# Concerns about plastics.



## meromar (Aug 27, 2016)

Or rather, not so much a concern as a curiosity, since plastics are so widely used in the keeping of fancy mice and aren't generally considered problematic health-wise.

Mice love to shred and chew, but do they ingest plastics? If so, has this ever caused health problems in fancy mice, such as obstructions?


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

They do not ingest it, no, even if they chew it to tiny bits (not all mice do this - it's usually a sign og boredom). However, it does happen very rarely that they swallow a bit by accident, and that can cause health problems, yes. But like I said, it's really rare.


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## meromar (Aug 27, 2016)

Fantasia Mousery said:


> They do not ingest it, no, even if they chew it to tiny bits (not all mice do this - it's usually a sign og boredom). However, it does happen very rarely that they swallow a bit by accident, and that can cause health problems, yes. But like I said, it's really rare.


Thank you! I was considering alternatives if necessary, but that doesn't seem to be the case.


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## Torin (May 18, 2016)

It's not feasible to remove everything from their environment that they could potentially choke on - not least because that includes food. Therefore I'd make decisions based on other criteria.

Chewing is an inherent part of being a rodent, so if you're particularly worried about chewing one thing in their environment, your best bet is to provide multiple options. For example mine all have safe tree branches, and cardboard.


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## meromar (Aug 27, 2016)

Torin said:


> It's not feasible to remove everything from their environment that they could potentially choke on - not least because that includes food. Therefore I'd make decisions based on other criteria.
> 
> Chewing is an inherent part of being a rodent, so if you're particularly worried about chewing one thing in their environment, your best bet is to provide multiple options. For example mine all have safe tree branches, and cardboard.


Only if there was a likely risk of an item choking or causing intestinal obstruction -- then it would be very feasible for me to try and prevent that from happening to my stock. Everything in this world has risks, even breathing, so I'm definitely not trying to prevent all possible harm :lol:

In another interest of mine, plastics are a severe problem and at best require drastic measures to prevent a painful, prolonged death for the animals -- although they are still widely used in safe, sturdy forms. I didn't think going in that plastic would seriously be a problem with mice, given its widespread use in every area of their lives, from housing to enrichments, but it never hurts to ask and get a discussion going!


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

The good thing about plastic interior is that it's very easy to clean  I use a mix og plastic and wooden items, plus a few other things.


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## meromar (Aug 27, 2016)

Fantasia Mousery said:


> The good thing about plastic interior is that it's very easy to clean  I use a mix og plastic and wooden items, plus a few other things.


I definitely have a strong appreciation of plastic for that! :lol:

Do you ever find that larger wooden items (hides and such) tend to hold an odor even with soaking?


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

I wash wooden items regularly, and let them dry completely before they get them back. I think maybe it depends on the type of wood used, because I have a few things that are years old and though you can definitely see it's been used, it doesn't smell and it works fine for what it's supposed to. Other things I've had to throw out along the way, but generally it takes several months before I think it becomes permanently smelly.


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