RatPalace.com - Pet Rat Care and Discussion

Mon Aug 09, 2004 2:07 am

I would think it would be ok.. maybe use something else besides potato chip salt like ice cream, soy formula, things like that you can dip your fingers in wink

I let my ratties clean my fingers after I have eaten something that got on my hands and they know that my fingers are not food and only to lick. One of my girls has gotten excited before and tugged on my finger until she realize it was not something that is detachable or edible, lol Rolling Eyes

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Nemo, my best rattie buddie ever.. I miss you and will never, ever forget you my big squishy boy. I love you!

Mon Aug 09, 2004 8:17 pm

It's just that the salt seemed so utterly irresistable to them -- they have never grabbed my hand to lick anything else from it. I figured that anything that can make them overcome their fear is a good thing, in moderation. I hope.

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Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Sat Aug 21, 2004 8:52 am

My rats have gradually started rejecting the puffed wheat in Suebee's mix. They'll all (most of them, anyway) eat everything else and then leave the puffed wheat. I was just leaving it in the cage to force them to eat it until I filled their bowl back up, but they've recently taken to hiding all of it somewhere that I can't see it so I think they ate it. (Seriously, whoever said rats were dumb? They're smart little brats!) So I figured it was time to find something to replace it with.

Does anybody have any suggestions for something that would be of similar nutritional value that I could try introducing to them?

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Winter and the ratties: Argos, Prometheus, Apollo, Orion, Napoleon, Montecore, Cornelius, Magnus, Dozer, Jesus, Ferdinand, Harlequin, Cambria, Ambellina, Raven, Hedwig, Momo, and Suzie.

Sat Aug 28, 2004 8:06 am

Suebee answers questions on the ratsrule.com forum. However you can mix the Nutro and the grain mix in equal parts so you only have 1 container. This is what we do since we have to mix a HUGE amount at a time. We keep it available at all times and have had no problems with overfeeding. Your new rats will pig out for the first day or two though because they are not used to such a tasty food, but they slow down quickly and will eat normally once they settle in. We have had great results with this diet, our ratties grow well and are very healthy without being too "squishy".

Bad rattitude Rattery

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Sat Aug 28, 2004 8:37 am

Thanks for the reply! I will probably follow that advice. Just wondering how many rats you have? And the size of the food dish/container that the rats eat from? I am a bit paranoid about having a food dish that is either too small or big lol.

Also, would that mean that in the morning you give the rats a healthy breakfast...such as fruits, porridge, bread? And in the evenings for dinner, a mix of vegetables, a little meat, etc?

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Sat Aug 28, 2004 9:34 am

We currently have 17 adults and 28 babies. I give the ratties fresh veggies or fruit in the evenings, and sometimes extras when I'm cooking during the day, they get Suebee's the rest of the time and occasionally yogurt treats or peanuts. You should base your bowl size on how many rats you have and how often you want to fill it. A ferret bowl is good for 2-4 rats being filled every day. For more ratties or less fillings a ceramic cat dish works too. The best judge is just to watch the food bowl and gauge it over a few days experiences.

Bad Rattitude Rattery

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Sat Aug 28, 2004 5:36 pm

I use two ferret bowls - one for dry mix and one for veggies/fruits etc. Else the dry mix gets all soggy.

I use ceramic ferret bowls as they seem to be the right size and wash up easily and can't be tipped over when the rats stand on the edge of them. If you can't find Nutro, you can usually find another dog food that is similar in ingrediants and low in protein. I've used the Professional Lite and it seems close to Nutro, but the rats prefer the nutro.

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Christy
RP Admin
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Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Sun Aug 29, 2004 8:51 pm

Hi,

I have made up a rat mix based on Suebee's and Alison's Shunamite Rat mixes.

I believe its pretty good for them, based upon what I have read and checked in the Scuttling Gourmet and what I have read online, but I would certainly appreciate those of you that are more experienced with homebased mixes looking it over to see if I have forgotton anything.

