# Playing in litter box/eating aspen?



## killybutt (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi all,
I just got my boys home three days ago, and to be honest I don't know much about what their life was like before I brought them home. They are just 1 1/2 months old. One of them really enjoys going downstairs into the litter and rolling around/burrowing in dirty litter, and eating bits of aspen, sometimes he accidentally picks up his poop and eats it too 
I've tried picking him up and putting him elsewhere in the cage but he keeps going back into the litter.
How do I get him to stop? Haha. It's sort of cute when he has aspen shavings all over him but I am concerned that it is unhealthy.
We have plenty of other things for him to chew on--like rawhide, wood and lots of different kinds of food--but he just loves getting into the poopy litter :<


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## Snippet (Dec 30, 2010)

When I change substrates my rats always try eating a couple of bits. I wouldn't be too worried.


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## smesyna (Nov 22, 2010)

Yes they shouldn't eat enough to harm, and often it looks like they are eating but they are chewing too.

It is perfectly normal for rats to eat their own poop. I've never seen it but yeah.


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## littlematchstick (Apr 12, 2009)

I've also heard that rats will eat their own poo, but I also have never seen it. My rats have been on the same bedding their entire life (carefresh) and I still see them *sampling* it often. I have one boy who LOVE to play in his litter box he rummages around in there. Another nasty habit--they stash their food in their litter boxes too (Which I think is why my boy rummages in there all the time). It's so disgusting, but I just let them do whatever. It's gross to us, but normal to them. I wouldn't bother trying to stop them, cause you'll probly never do it--unless THEY decide they don't wanna do it anymore...  :


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

I was doing some reading and found some tid-bits of information out that I wanted to share, since I noticed that my one female likes to eat 'raisins'. 

Ratties will some times eat their own poop to acquire more nutrients that are made by their GI tract. I read that this behavior is also shared with rabbits and a few other rodents. The eating of their own feces is called 'Coprophagy'. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprophagia


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## killybutt (Nov 22, 2010)

Thanks for all the replies, guys!
I suppose a rattie's gonna do what a rattie's gonna do  I'll just try to keep an eye on him and make sure he's not having a poop buffet. Haha.


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

You're welcome.
And a poop buffet XD I am wondering if them eating large amounts of it would make them sick or cause long-term problems. Not that my ratties dine on this daily, I am just wondering.


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