself worrying about other little things that maybe rats don't need or can be harmed by that dogs can tolerate high amounts of--like certain vitamins or minerals, or other oils and ingredients. I have no idea what most of the vitamin/mineral names are, I'm not savvy in that way, and I'm afraid of bringing something home to my rats with subtle ingredients that could be potentially toxic...

Just looking for suggestions as far as dog chews that are OK that people know of and have tried. My rats aren't really enthusiastic about the few things our pet store provides as far as small animals, but they love new things meant for other animals (like the cooked sweet potato dog chews I tried awhile back; that's the only one I've been brave enough to try). 

For example, things I've heard about but that I'm not sure about because they've only showed up a few times in mention:
Are edible Nylabones really okay for rats? Do they present any issues as far as digestion? 
I saw someplace on here recently that "Naked Super Antioxidant treats" are OK for rats, but are there any more opinions/consensus on that product?
I see dog chews at the store often that are salmon/other fish jerky. I know lean fish is good for rats, but I don't know as far as jerky chews, and which brands might be more healthy as opposed to others. Has anyone ever tried fish jerky dog chews?

Any other suggestions for safe brands and types are very much appreciated! I get so nervous at the pet store trying to decide what would be okay to bring home and give the rats, and then end up discouraging myself because of the ingredient components I know nothing about...and go home with zip. Really would like to bring home a little variety for my babes, though.


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## Muttlycrew (Dec 21, 2012)

Paragon dog chews are fantastic!  


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## Willieboo (Oct 22, 2012)

Oh, thank you so much for the suggestion! I don't think my pet store sells those in-store, but I would still be interested in looking around and ordering some, online possibly! C: 
I think I may have heard of those somewhere before; they look quite familiar! 
Thanks again!


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## Muttlycrew (Dec 21, 2012)

You're very welcome  they give them something to gnaw on and I've never met a ratty who doesn't go crazy over a paragon. They have them in a lot of different shapes. Personally mine love the ones that are shaped almost like celery because I stick them like a ladder between the bars of the cages and they climb on them and chew them, haha. They also go nuts for my old jack Russell's treats that are made with peas for senior dogs. I forget the brand name. They're completely natural, though. (And kinda spendy.. But they'd last awhile for rats) 


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## Ginger Haily (Feb 15, 2013)

Antlers and hooves are good chews for rats too-i also like giving my rats soup bones


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## Poodlepalooza (Aug 9, 2012)

My girls love Greenies & Health Bones mixed berries flavor. Also deer antlers are a big hit & I order those from The Crafty Rat!


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## Ginger Haily (Feb 15, 2013)

Poodlepalooza said:


> My girls love Greenies & Health Bones mixed berries flavor. Also deer antlers are a big hit & I order those from The Crafty Rat!


i wouldnt feed Greenies anymore- thy were recalled due to the ingredents being undigestible


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## Poodlepalooza (Aug 9, 2012)

Ginger Haily said:


> i wouldnt feed Greenies anymore- thy were recalled due to the ingredents being undigestible


Do you have a link to information regarding this? I see articles from 5-7 years ago but can not find a recent article confirming this recall. My rats have gnawed them as long as I've had rats with no problem. Seems the earlier problems were with dogs who did not chew them very well. I am not sure this would be an issue for rats as they do gnaw them and don't gulp them down in large pieces. I would be interested in any additional info others may have. Thanks.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Any type of bones are fabulous. Nutritious, natural, and healthy. (And yes, even chicken bones.)


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## Willieboo (Oct 22, 2012)

cagedbirdsinging said:


> Any type of bones are fabulous. Nutritious, natural, and healthy. (And yes, even chicken bones.)


I didn't know you could give them bones! Well, safely, anyways. I was always worried that they would splinter, since some bones can...but with rats is this not the case?


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Willieboo said:


> I didn't know you could give them bones! Well, safely, anyways. I was always worried that they would splinter, since some bones can...but with rats is this not the case?


Dogs use a crushing motion with the bones, which causes some of them to splinter and become dangerous. Rats gnaw and nibble, breaking off very tiny bits at a time. Perfectly safe and EXCELLENT chews! Save them whenever you eat meals with bones and store them in the freezer.


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## Willieboo (Oct 22, 2012)

cagedbirdsinging said:


> Dogs use a crushing motion with the bones, which causes some of them to splinter and become dangerous. Rats gnaw and nibble, breaking off very tiny bits at a time. Perfectly safe and EXCELLENT chews! Save them whenever you eat meals with bones and store them in the freezer.


I see! Thank you so very much for the helpful information! I'll definitely be holding onto chicken bones and such now as an extra nutritious treat for them! C:


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

This is good to know! Thanks everyone...what about raw hides? I don't give them to my dogs as I know they aren't the best as far as bones go...what about for ratties?


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## Jackie (Jan 31, 2013)

I have kind of the same question as Eden, I just got a pack of mini dingos because I saw someone on youtube give their rats little rawhide balls (made out of the same stuff) to chew on and now i'm not sure if they're bad or not?!


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## Willieboo (Oct 22, 2012)

Good question about the rawhides--I hope someone on here might know!
I wasn't sure about rawhides myself; my family won't even allow them for my dog because they don't exactly digest down peachy for her, so I was wary of giving that sort of thing to my rats. Rats might be different with rawhide, though, I don't know.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

I wouldn't call them bad, but I don't like them. We keep bones from our meals that would have otherwise been thrown away (plus friends/family save them for us as well) so there is no need to go out and buy other stuff that you've no idea how it was treated before it got to you.

Things like rawhide, pig ears, hooves, prepared bones from the pet store... they all squick me out. I know a dog that passed away from a bad big ear due to the poor conditions and methods in which they are produced. I just don't like them.

Will your rat die from a rawhide from the supermarket? No, probably not. But... bones are better. =)


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## Jokerfest (Sep 25, 2012)

I've heard rats can choke on rawhide easy and personally wouldn't risk it but that's just me.

I'm not sure if I'd consider them chews but I give my boys a variety of dog biscuits for treats and to help their teeth.
I look for anything with high quality simple ingredients without much meat in it. Nutro has some very good choices when it comes to biscuits I found some banana flavor ones and the ingredients are mainly... Banana!  They smell good enough to eat exactly like the fruit!
I've also used some spinach and berry flavor mixed ones.
Fruitables is another good brand I like because they only use fruit and veggies in most of their products. My dogs hate them but my rats love them.
I'd just look for anything with limited, simple, and easy to understand ingredients usually the brands who don't hide things with long weird names are the healthiest too anyways.


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