Andy's Rat Mix

2Kg of James Wellbeloved Senior Duck and Rice Dog mix (18% Protein)
500g Rolled Oats
500g Puffed Rice
500g Just Right cereal (supplimented with B vitamins and iron)
500g Wheat Flakes
250g Muesli mix
100g Sunflower seeds (shelled)
250g Dried fruits (cherries, blueberries, raisins etc)
250g Small dried pasta shapes
100g Dried Soya pieces

This basic dried mix is available all day, and supplimented with fresh fruits and vegetables, breads, cooked rice or pasta, the odd bit of chicken or tuna at dinner time.

Treatwise, they have a squirt of TubeSnax (a ferret treat paste that is full of vitamins and minerals and very tasty) and the odd ready made treat stick etc.

My boys seem to love this mix, they eat it much more readily than the ready mixed stuff, and there is pretty much no waste, unlike with the prepared mixes, where I ended up throwing 1/4 or 1/5 of the bowl away because it was tiny grains or alfalfa pellets.

Please can you let me know if my boys are missing out on anything? I have tried to get this mix as complete as possible, but if I have missed anything, I will of course add the necessary to the mix.

Thanks in advance for you help.

Andy and the boys.

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Mon Aug 30, 2004 3:26 am

Another Canadian saying hello!

To those who feed their rats a diet that includes a dog food portion -- does anyone know what % of protein I should be looking for in a dog food if I can't find Nutro? I'm curious, so that I can choose a brand of comparable nutrition, just in case Nutro isn't available. Are there any other specific nutritional content levels that are important to know about when selecting a dog food? Thanks!

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Willing slave to:
Phoebe the Phabulous Basset Hound!
Tigger, Maggie, Sam, and Willow the girlcats!
Pipkin the wünderbun!
Ginny and Luna the Rodents of Unusual Size!

Mon Aug 30, 2004 4:43 am

Nutro is 14% protein.

The main ingrediants as listed on the bag are:

rice flour, lamb meal, ground rice, rice bran, dried beet pulp, sunflower oil, poultry fat.......

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Christy
RP Admin
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Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Mon Aug 30, 2004 4:53 am

Ah! Okay. Thanks! In terms of protein content, is 14% the highest I ought to go with?

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Willing slave to:
Phoebe the Phabulous Basset Hound!
Tigger, Maggie, Sam, and Willow the girlcats!
Pipkin the wünderbun!
Ginny and Luna the Rodents of Unusual Size!

Sat Sep 11, 2004 4:50 am

You'd have to use the correct kind of Harlan though. The problem with it is that petshops and such hardly ever sell but one type of Harlan, and it's usually the grower stuff (WAY too high protein for adults.) I also use a variation of Suebee's. It costs next to nothing and the rats LOVE it.

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Wed Sep 15, 2004 11:39 am

I give my rats tomatoes, cooked pasta, chicked bones, chicken (as long as their are no spices), cucumber, peas, apples and pretty much a little of whatever I have aside from their regular diet http://ratsrule.com/diet.html

Wed Sep 15, 2004 4:09 pm

You can find a partial list of foods to avoid here.

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Christy
RP Admin
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Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Wed Sep 15, 2004 4:09 pm

I'd steer clear of the licorice, I think I read that it's not good for them.

But my rats have fresh food as the bulk of their diet, so they get pasta, chicken, salad, bread, basically anything I eat. So I guess you couldn't call it a treat, since it's their regular diet.

But I give them yogurt as a treat, like petite filous, and small pieces of proper chocolate, and they like a nice cup of tea now and then too. All rats are different though.
Seven loves meat, can't do without it, whereas Gabriel seems to prefer salads.

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www.shadowrat.com

Wed Sep 15, 2004 4:11 pm

Some of us would turn our noses up at what rats consider treats--you have to think outside the box

My rats love fruit and veggies: rice, steamed broccoli, raw spinach leaves, tomato, blueberries, bits of banana. Just experiment with stuff from your plate to see what they like!

