# Is cooked corn on the cob ok as a treat?



## JessyGene

I know corn isn't healthy for rats, but my rats love it as a treat (I sometimes put a bit of frozen corn in with the peas when they are fishing). I gave them a small piece of cob last night with a bit of cooked corn still on it, and they LOVED pulling the corn off and eating it. Is this safe, or should I not do it again? I know I should have checked before giving it to them, but too late...

Also, I read that chicken bones can be given as a treat. Is it best to clean off remaining meat, and just give them the bone, or is it ok to leave a little meat on?


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## lilspaz68

Why isn't it healthy? fresh or raw corn is a good veggie sometimes I usually husk a corn and hand that to them and watch the tussles...MY corn!!!


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## cagedbirdsinging

Yes, letting them eat corn off of the cob is perfectly safe, as well as chicken bones. You can leave some meat on or take it off. It's really your choice. My husband demolishes chicken wings, so there is never any meat left on the ones my boys get. Plus, a lot of bones they get have been sitting in the slow cooker to make broth, so they're pretty darn clean.

If you do give them a bone that still has stuff on it, be sure to take it out if they don't clean the sucker within a few hours. You don't want meat rotting in the cage. Yuck. If the bones are clean, though, they can stay in the cage for several days. I pretty much always have a bone or two in the cage as a chew toy and source of calcium. YUM!


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## JessyGene

lilspaz68 said:


> Why isn't it healthy? fresh or raw corn is a good veggie sometimes I usually husk a corn and hand that to them and watch the tussles...MY corn!!!


Oh I just thought corn didn't have a lot of nutrients in it, and was kinda an "empty" vegetable, not unhealthy, but not particularly healthy either. Thanks for the reply! I'm glad I can give it to them again since they had so much fun with it


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## aripatsim

I thought they had a hard time digesting corn and that's one of the reasons why you should stay away from lab blocks that have corn in it? I'm confused now lol


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## lilmissy22

my rat love corn on the cob.. or off it a rare treat for them.. when i do make it i give whatever left on the cob after me.. they eat every last thing on it.. and i also give chickin bone with little bet of meat on it... they almost pull it out of my hands to take it to other side of cage to eat it and they wont share it for nothing so every rat get it own little bone or meat


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## Newbabies

I'm really not sure about chicken bones, I'm new to rats myself but dogs and cats should definitely not have them! They splinter and can choke animals. Unlike beef/lamb bones. I wouldn't risk it. As for corn I've heard different things to, maybe I'll do more research


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## cagedbirdsinging

Newbabies said:


> I'm really not sure about chicken bones, I'm new to rats myself but dogs and cats should definitely not have them! They splinter and can choke animals. Unlike beef/lamb bones. I wouldn't risk it. As for corn I've heard different things to, maybe I'll do more research


Rats gnaw on bones in a completely different manner than dogs and cats due to their dental structure. Instead of crushing the bone with powerful canine and feline teeth that are designed to shred meat and bone, rats simply nibble away at them without twisting the bone in a manner that causes it to splinter. They are safe for our rats, unlike our carnivorous pets! (Also, raw chicken bones are safe for dogs and cats. The splintering rule only applies to cooked bones.)

As for corn, it is perfectly safe and healthy, but it's rather empty as far as vegetables go. Much of my rat diet revolves around vegetables and fruits, so my rats get more powerful produce rather than sugary filler veggies. There is a tiny bit of corn in my rat salad, but I reserve it mainly for treats, which is just fine for Jesse!


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## Isamurat

Corn on the cob is fine for rats, especially raw/fresh, it's a nice treat, though high in sugar and not as good as some other veg so they only get it as an odd treat. One of the reasons it's sometimes quoted as not being suitable is because when dried fast (which i common in pet quality corn) it can end up containing a kind of fungus which isn't good for any animal, sticking to human quality dried corn is a good way to avoid this. Also when eaten in large amounts (your talking a diet of mainly dried corn) it has been shown to be cargenogenic, but then to be fair so are most things (for instance i tomatoes are both anticarcongenic and carcenogenic depending on how much you eat and what cancer your talking about). 

Mine particularly love a cob still in it's leaves (i grew a few a couple of years ago, apparently they are very hardy plants lol) hung to the side of their cage


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## Babs

This is all news to me  I never knew my ratties could have been gnawing on those corn cobs I threw away! As far as I knew, rats couldn't digest corn so you were supposed to just steer clear at all costs. Now I can't wait to get home and cook some up to watch them go at it. I imagine there'll be some excitement in the cage when they get this!


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## aripatsim

Great to know! I gave them some corn on the cob tonight and they went crazy for it!


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