Fatty Boy Rats !

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jackmack

Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2008
Messages
22
Location
Edinburgh
I currently have 3 boys living in the bottom of my explorer cage (the same as the FN just a U version with smaller bars heehe) And the two brothers (Black berkshires, roughly 6 months old) have both started looking very very chubby ! They have been on a restricted diet for a couple of months but they are getting fatter and fatter !

They get time out on the couch but i cant let the totally free range as they tend to hide under things where i cant get them ! I have a silent spinner and they wont use it atall.

I feed rat nuggets from PAH and they are hand fed about 5 nuggets a day which they usually stash so sometimes i leave it a day or two before giving them more.

They dont get treats or anything.

What can i do ? I know we love squihy boys but this isnt squishyness its obeseness !
 
Can you supplement their diet with lots of veggies? If you can make them run while out on the couch would be a good thing or add lots of pillows so the rats must climb and explore.
 
jorats said:
Can you supplement their diet with lots of veggies? If you can make them run while out on the couch would be a good thing or add lots of pillows so the rats must climb and explore.
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I give them bits of carrots and some apple etc.

And they hide even when on the couch the only way i can make them run is scaring them. :( Its not very big either so they cant run much.
 
Rats need lots of veggies like broccoli, kale, peas, romaine lettuces, spring mix lettuces, cauliflower... that would really help them and make them healthier.
Ah, it's too bad they just hide in the couch. You don't want to scare them, stress is not good.
 
I googled those pellets (I hear about them a lot) and found this...

http://www.petsathome.com/find/category ... ngredients

And a picture...

ratnuggets.jpg


I would say 5 of those little things would HAVE to be daily but I would think 5 wouldn't be enough. Definitely a lot more veggies than carrots and apples...try green leaf lettuce, peas, baby spinach, etc. It sounds like lack of exercise is the issue here. Have you ever thought of making a ratty corral? You get sheets of coroplast about 2' high and zip tie the panels together, making a very cheap enclosure you can throw toys into or even sit in yourself (if you made it big enough). Even my Wildlings couldn't jump out and they cannot hide under things unless you put it in there!, :)
 
I'd move them to something more with dark greens: kale, mustard greens, broccoli, etc. Carrots and Apples are actually full of sugar. They do have benefits, but can also be fattening.
 
lilspaz68 said:
I googled those pellets (I hear about them a lot) and found this...

http://www.petsathome.com/find/category ... ngredients

And a picture...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/r ... uggets.jpg

I would say 5 of those little things would HAVE to be daily but I would think 5 wouldn't be enough. Definitely a lot more veggies than carrots and apples...try green leaf lettuce, peas, baby spinach, etc. It sounds like lack of exercise is the issue here. Have you ever thought of making a ratty corral? You get sheets of coroplast about 2' high and zip tie the panels together, making a very cheap enclosure you can throw toys into or even sit in yourself (if you made it big enough). Even my Wildlings couldn't jump out and they cannot hide under things unless you put it in there!, :)
Click to expand...


Yeah thats them. My other rats are free fed. Just these two who are rationed when i noticed they were piling on the pounds !

Is there any (normal salad stuff) that they arent allowed ? I make up a salad most days and could share with them.
 
They likely won't touch the tomatoes, watch out for onions (too much can cause anemia), broccoli is very good for them, only green or red leaf lettuces, I have no clue if they will eat celery (I doubt it because celery is a diet's delight, takes more calories to consume//digest it then you actually receive from it), cucumbers are fine. green pepper if you can get it into them is great. What do you normally put in your salads?
 
You know, another thing you may want to consider:

Humans who restrict their intake of food can actually end up gaining weight, because the body stores up to combat a 'fast'. Perhaps if you feed them more frequently in the day (instead of just a measly 5 pellets once a day), it will keep them healthy, they wont feel starved, and thus their body wont automatically store more calories.
 
lilspaz68 said:
They likely won't touch the tomatoes, watch out for onions (too much can cause anemia), broccoli is very good for them, only green or red leaf lettuces, I have no clue if they will eat celery (I doubt it because celery is a diet's delight, takes more calories to consume//digest it then you actually receive from it), cucumbers are fine. green pepper if you can get it into them is great. What do you normally put in your salads?
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Varies. Usually lettuce , cucumber, tomato, onion , feta cheese/ or some other cheese grated ontop) , sometimes egg, ham, peppers, spinach, and whatever else i have lol.
 
MadCatter said:
You know, another thing you may want to consider:

Humans who restrict their intake of food can actually end up gaining weight, because the body stores up to combat a 'fast'. Perhaps if you feed them more frequently in the day (instead of just a measly 5 pellets once a day), it will keep them healthy, they wont feel starved, and thus their body wont automatically store more calories.
Click to expand...

They stash it all so i feed again when they finish the stash. It could be later that day or two days later.
 
What is the average weight for males of their ages ? They were born 9th of June this year.

I weighed them today and got a fright...While they are looking chubbby and even have a roll on their neck..They only weigh 250g 275g o_O
 
lilspaz68 said:
jackmack said:
lilspaz68 said:
Eeegh thats tiny! My baby foster boy at 8 weeks is 287 grams...

Can you post pics?
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Wow really !?]

Eeeeek! Ill get some pics later when i clean :)

They do look pudgy though..its weird..
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Small and stocky is one thing, do not limit their food for that.
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They are the same length as jack. And are not just "stocky" , jack is rather stocky and these guys have rolls on their necks.
 
jackmack said:
What is the average weight for males of their ages ? They were born 9th of June this year.

I weighed them today and got a fright...While they are looking chubbby and even have a roll on their neck..They only weigh 250g 275g o_O
Click to expand...

The boys are about 4½ months old than..
Our boys at that age normally weigh 350g - some more..
We have a boy right now who is born 29th of June this year (Louie) - he weighs 450g.
He's very long though - and he has biiiig genes.. His father is 2 years old now and weighs 750g - and it's not fat..
I think your boys need a bit more on the sidebones..
We use hardboiled eggs, chicken (without any salt) and so on here..
The rats love it and it's good for them..
I wouldn't take away their food.. I would let them have access til the pellets at all time and then give them something "extra" once in a while (like eggs and such).
I love big rats - but not fat rats.. So if your boys aren't fat (which I can't think with that weight) I would personally give them something "extra".
 

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