The results of that study demonstrated that a nylon bone was manipulated (chewed) by the rodents without causing any negative effects on body weight, food consumption or clinical parameters or any intestinal lesions. In 1993, a 13-week study evaluated whether the introduction of a nylon bone-shaped chew toy would impact body weight, food consumption or clinical laboratory values or would induce intestinal lesions or blockages in rats and mice. Various studies have confirmed the safety of nylon gnawing materials for lab rodents. It is possible that tiny pieces of the material could be ingested, however, so it is important to provide laboratory rodents with safe gnawing materials. Some people are concerned that rodents might ingest such material, resulting in an intestinal obstruction, but those fears are unfounded as rodents actually grind the material into bits, swallowing very little if any of it. In the laboratory, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals suggests providing rodents with beneficial chewing enrichment such as wood chewing sticks 1. In the wild, rodents gnaw on sticks and bark.

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