# Are rocks safe to put in the cage?



## shinzo-chan (Apr 2, 2008)

I hear you can get a clean brick and put it beneath the water bottle to help file claws down, however I've been looking around and, believe it or not, there is nowhere I can get bricks from. Single bricks wont sell, and no one I know is building anything so I cant get hold of one.

So as an alternative I was looking for rocks and have found this one rock at the beach. One side is smooth due to the sea but the other side is still rough so I think it would serve its purpose well.

However I am unsure if it would be safe for them. I am worried that they are going to chew it and that it will be bad for them, so, whilst I am posting this, it is undergoing vigorous scrubbing and sterilization with boiling water and sterilization fluid. If the answer comes back that I cannot use it or that it would be risky then the idea will be scrapped and the rock shall be binned. Would it work, though? Surely if bricks are safe then so are rocks.. =/


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## Gabrielle B (Jan 16, 2009)

I have a rock in my girls cage, the only problem I have with it is that its a bit wiffy lol


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## shinzo-chan (Apr 2, 2008)

Do your rats chew the rock at all? I dont really think mine would bother but I'm a little worried if they did, but then again their wild cousins chew through all sorts of nasty stuff and live to squeak another day, lol. 

I never imagined the rock could get smelly lol.


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## aquaseafoam (Aug 3, 2009)

i think any rock would be fine as long as it has been cleaned. You might make it something small enough that it is easy to remove and clean because if they pee on it the pee goes through the pores and it can smell.


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## Lea (May 15, 2009)

I would also be sure that the rock is not in a position where a rat could fall on it.

I have a plastic paint tray with a bunch of polished pebbles in it in the free range area (which I usually don't even bother to put water in), and they like to play with them. Sometimes when cleaning the cage I'll find a pebble in there that someone had taken back to the cage to hide.


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## Gabrielle B (Jan 16, 2009)

Lea said:


> Sometimes when cleaning the cage I'll find a pebble in there that someone had taken back to the cage to hide.


lol cheeky buggers! 

No I don't find that my girls chew on their rock  They chew everything else though lol


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## [x]RaeLovesRats[x] (Feb 7, 2008)

We put it in for them to use to try keep their nails down but they really just ignored it. It got stinky very fast sodden underneath it, never put another one in,


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## Crasher (Jun 15, 2009)

I usually have two in the cage. One right under the bottle and another in front of the door. I guess it works a little to wear their nails down. My boys haven't been any stinkier since I've had them in there. I only put them on the floor, they're kind of big and I don't think my shelves could take it, plus they're safest where they have no room to fall.

As for cleaning I soaked them in a vinegar/water solution overnight then took a scrub brush and scrubbed them down good with dish soap and rinsed very well then left them out to dry in the sun. I scrub w/ vinegar (my disinfectant of choice) on cleaning day and switch out the rocks.


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## shinzo-chan (Apr 2, 2008)

Ooh, it looks like I'll need to clean my rock often then ^^'' Thanks for all the help guys, I put the rock in the other day and.. well.. they ignored it XD But hopefully it'll wear their claws down, my partner doesn't like to hold Indie since her claws are MEGA sharp, but they don't need cutting so we can't do anything else lol.



Crasher said:


> I scrub w/ vinegar (my disinfectant of choice) on cleaning day and switch out the rocks.


I didn't know you could use vinigar to clean things... don't the rats mind it..? '


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## Crasher (Jun 15, 2009)

shinzo-chan said:


> I didn't know you could use vinigar to clean things... don't the rats mind it..? '


I rinse well and dry everything before I put it back in the cage. The smell dissipates rather quickly and I do my cleaning outside so I don't think they ever notice.


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## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

removed it; too smelly


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