What animals chew clothes?

To get the chemicals out of new clothes, I hang them outside before I wear them.

Yesterday, when I looked at a pair of capri pants I’d hung outside, I was extremely surprised to find an animal had significantly chewed one leg.

I don’t have pets. What animal would chew my clothes?

I have cats, raccoons, possums, moles, and squirrels in my yard. Dogs also may come into my yard, and last year, my neighbors saw rats.

The article “Pet Training and Behavior Topics” offers these reasons why animals chew:

• Teething: trying to relieve the gums.

• Established habit: developed over time and usually triggered by teething or other reasons.

• Boredom: the animal finds this a suitable occupation.

• Anxiety: a stress releaser.

• Curiosity or exploration: young animals explore with their mouths.

• Generalization or training by accident: inappropriate guidance or learning, sometimes generalized from the wrong toys.

• Breed predisposition: animals that are more mouthy.

• Nutritional or dietary deficiency: ingestion or chewing of odd items, sometimes known as pica.

• Mimicry: learned from others.

I found articles on the Internet that mentioned that the following animals chew on clothing: rats, dogs, raccoons, rabbits, cats, sheep, squirrels, and mice.

The teeth of rabbits and squirrels are always growing, so they chew all the time, I also learned.

I paid $10 for the capri pants on sale, so I’m not out a lot of money.

I’ll be sure anything else I hang outside is a long way from the ground.

Or, I could wear the capri pants as they are for the distressed look.