my rat is a bit on the chubby side...
By Galena
@Galena (9110)
March 9, 2007 8:09am CST
any tips for getting her to slim down.
we've only had her a little while as we were given her by friends that didn't have the space for her after moving house.
she's a very sweet little thing, and I'm loving having a rat again after what's probably about 10 years now.
she's not very active in the cage, and this may be because she's on her own. all my previous rats were in pairs, so used to play in the cage.
she has a normal sort of dried rat food, and we give her vegetables to add variety.
she's quite active out of the cage, and likes to run around on the table, climb all over people and I get her to climb the stairs each day for a bit of a workout.
it's too soon to see if any of this will work on her waistline, but I was wondering if anyone here had any more advice.
2 people like this
5 responses
@kimberlymarie (203)
• United States
9 Mar 07
One of the best things to do is get her on a good diet for rats. Despite what many think, those bagged mixes are actually like feeding a kid candy, and not at all nutritious. It's high in fat and many of the mixes (even the ones that say for rats) have things that can be bad for rats (like dried corn).
The best thing for rats are lab blocks. They're available at most pet stores. They are a complete nutrition for rats. Adding in healthy "people food" for treats is a good idea, too. Fresh fruits and veggies.
Also, there are hand-made mixes that are good. They use cereals, pasta and other such things. One good one is Subee's Mix. You can find it here, along with other feeding information:
http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html
It's possible that part of the problem is that she's alone. Have you thought of getting a companion for her?:) Rats do best in at least pairs, other then a handful that don't. She might play more if there's a companion to play with.
Someone above mentioned the run-about balls. Rats really do not like being in them. However, if you hang them in the cage, they make great places to sleep in. Heh. But yeah, rats really do NOT like running around in them.
Instead, try a wheel in the cage. She may or may not use it, you'll only know by trying. Get one a solid one - solid back and running surface. Some good brands are Silent Spinner, Wodent Wheels and Comfort Wheels.
It's awesome that you've got her running around outside of the cage, that should help. :)
Is her cage big enough for her to run around in? Also, was she housed with males at her old owner's? I hope she's not big because she's pregnant. Yikes!
Hope that helps. Somewhere you might want to poke around is a fantastic forum called Goosemoose Rat's Rule! We're dedicated to rats and it's a great source for keeping happy and healthy rats. :)
http://www.goosemoose.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,118/forum,rat
2 people like this
@CatNPK (461)
• United States
9 Mar 07
A great way to keep a rat out for longer is to cover your couch (if you desire) and leaving the rat out. It works for me because my couch is tall enough off the ground that they don't jump off, and my cat doesn't chase them - they will actually sleep together. I will have to post a picture of that. I'm not sure if that would work for in other houses or with other rats. My boys are pretty well-trained at this point.
@xlyingxwhispersx (721)
• United States
26 Mar 07
Ive never had a rat who enjoyed the plastic balls, I know hamspers do though.
@xlyingxwhispersx (721)
• United States
26 Mar 07
haha! I have the same problem. My girl lucky, is about 650grams!! Thats CRAZY! SHES HUGE!! What are you feeding her? Suebees mix- www.ratsrule.com/diet.html is a great food to feed to your rats, and it keeps the weight down where it should be. Also, cooked chicken and fresh fruits and veggies would help a lot to. And also make sure your not feeding to many treats =D Hope I helped!!
@Buminathan (159)
• India
2 Apr 07
Amazing news that rat is ur pet,need more attention to give it than other pets. no experience or idea about ur quetions?
