# Rats ate cherry pit



## KatjaPegasus (Apr 12, 2018)

Hey, this is making me panic and I can't run to the vet since they're closed. My mom gave my rats cherries with the pit and two of them ate the whole thing. I tried my best to get it off their hands but in the end, I were bit and I couldn't stop them. trying to distract them with treats didn't help either.My questions are:Can a rat die from one cherry pit?What can help digest it?


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## Lil-pet-lady (Nov 17, 2018)

This is probably to late, but maybe it is usefull for other people reading this. Cherry pits contain Cyanide, which is very toxic. A human can die form eating more than 2 Cherry pits. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it really is true. The only reason that people most of the time won't die form this is because they don't crack the pit open. This way the Cyanide stays inside the pit for the biggest part. I assume Cyanide is toxic for rats as well, but i am not a 100% sure. For anyone else who ever faces this problem, try to reach your vet or maybe an emergency vet or something as fast as possible. As for the starter of this topic, i am pretty afraid to ask, but i am also really worried. Did your rats survive? I hope you'll still read this.


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## ViajandoXGuagua (Mar 6, 2017)

*Omg how are they now?*

And the poor ratties can'teven vomit to get rid of the toxins


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## Gillian (Jun 11, 2021)

Hey KstjaPegasus,
So this might not help you anymore, but I hope it will help anyone else whose rat swallows a cherry pit because I had a freakout yesterday because one of my rats ate a cherry pit and I found some information. So, they did a study figuring out how long rats take to die from cherry pits, and the amount of time was 1 hour. I'm not saying your rat will die in an hour, but if they survive an hour before dying or suffering any of the side effects they should be ok from then on. If you start to notice weird behavior such as your rat becoming really tired and curling in a ball, there is a possibility they will shut down and die within an hour. Mine did get slightly tired around when they ate it, but that was probably because it was during the day, so don't be too concerned because many people's rats have survived and very few people report their rat dies. This does not make it safe to feed your rats cherry pits, it could still kill your rats and you won't be able to do anything about it, so just avoid any contact with them around your rats. 
I hope this helps anyone whose rat has eaten a cherry pit, and I am sorry, but there is no fix. If they have I would just spend the hour with them and hope they survive. I don't often reply to anything, but after that scare last night I wanted to try to help inform people on what will happen to their rats after eating a pit.


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## Pyjamas (Jun 26, 2021)

Gosh, I give my ratties cherries all the time, one of their favourite fruits, as they are not always that interested in fruit. I usually slice the cherries up, and one chunk will have the pit attached. 
I started giving them cherries because I left a cup of pits I had spat out on the counter overnight, and house mice ( NOT pets) stole off with most the pits by morning.
My ratties LOVE the chunk with the pit and gnaw on it enthusiastically. I have seen no ill effects....though I will be more cautious now just in case!


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## ratboytime (May 15, 2021)

Pyjamas said:


> Gosh, I give my ratties cherries all the time, one of their favourite fruits, as they are not always that interested in fruit. I usually slice the cherries up, and one chunk will have the pit attached.
> I started giving them cherries because I left a cup of pits I had spat out on the counter overnight, and house mice ( NOT pets) stole off with most the pits by morning.
> My ratties LOVE the chunk with the pit and gnaw on it enthusiastically. I have seen no ill effects....though I will be more cautious now just in case!


You've been very lucky so far but please do know that cherry pits contain toxic amount of cyanide, so if one rat eats the entire center of a pit they will likely not survive. Please remove the pits fully from the cherries before giving them to your rats, the extra mess is worth keeping them safe!


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## Pyjamas (Jun 26, 2021)

ratboytime said:


> You've been very lucky so far but please do know that cherry pits contain toxic amount of cyanide, so if one rat eats the entire center of a pit they will likely not survive. Please remove the pits fully from the cherries before giving them to your rats, the extra mess is worth keeping them safe!


For sure, I take the pits out now just in case. But I do hope it is a bit of comfort to anybody whose rat accidentally eats a pit, to know it never bothered my rats. My big guy, a total sweetheart, hogs the food like crazy, and I can’t imagine he shared his cherry pits. He loved them more than anyone. He is doing fine...but no more pits, to be safe !! Maybe his huge girth made him less susceptible, lol!


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## Pyjamas (Jun 26, 2021)

Pyjamas said:


> For sure, I take the pits out now just in case. But I do hope it is a bit of comfort to anybody whose rat accidentally eats a pit, to know it never bothered my rats. My big guy, a total sweetheart, hogs the food like crazy, and I can’t imagine he shared his cherry pits. He loved them more than anyone. He is doing fine...but no more pits, to be safe !! Maybe his huge girth made him less susceptible, lol!


PS: I am really grateful for knowing now to look out for this! I look up foods before feeding them now.


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