safe chew treats

Question
My son has 2 female pet rats.  They are approx 3-5 months old.  Is it safe to give them rawhides (like the dogs chew) to help with the gnawing instinct?
THANKS!

Answer
Hi Michelle

Although rats teeth grow constantly, bruxing is the rats natural way to keep them filed down to a mild roar. Bruxing is the sound they make when grinding their teeth and often do it when they are content and happy, kind of like when a cat purr's.

However, like you said, rats have a strong gnawing instinct and aside from bruxing, we can keep provide them with some safe things to chew on. I do not recommend rawhide bones for rats because they are a choking hazard and rats cannot vomit, so this can pose a particular threat  to them should they chew off a "gooey" end. Rawhide tend to get wet, gooey and sticky which is not safe for rats due to the threat of choking.
Rats mouths are designed to prevent them from ingesting sharp, gnawed fragments by being trapped in small flaps inside the rats mouth (thank mother nature for quick thinking since rats are famous for chewing through wood etc..)
That said, there are  many other things that are safe for rats to gnaw on, although they prefer things they should NOT chew, such as power cords, your great great Grandmothers heirloom, antique writing table, your favorite Chanel cashmere sweater you got for Christmas last year or your husbands toothbrush...stuff like that!  ;-)

You can offer the little chew demons things such as
cooked chicken or beef bones, nylabone edibles for dogs and
hard dog biscuits that are low in fat and protein.

Hope that helps!!

Regards

Sandy