Not eating their blocks

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lindsayfawn

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Joined
Jan 13, 2008
Messages
5,276
Location
Moncton, NB
I've noticed lately that the girls haven't been eating their blocks lately. I give them the extrusion hamster blocks. The dish is still pretty much full. They hide a few around but I haven't had to fill the bowl for quite a while now. They get fresh veggies and fruit everyday so I'm wondering if they're bored with the blocks and just wait for the veggies and fruit?
Is there a way I can make them more interested in it?
 
I had that concern awhile back. It was suggested to me that they will not go hungry and if there is only blocks in the cage they will eventually eat them when they are hungry. I will guess that they are waiting for the fruits and vegs. and that is enough for them.

Ann
 
Ann is correct, rats will not let themselves starve to death.
As long as you don't feel that they are ill, or that someone is bullying another away from the food, then they will eventually eat them when they are hungry.
If you are concerned that they are eating too much of the veggies, and not enough of the blocks, then add an extra day between veggie treats. Veggies are awesome, but the blocks do contain nutrients that are not always in the veggies. They should be eating a balanced diet that includes a good block.
You can also try getting another type of block for a change. The variation will most times increase their appetite.
 
:threadjacked:

I have a question relating to this. I got my friend Harlan 14 and her one rat lost weight on it. She was worried she wasn't eating. She has bought her seed mixture (I know) and has now gained the weight. Any suggestions.
 
Really though, keep an eye on their weights. Although people have said they will not starve themselves, I have seen cases where they WILL NOT EAT the lab block (regal rat) and in some cases really start to lose weight and body mass from it.
 
Sometimes overweight rats will lose weight when they are on a block with 14 % protein. Your friend could try a good quality lab block with 16 % or 18% protein. (Like Harlan. The Living World extrusion hamster block is ok too).
 
lindsayfawn, do you feed your rats anything other than the blocks?
Many people feed a suebees mix along with the blocks, which is no wonder the rats won't eat their blocks. Cut back on any treats or mixes that you give them, but continue the veggies.

LA, it's normal for a rat to lose weight at first on the Harlan 14%, all mine did but they've become very slim and healthy.
But a rat will definitely not gobble up the blocks like they would the seed mix.
 
Hi:

Keeping an eye on weight is a good idea -- Once my boys went off a certain block I was feeding, and started flipping the dish, and hiding the blocks around the cage.

I was mystified, but concerned because they'd always quite liked the blocks. I started supplementing with more Oxbow --- until a day or two later when I had a lightbulb moment and took a good look at and close sniff of the bag of blocks. They were moldy!! The mold wasn't visible except at the very bottom of the bag, and the smell wasn't really too off either except when you really got your nose down in it. One way to check might be to offer a block from a fresh bag and see if they eat that.

Note that the blocks had also been recently purchased and kept in a dimly lit, dry, though not really cool, environment. When I informed the retailer, I was told sales of small bags of that block were discontinued precisely because of the mold issue.

I know that they also do seem to get picky if I'm giving them lots of supplemental foods and treats, and they'll tend to go off of the healthier options if they think they'll get yummy but bad treats. :roll:
 
lindsayfawn, do you feed your rats anything other than the blocks?
Many people feed a suebees mix along with the blocks, which is no wonder the rats won't eat their blocks. Cut back on any treats or mixes that you give them, but continue the veggies.
Click to expand...

They have the blocks in their dish all the time then I give them fresh veggies and fruit when I get up in the morning. They get treats every now 'n then but not a lot to curb their appetite. They seemed to have been eating them when I first got them but lately I've noticed that they don't seem to be paying much attention to them. They're really healthy though from what the vet had told me from our visit and they're pretty active.
 
LA said:
:threadjacked:

I have a question relating to this. I got my friend Harlan 14 and her one rat lost weight on it. She was worried she wasn't eating. She has bought her seed mixture (I know) and has now gained the weight. Any suggestions.
Click to expand...

