Chew toy

A chew toy is a toy designed to be chewed by animals for purposes of stimulation and relief from boredom .^[1] There are several different types of chew toys, including rawhide, wood, paper and mineral. Chew toys are commonly associated with puppies and dogs, though they are also used for birds, rodents, and rabbits.

Chew toys are a vital part of happy, healthy animal's life. In addition to providing hours of entertainment, they also allow the animal to work out anxiety and boredom by being occupied with chewing a toy. Chew toys also distract small animals from chewing on other "forbidden" items, and they assist in maintaining healthy teeth.^[2]

Rawhide

A dog with a rawhide chew toy.

Rawhide chew toys are most often associated with puppies and dogs, though rawhide toys are plentiful in the bird toy section of most pet stores. Rawhide is suitable for all animals except herbivores, as it is made of animal skin. Rabbits, which only eat vegetation, cannot have rawhide toys because their digestive systems cannot process them. This is a rather sturdy kind of chew toy and it can take months for a small animal or bird to destroy. Examples of rawhide chew toys are twists and rawhide bones. Compressed rawhide can dangerously splinter when dry as well as break off in large pieces that may be ingested, and thus are generally not recommended for large breeds of dogs. Chew toys made of leather are not recommended for dogs as they cannot be properly digested in the stomach and may cause blockage in the intestines.^[3]

Wood

Wood chew toys are made of a safe, non-poisonous, softer wood and are often coated in bright, vegetable-based dyes or paints. Wooden chew toys are given in place of the wood that small animals would find in the wild. They are a safe alternative for a small animal owner to purchase, as most young bark/branches found in nature are lethal to small pets.^{[citation needed]} They are generally used as either small rodents toys or rabbit toys. Wooden chew toys help to keep teeth trimmed down, preventing eating difficulties in pets and unnecessary trips to a vet for teeth clipping. An example of a wooden chew toy is the commercial product toy ropes

Paper

Paper chew toys are made of non bleached non-toxic paper. They are an inexpensive, or often free, option for small pet owners and can provide hours of stimulation and play for small animals. One common paper chew toy is an empty toilet paper tube. These can double as tunnels for very small rodents, and can also be used as modified piñatas for larger small animals. Wadded up newspaper pages, old spineless books, and the commercial product Chubes are other commonly used paper chew toys.

Mineral

Mineral chew toys are made of flavored animal-safe minerals. These range from flavored fruit-shaped blocks for birds to ice-cream cone shaped mineral treats for rabbits. They also come shaped as bowls with fluffy minerals inside. A common mineral chew toy is the cuttlebone, a necessity in any bird's cage that helps to keep nails and beaks trimmed and healthy.

Rubber

A dog eating treats out of a Kong, a rubber chew toy.

There is a variety of rubber chew toys for dogs on the market that are molded into different shapes. Some of them are hollowed so that treats can be placed in them. This way, the dog has to "work" to get a treat. Rubber is a good chew toy for dogs but is unhealthy for small animals

See also

• Kong (dog toy)

Chew Toy Examples

References

1. ^ Dog chew toy (United States Patent 5477815)
2. ^ Lynn Smith, Chandra (2009-04-19). "Use chew toys, leash to help train puppies". The Evening Sun. http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_12162339. Retrieved 2009-05-02. 
3. ^ Parent, Lucia E.; Lucia Roesel-Parent (2003). Beagles: Everything about Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Handling, and. Barron's Educational Series. p. 23. ISBN 0764120026. http://books.google.com/books?id=yKxxFgRbz74C&pg=PA23&dq=%22dog+toy%22+leather&lr=&sig=xSXCcsMpGIpgHpvnLCTSWrOzAxE.