Rats Rule! > Rat Care Corner

[Clean] Human Hair as Nesting Material... safe?

<< < (2/2)

Kendra:
I don't think it would hurt them.  I used to have a girl rat named Brillo who loved my hair.  At this point, my hair reached my elbows.  She would jump up on me and start grooming my head, then chew off a chunk of my hair and run off to nest with it.  I kept having to change where my part was to hide the missing bits.  I wouldn't give them a lot, but a little bit doesn't seem like it would be bad.  I have to agree with Zephr about the clean up, though.

Blackthorn:
I'd be concerned about them ingesting it.  I don't know if it would *harm* them, like risk of a hairball developing or anything, but I can think of healthier snacks than hair. ;)

kmw:
My concern would be the hairs wrapping around a toe or a foot or a tail, and cutting off circulation.  It's why I try not to use any nesting materials that can really fray and provide loose threads. 

liza:
I would say NO because of what kmw metioned.
My parents used to brush their long-haired dog outside until one Spring, they found a baby bird with a crippled foot. The mama-bird had used the dog's hair to nest and some of his hair had wrapped around one little bird's foot and his foot crippled because of that. The bird still lives in my parents' garden. He never left.
Once, one of my rats was screaming and when I checked, he was caught on one of my hair that was laying around. The foot was caught. My hair is a few feet long, so now, I always make sure everything is cleaned up after I brush my hair and am done shedding.
I would not give them that material to nest. Paper towels are much safer.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[*] Previous page