In addition to being lower in protein the Harlan 2014 is also lower in fat. She needs to supplement their diet with foods that have some fat content & some protein also. She could try a good quality dry puppy/small breed dog food. (Sometimes I cheat and get the free samples from pet stores or I buy the little 99 cent sample packs.)
 
Alot of it also depends on how much you're supplementing their diet. If, for example, you give a cat bowl's worth of salad to 4 girls every night, they're not going to be very interested in the blocks since they've stuffed themselves on romaine. Same goes for fruits, cereals, veggie mixes, etc..

You want to make sure that you're only giving them enough of the 'fresh' stuff so that everyone gets a little. If there's any of the supplemental food left within 2-3 hours [my girls are slow eaters some times] then you may be giving too much. If they gobble it all up within 30min, it may be a bit too little. You want that happy medium where they continue to eat their blocks, and there's no left over food when you give them veggies and things.

If you want to give them something every day, you can try slowly reducing the amount of fresh foods you give them until you see the blocks are going. As was already suggested, you can skip a day or two here and there to encourage them to eat their blocks.
 
MumsyRat said:
LA said:
:threadjacked:

I have a question relating to this. I got my friend Harlan 14 and her one rat lost weight on it. She was worried she wasn't eating. She has bought her seed mixture (I know) and has now gained the weight. Any suggestions.
Click to expand...

In addition to being lower in protein the Harlan 2014 is also lower in fat. She needs to supplement their diet with foods that have some fat content & some protein also. She could try a good quality dry puppy/small breed dog food. (Sometimes I cheat and get the free samples from pet stores or I buy the little 99 cent sample packs.)
Click to expand...

Oh no! Rats do not need fat or protein!! Not too much, even 14% is considered a high amount for rats. When I was doing my research on the food, it was even recommended that rats should be at about 5% protein.
 
There was a study made where rats were fed every second day, a very low caloric diet and those rats lived 2 to 3 years over the average of the rats fed daily.
Take a look at the chipmunks and squirrels outside, look at their sleek and slender bodies, that's a slim animal. That's what our adult healthy rats should look like.
 
trillium said:
Hi:
I was mystified, but concerned because they'd always quite liked the blocks. I started supplementing with more Oxbow --- until a day or two later when I had a lightbulb moment and took a good look at and close sniff of the bag of blocks. They were moldy!! The mold wasn't visible except at the very bottom of the bag, and the smell wasn't really too off either except when you really got your nose down in it. One way to check might be to offer a block from a fresh bag and see if they eat that.
Click to expand...

Good "heads up" Trillium. That is something we should keep an eye on. I remember when I was feeding my gang the LabDiet, it was always moldy. Bleh.
 
I know everyone has their opinion on what diet works best for their rats, but I've had absolutely no problems using Harlan 2018 supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables. The breeder I got my two girls from even suggested that I supplement the youngest with extra protein for the first couple of months since she was still a growing girl.
 
The 14% would apply to adult rats ... from everything I have read.

We were told to supplement the diet of young rats (babies to 3 or 4 months) with extra protein such as baby cereal as they are growing so fast and to give 18% protein lab blocks.
I have noticed a size difference between small rats who have not lived with people who gave this extra nutrition, and rats that did receive it. Neither group was overweight but the rats who had received the extra protein have been much larger in size - I assume they received the nutrients they needed to grow properly, with the growth of the smaller rats being stunted because they did not.

edit: The differences I have noticed are in the rescues I have dealt with.
 
My Boo and Treat have been on a 14% protein diet since they are 4 weeks old. These two boys are huge, the biggest in their colony, in fact, I'm not too pleased with their weight but they are a bigger rat overall. Davis, Jorge and Rylee were fed 14% Harlan since they are 6 weeks old. They have gained well and still strive today, but keeping a beautiful lean muscled body.
So I'm not convinced that young rats need more protein.
We need to keep in mind, that this all depends on the protein source and also the fat content.
 

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