Bloated Stomachs?

[Emily]

I have a colony of 6 male rats. One father, his oldest son, and younger 4 sons from another mother. All of them have large bellies, and if they weren't male I'd say they were pregnant. They don't look fat, its just their stomachs. What could be causing it? They aren't in pain when I palpate their tummies and there isn't anything hard I can feel.

All of them are super active. They love their wheel and climb the walls of their large cage.

I feed them a fatty dog food with rat food, could that be the problem?

 

[SQ]

Dog food is very unhealthy for rats, but I have no idea if that could be the problem
For info on diet and nutrition, please see the links in the Reference Thread https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/
Rats need low protein (10%) and research shows that it is best if it comes from plant sources
also Jorats is quite knowledgeable about rat nutrition and diet

Lilspaz68 is the best person to answer your question
If she doesn't respond to this post, you could message her

 

[lilspaz68]

How old are these rats? Any issues with their poops? Diarrhea, bloating episodes? Or just big fat tummies (my guess is the diet/dog food).

 

[ViciousCurse]

I give my rats dog food and dog treats as the very occasional treat, because most dog food is often very high in protein and in fat, both of which aren't good for rats in high quantities, if I'm not mistaken.

If I were to give my rats dog food regularly, it would be high-quality dog food. Part of me wants to say grain-free as well, but meat and its byproducts do increase the amount of protein being consumed.

 

[Emily]

The father is 9 months old, the older brother in 6 months old, and the youngest ones are 4 months old. They don't have diarrhea or bloating episodes, just look fat. I'll wean them off the dog food and onto a rat food instead, see how that goes.

 

[SQ]

Please see the info in the Reference Thread re diet because rats do need to be on a good rat block but they also need a variety of daily vegs

hope they are soon doing much better

 

[Emily]

Switched them over to a rat food, all doing much better. Thanks!

 

[SQ]

Glad they are doing better.
Please see the diet and nutrition information in the Reference Thread https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/

 

[jorats]

I give my rats dog food and dog treats as the very occasional treat, because most dog food is often very high in protein and in fat, both of which aren't good for rats in high quantities, if I'm not mistaken.

If I were to give my rats dog food regularly, it would be high-quality dog food. Part of me wants to say grain-free as well, but meat and its byproducts do increase the amount of protein being consumed.

Rats energy source are carbs, so grains are excellent for them. They really. need very low fat and protein, no dog food!