not eating the lab blocks?

[lilangel]

well i have had Maggie and Skye for a week or so and noticed that they do not really eat the lab blocks and like better they homemade food i have(they have been on the same food as machined has been giving them) i know machined said they do this also and she always put some lab blocks in anyways as they should eat that along with the mix. :gaah:

witch includeseanuts,mixed dried fruits,whole grain oats,pumpkin seeds,shredded wheats,puffed wheats,dog food,uncooked pasta tri-colored.
along with their lab blocks but they seem to leave the lab blocks alone and only eat the mix food. how do i go about trying to get them to eat both? thanks for any advice.

 

[lj]

Oh man, I would rather eat that mix (minus the dog food) over anything. That's probably what they're thinking too.

 

[twitch]

yep, all the other stuff tastes better so they'll eat all that first and wait for you to fill the goodies back up. the only thing i can think of to do is wait them out. they will not starve themselves. just make sure they have eaten their lab blocks before giving them anything else (including the mix).

but on a side, why are you giving them that mix as well? i understand supplementing fruit and vegges with lab blocks as a staple but all those grains and seeds and nuts seems to be more then they need, and some of it i would actually classify as a treat rather then part of a main diet like the peanuts and pumpkin seeds. perhaps i'm wrong, but i thought the lab block was supposed to contain all the essential nutrients that a rat needs and only needs to be supplemented with all that other stuff if you are using a dog food as a staple rather then the lab block.

 

[lilangel]

yep, all the other stuff tastes better so they'll eat all that first and wait for you to fill the goodies back up. the only thing i can think of to do is wait them out. they will not starve themselves. just make sure they have eaten their lab blocks before giving them anything else (including the mix).

but on a side, why are you giving them that mix as well? i understand supplementing fruit and vegges with lab blocks as a staple but all those grains and seeds and nuts seems to be more then they need, and some of it i would actually classify as a treat rather then part of a main diet like the peanuts and pumpkin seeds. perhaps i'm wrong, but i thought the lab block was supposed to contain all the essential nutrients that a rat needs and only needs to be supplemented with all that other stuff if you are using a dog food as a staple rather then the lab block.

yes lab blocks do it all for them but would you want to eat a lab block all the time? same thing over and over again? rats like variety and with that they get it. for the pumpkin seeds i choose those from sunflower seeds.

im using the Suebee's rat diet http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html but like your saying maybe they do not need the blocks if i am putting dog food in the mix. i know right now they are doing great and are healthy so just the staple mix is good for them.

i guess im more asking if the staple food is ok for them alone then?

 

[mamarat]

The lab block contains all the proper nutrients that your rat needs. In a mix the rat will eat what he likes best and so not getting all the vitamins and minerals equally. The rat is healthy but as my vet said as they grow older that's when you will see problems. She told I should feed them blocks and veggies and some fruit until they're about 20 months. After that I can be more lax in their nutrition. But at least they will have had a very good beginning.

 

[lilangel]

The lab block contains all the proper nutrients that your rat needs. In a mix the rat will eat what he likes best and so not getting all the vitamins and minerals equally. The rat is healthy but as my vet said as they grow older that's when you will see problems. She told I should feed them blocks and veggies and some fruit until they're about 20 months. After that I can be more lax in their nutrition. But at least they will have had a very good beginning.

ok well from that i will still add the lab blocks in there anyways i have them here so they will get them and like others said wait for the blocks to go then add more.

 

[MumsyRat]

Yes, you want to make the lab blocks their staple diet and use the mix as a treat or supplement.

Letting the rats free feed on the mix is like letting your kids eat chips and chocolate bars all day long and then being surprised when they don't want their dinner. :wink:

 

[jorats]

That suebee's mix is really a lacking diet. It shouldn't be given on a daily basis, more like a treat once in a while. My rats are strictly on blocks. They get the fun of variety through daily veggies. :thumbup:

 

[user 78]

Suebee herself once addressed her diet on another forum, and about how people weren't seeming to 'do it right.'

I believe she fed something like 1/3 of a cup between 3 males or so. She only gives them their meals twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. If there's any left over from the previous meal, the amount is subtracted from the next meal. Rats free fed a mix like Suebee's will eventually put on more weight than is healthy for them. Looking at your mix, the peanuts and pumpkin seeds aren't a good staple for them as they're loaded with protein and fat. I personally would subtract those and add in some other grains. The dried fruits can be iffy, unless you've been getting dehydrated fruit with no added sugars such as a brand called Just Fruit. Suebee also states that if available, rats should be fed a lab block diet. She just can't reliably get HT, so she has the mix. Many vets who have been asked about mixed diets say there is absolutely no way to guarantee that it's 100% what the rat needs, whereas lab blocks have a definitive amount of each vitamin/mineral.

If you decide to continue to feed the mix as their staple, I would definitely switch to feeding schedule and possibly cut back the amount you give. This should encourage them to eat more of the lab blocks. Depending on which block and what dog food you're feeding them, you would want to make sure that one has lower protein than the other.

 

[lilangel]

yeah im going to go back to the blocks and give the mix as a treat like i think. just with blocks ill know they will get all they need from it, right now i was feeding them about 1/2 a day but now i will only give them the blocks.