How many times should I feed my Dumbo Rat

[Noel]

Hi everyone! I'm new to being a Mom to a rat! I've had him for 10 days now & I'm totally in love! And before someone says it, yes I'm getting another one. Just have to wait a bit. Anyway Rinky ( thats my baby rat), lets me know when he's hungry by either peering out thru the bars of his cage & cries or nips my finger. He doesn't bite hard, just enough to get his point across. Anyway, how many times a day should I be feeding him. He's almost 10 weeks old.

 

[oasisandbambi]

He should have food available all the time, he will eat when hungry and leave the rest for later. Usually in the box of food your giving them you will see what quantity of food you should give them per day. For example mine says 15g per rat so I give my girls 30g per day. I fill their bowl at night and let it be for the rest of the day then give then again at night replace the food with new one!

 

[Noel]

He should have food available all the time, he will eat when hungry and leave the rest for later. Usually in the box of food your giving them you will see what quantity of food you should give them per day. For example mine says 15g per rat so I give my girls 30g per day. I fill their bowl at night and let it be for the rest of the day then give then again at night replace the food with new one!

Thank you oasisandbambi! Yes, my food says 2 tablespoons. Question, are his treats extra food then?

 

[SQ]

People usually make the (low protien) rat block available at all times (the 2 recommended are oxbow and Harlan Teklad 2014)
and then feed a variety of vegs once or twice a day, and give occasional healthy treats like berries, a piece of fruit, cooked whole grains, organic pumpkin seeds, etc
btw rats need at least 2 sources of water (that does not contain chlorine or fluoride) in their cage - at least 1 needs to be a water dish that can not be upset (plus the tongues of young rats are not strong enough to move the ball bearing in water bottles although it may look like they are drinking)
There is a forbidden foods list
https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/food-dos-and-donts.22782/#post-343892

and as you likely are aware, rats do not do well living alone - they can become withdrawn, depressed, stop eating, become fearful etc so getting a friend for him asap is essential for his health and well being
….. plus when introing rats. if all rats are under 12 weeks old then they can just be put together
But if any are over 12 weeks old then you need follow gradual intro steps so that no one is harmed - therefore it is much faster (immediate vs weeks of hard work) to get him one or more rattie friends asap because once he is 12 weeks old you will need to do gradual intros regardless of the age of his new friend(s)
for intros see https://www.ratshackforum.com/threa...ps-used-when-putting-new-rats-together.32368/ and joinrats.com has a lot of good info

Edit: when bringing in new rats that have not been quarantined, it is a good idea to quarantine the so that if they are ill, your current rats do not catch it http://ratguide.com/health/basics/quarantine.php

 

[Noel]

Thank you SQ! I just put a dish of water in his cage too. I didn't know that about his tongue.

 

[SQ]

Thank you SQ! I just put a dish of water in his cage too. I didn't know that about his tongue.

you are welcome, a lot of people don't
and rats of all ages love having a water dish, although it will get messy and need to be cleaned and refilled a couple of times a day

 

[oasisandbambi]

Thank you oasisandbambi! Yes, my food says 2 tablespoons. Question, are his treats extra food then?

SQ answered your question better then I ever could ahah !

 

[RatsDrawBlood]

btw rats need at least 2 sources of water (that does not contain chlorine or fluoride) in their cage - at least 1 needs to be a water dish that can not be upset (plus the tongues of young rats are not strong enough to move the ball bearing in water bottles although it may look like they are drinking)

I'm totally confused because my rats had only a water bottle, & now they have only water bottles. And does this mean the reason the five-week-old's water level was going down was just a leak & the only reason she didn't die of thirst was her fruits & veggies moisture content?! (When I got the new rat, the bottles did develop obvious leaks, so I switched to double-ball bottles, which I noticed new rat seemed too young to push at 1st, so had a water dish, changed once a day, but she used it as her litter box.)

 

[SQ]

Not much in life is absolute.
Your babies may or may not have been able to get water out of the bottles ….. but the ball bearing, in addition to the water pressure behind it, takes a strong tongue to move. Babies and young rats have died because they looked like they were drinking, but were unable to get water out of the bottle because their tongues were not strong enough. Water dishes may also be important for some elderly rats who may have difficulty using water bottles.

At least 2 sources of water in a cage is essential because water bottles get clogged, leak, etc, and water dishes can get spilled or filled with bedding. Rats have died because they only had one source of water in their cage. Having at least 2 sources of water in a cage makes it safer.

Water dishes are more natural for small animals, and rats of all ages seem to enjoy using them. In addition to just drinking, they may scoop up water with their paws, splash it, etc I know of one very experienced rat owner who got rid of her water bottles after discovering how much her rats enjoyed using water dishes. Other experienced rat owners I know started using both water dishes and water bottles when they discovered the benefits of water dishes.

Most of my rats seem to prefer drinking from water dishes although some do prefer drinking from water bottles, however, all use their water dishes. IMO, it is worth using a water dish, in addition to water bottles, not only as a water source but also for their enjoyment.

Water dishes can become dirty which why it is important to wash and refill them at least twice a day - I do this every morning and every night. It is also important to wash and refill water bottles once a day or every few days, but many do not do this.

Hopefully this explanation clarifies my earlier statements and addresses your concerns

 

[RatsDrawBlood]

Hopefully this explanation clarifies my earlier statements and addresses your concerns

Thanks for all the details making it nice n long covering so many points, my Kaytee rubber-ducky bottle was a year old & dumped nearly a quart of water in her travel cage being used as an escape-proof dig box as a baby, I found her covered in mud having the time of her life & she's been a wildy ever since. Last night I tested & observed finding my identical All Living Things (except for humans, who shall get permanent nerve damage, as metal cuts into their fingers, while trying to pull clamps on the ends of a lanyard spring, wound 2 times shorter than it should be & we won't even throw in some free band-aids) bottles bought together, are yet different. Their downstairs (downramp) one is easy-peasy to drink from (at least if only filled a third or something so that there's not too much water weight pushing the balls down). In the one for when they're on the upstairs shelf, they repeatedly use their teeth (or maybe just a tongue shove so strong they can't drink at the very same time) to push the balls up, making a big drop form which they drink from half a dozen laps, rinse & repeat. Whereas my (not so) Grreat Choice plastic had instructed it's the type where you have to create a vacuum by filling all the way. I learned early on to watch for bubbles too, but the "if water comes out when you push it with you're finger, they'll find it easy" myth is baloney.