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Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:30 am

Just about anything that is human grade people food, and non toxic to them is the best treat you can give them! Anything left over from my meals I'll give them some of it.

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"If you won't rescue, don't breed"

Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:55 am

Rasttus loves apples,banana,carrots,kiwi. He will eat almost anything but i give him some fresh fruit and veggies everyday along with his rat food.

Thu Sep 16, 2004 1:18 pm

I heard that Kiwifruit, like oranges and other citrus was not to good for rats. I'm not sure why, I just picked it up somewhere. Rolling Eyes

Is it because of the fact that they can't burp or sumthing..?

Anyone care to tell me otherwise or is it true

Thanks

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My girls: Gemma <:3 )~
Shadow <:3 )~

I still luv you: Sooty <:3B)~
Sweep <:3B)~
Ratty-Tatty <:3B)~

Thu Sep 16, 2004 6:22 pm

In addition to Christie's link, I found some info here as well http://www.rmca.org/Articles/oj.htm
The problem for male rats is d-limonene, which is found in orange rinds, not the actual fruit itself. Processed orange juice has d-limonene as a result of the squeezing process. Black pepper, mango, and nutmeg also have d-limonene. Hope this helps.

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"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principle difference between a dog and a man"
-Mark Twain

Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:27 pm

Thanks for the replies. I've taken the advice and have thrown away the rest of the licorice. It seems other than that I've been just fine with the treats they've been getting.

One question didn't get answered though...is there any food, fruit/veggie, etc. that I can give a mum to be to help her out? She's been sleeping an awful lot since she's started showing and nest building...

Fri Sep 17, 2004 12:31 am

Moms should actually get extra protein. Lean meats, hardboiled eggs, and yogurt work well. Also soy formula is often used as a boost for expecting or nursing moms. You can put it in a regular water bottle for her to drink, but remember to throw it out after an hour.

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Fri Sep 17, 2004 11:06 pm

Just went out and bought more foods for my two ladies so they have a variety in their diet. I did do some research before buying, but more opinions would be nice just incase there's some cons invovled.

Here's the food list and some of their top ingredients:
- Pumpkin seeds: pumpkin seeds and vegetable oil .
- Hagens Nutri-block : ground wheat, wheat middlings, soya bean meal, yeast, corn, etc.
- Quakers original low fat rice cakes: whole grain brown rice.
- Lamb Meal and Rice Dog Biscuits: wheat flour, lamb meal, brewers rice, wheat middlings, poultry meal, corn gluten meal, etc.
- Vegetable spiral noodles, 3 colours, raw: tomatoe powder, spinach powder, etc.
- Dry Roasted Soya nuts Garlic flavour(never noticed the flavour until after): soya beans, sea salt, garlic powder and canola oil.
- Rondley Yogurt drops(as treats):sugar, milk, yogurt, oils and fats, cereals etc.
- Fresh uncooked veggies and fruits like: grapes, apples, carrots, broccoli, rasberries, and celery.

Thats it, so if people can give their input on if i bought the right things or not for my rats, that would be great. I'm especially worried about feeding them the soya beans now that they're garlic flavour. Does garlic pose a threat?
Thanks alot

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*~*~*Laura*~*~*
Got me 2 rats and lotsssss of fish!

Sat Sep 18, 2004 2:42 am

Garlic is actually good for your ratties... um antibiotic properties I believe. Or was it anti-arthritis?? haha don't remember exactly. But yea all the food looks just make sure they dog biscuits don't have too much protein. And cute ratties btw!

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* Viia *

Bongo & ET: I'll miss you dearly, my precious little men Angel rat

Sat Sep 18, 2004 3:52 am

Thank you very much for your help StUk_In_AfRiKa.

When you say too much, what percentage? On the box of biscuits it states percentages of fat, protein, etc, and protein is 20% being at the top of the list. Is that in a safe range or should I stop giving it to them?

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*~*~*Laura*~*~*
Got me 2 rats and lotsssss of fish!