# Rat chewing on cage bars?



## KatjaPegasus (Apr 12, 2018)

My rat didn't do this before, he loudly gnaws/chews on the cage bars like a hamster, then he chatters his teeth, then he continues. I'm worried he might break out like that.EDIT: He started to chew on the sticks I gave him, does he just want to shorten his teeth or does he want something else?


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## KatjaPegasus (Apr 12, 2018)

KatjaPegasus said:


> My rat didn't do this before, he loudly gnaws/chews on the cage bars like a hamster, then he chatters his teeth, then he continues. I'm worried he might break out like that.


 And they have a lot to chew on, salt blocks, sticks out of wood, pretty much anything else.


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

Anxiety, boredom, bad habit... could be anything and some rats just pick it up for seemingly no reason and may eventually stop just as suddenly as they began. In a lot of cases it tends to happen when the rats are stressed or bored in general. If your cage is metal then you shouldn't worry about an escape but you still want to try to address it. It doesn't matter how many chewable objects are in the cage if the rat wants to relieve themselves of frustration or boredom.

Does he get much time out of the cage? Not just hands-on time, but also plenty of time to run around freely and burn off excess energy. A minimum of 1 hr to run around in a safe area each day but the more the better. Also worth thinking about is whether or not his cage is big enough, and what else is in the cage besides his chew blocks etc. Gnawing toys aren't usually entertaining as climbing/shredding/foraging toys or wheels. Think about what his typical day looks like and if it sounds like he has a variety of ways to exercise himself physically and mentally.


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## Vampiric Conure (Aug 17, 2018)

My first rats did this! I didn't realize they were in a cage too small and I didn't let them out enough. It was so bad that I had to sleep with the rats in a different room, sigh . What cured the problem was a change of environment. A bigger cage, more toys, more room to run. I didn't have a rat proofed apartment, so I used the tub and loaded it full of foraging toys. Not saying you're in a similar situation, but it is possible they just need more run around time  A change of pace. Heck, perhaps taking them out for a walk on a rat-friendly harness (I dunno how the forum feels about this. I used to do this about 20 years ago) can do them a lot of good mentally


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