How to make sure they're each getting food?

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Thedoctor

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Hi ratty people! I am going to switch my rats to a home made diet, along with this daily supplement: http://www.henryspets.com/rat-and-mouse-diet/

My concern is, it says to feed two blocks per day. I have three young rat brothers, and they loooove to steal food from each other.

Am I worrying too much? Should I put out six of these things and hope for the best? Or should I make some kind of feeder box and put them in separate compartments until their portions are eaten? Would they take hours to eat it? And just be stuck in a box all that time?

I'm probably being really crazy, lol. But I worry about my precious ratty boys.
 
Homemade diets are not really recommended for rats. They generally lack what the rat needs and they will usually pick out what they want to eat. Usually it is best to stick with a lab block like oxbow. it has a lower protein level.
 
Hi ratty people! I am going to switch my rats to a home made diet, along with this daily supplement: http://www.henryspets.com/rat-and-mouse-diet/

My concern is, it says to feed two blocks per day. I have three young rat brothers, and they loooove to steal food from each other.

Am I worrying too much? Should I put out six of these things and hope for the best? Or should I make some kind of feeder box and put them in separate compartments until their portions are eaten? Would they take hours to eat it? And just be stuck in a box all that time?

I'm probably being really crazy, lol. But I worry about my precious ratty boys.


it says to feed two blocks a day of that food you want to use as a supplement, I believe they mean to feed two blocks per day If you are using it as a main diet along with fresh veggies and the other items they suggest you add.

why do you want to use that as a supplement? what makes you think it is healthy?

the ingredients are:
Ingredients: Pecans, whey protein isolate, wheat protein isolate, cracked wheat, wheat flour, oat bran, dried whole eggs, tri-calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, lecithin, potassium chloride, baking powder, phylloquinone (vitamin K), selenium, magnesium oxide, cholcalciferol (vitamin D3), folic acid, iodine, ferrous sulfate (iron), zinc, copper glycinate chelate, molybdenum, manganese, d-alpha tocopheryl succinate (vitamin E), vitamin A (60% beta-carotene; 40% retinyl palmitate), pantothenic acid, niacin (vitamin B-3), riboflavin (vitamin B-2), pyroxidine hydrochloride (vitamin B-6), thiamin (vitamin B-1), cyanocobalamin (vitamin B-12), biotin.

***************
so it seems to be primarily nuts, milk and wheat protein "isolate", whatever that is LOL, some wheat and oats and a whole bunch of added vits and minerals.
I'm not saying that it is in fact unhealthy, I just don't understand what makes it supposedly healthy.
looks more like a tasty nut flavored supplement to me, but there's not enough info provided to assess it further.

I'd have to do some serious math, something I"m not good at :/ to figure out what the protein content is of these, it is given in grams and says it's 100% of the RDA but does not list what "RDA" they are referring to, and if it's a valid one. (RDA usually means recommended daily allowance)
 
The ingredients do not look very healthy ... and without giving exact amounts there is no way to figure out if all the nutritional needs are being met
Feeding a whole food plant based diet that meets all of their nutritional needs, is low protein and doesn't contain any GMOs, additives, pesticides etc would be good ... but this doesn't measure up imo

as Hopefloats said, at present the best diet we know of is a good quality low protein (14% or less) block (oxbow, Harlan Teklad)
and daily vegetables is the best that we know of that will meet their nutritional needs
 
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OK, now I know why the thread where I got these ideas started with "please try to remain civil when I say I'm switching to a home made diet."

Anyone have any feeding tips?
 
it says to feed two blocks a day of that food you want to use as a supplement, I believe they mean to feed two blocks per day If you are using it as a main diet along with fresh veggies and the other items they suggest you add.

Yes, just interested in it as a supplement, not main diet. Main diet is fresh food and grains.

Any feeding tips? I take it no one here monitors who is getting what in a colony...
 
Yes, just interested in it as a supplement, not main diet. Main diet is fresh food and grains.

Any feeding tips? I take it no one here monitors who is getting what in a colony...


It's impossible to give any feeding tips when you don't know what is being fed lol

It's also not really possible, unless you can watch your rats 24/7, to monitor which rats get what. If you've found a way to do that, please do share it with us!
many of us are not thrilled with using a heavily processed pelleted or extruded diet, but it's been, for the most part, the most sensible option, given that rats are going to eat the tastiest things first, not the most nutritious. When foods are given as a mix, there's no way to know if they are getting all the proper nutrients, it's just not possible unless you somehow watch them 24/7 to make sure one rat doesn't hog all of one part of the mix, or one (or more) rats only eats say, this grain and not that one, when each different grain is important not only for it's macro nutrients but for it's micro nutrients.

It's not like with people where you can explain to them that they need a variety of foods to get all the nutrients they need, so people can understand that eating only the tastiest foods is going to lead to all sorts of health issues, and people can basically force themselves to eat other less tasty foods to get the nutrition they need. Our rats depend on us to provide them with the best food for their health.

as an aside-A look at the obesity epidemic shows that even when ppl KNOW better, they don't necessary DO better, and we can think and make decisions for ourselves about what we buy, prepare and eat.



so you've got the million dollar question, and if we knew the answer, we'd all switch to a less processed, more whole foods based diet for our beloved rats.

if you find the answer, please share it with us!
 
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OK, now I know why the thread where I got these ideas started with "please try to remain civil when I say I'm switching to a home made diet."

Anyone have any feeding tips?


it does not say "please remain civil" it says "hear me out" ;-)

and if you've read the thread, you already know what the issues are with a homemade diet
AND you know that is not something that people dismiss out of hand. there is a LOT of interest in it.

we want a better diet and if you've found one, by all means please do share

But don't expect us to just take your word for it.
Rats have VERY specific nutritional requirements, do you even know what those are?
do you know if you get too much of one nutrient or mineral or vitamin you are going to throw off the balance of all the rest, with the result being a potential deficiency in some key nutrient?
 
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Feeding a homemade diet would be great if we had a "magic" capsule that contains all the required nutrients for rats, sprinkle that on their food. Homemade diets are only ideal if they are made into a mush, that is the only way you can be sure a rat gets everything. I used to supplement my rats with a grain mix and I had some very unhealthy rats because I allowed them to pick and choose what they wanted to eat. One rat was eating only sunflower seeds and nothing more. This is why I always recommend blocks. It's definitely not ideal but it's the only way right now to ensure full required nutrition. Some members are risking it and doing the homemade diet. I sure hope they journal every ailment or growth of their pets so they can keep a report on their rats health and even longevity perhaps. Such a report will be priceless to the rest of us wanting to do a homemade diet.
 
Actually, when you feed Harlan Tecklad 2014, I believe eat rat gets about 2 blocks/day (80% of daily food)
and the remainder of their diet is vegs and other healthy food
sounds a lot like what you are suggesting

Anther problem with the particular blocks that you are considering is that they don't seem to give the % of protein. You want to feed blocks that are 14% protein or less
 
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