Red urine

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T

TTstinger

Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
13
Location
england
I just rescued 4 male rats from The RSPCA, all of which had mites and were treated for them. I have had these for about a week now, I am not new to rats but this is strange. One of them has red urine not bloody per say but red his poos have a red orange color as well but it is the urine that bothers me. Any ideas on maybe what I should do? He eats well, drink fluids ok. I do tend to think he holds his poos sometime before he goes. When I let him out for play he poops about 10 times right in a row and had real runny poo a day or 2 ago they are solid now.

thanks for the help

Remember to rescue, spay and neuter your pets.
 
He needs to definately see a vet. He's possibly got a urinary tract infection and needs antibiotics!

As for the poo, I'm really not sure, again ask a vet, could be something serious, could also be if there is a change in diet from the old home and RSPCA and what you feed them. Quite often the poo will come out funny for reasons such as those.

Definately see a vet.
 
ryelle said:
i think you should pay a visit to a rat knowledgable vet to get him checked over for the red urine

what food do you feed him?
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They all eat a bit of everything from fresh nuts, dried fruit, seeds, corn, and fresh fruit. Given these four boys came from a neglecting home so I am sure they may have come with some issues. I don't know he seem very happy???? will have to get him to see a doc.
 
He needs to see a vet about the urine...could be a urinary tract infection. The poos could be from diet. Do you feed a mix food? Seeds (like in common comercially mixed rat foods) aren't good for them. You should look around and learn more about proper rat diet. There are a lot of options.
 
Chevalrose said:
He needs to see a vet about the urine...could be a urinary tract infection. The poos could be from diet. Do you feed a mix food? Seeds (like in common comercially mixed rat foods) aren't good for them. You should look around and learn more about proper rat diet. There are a lot of options.
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I am vegan and most commercial rat food contains chicken meal so I won't buy that crap... I make their food all fresh hand crack nuts, cut up fruit and what not. I do have some store bought treats that I offer once in a while and some muslie.
 
Nuts and fruit should only be fed rarely as treats because of the high fat and sugar contents. I suggest you do some looking around here in the diet section to get a better idea on what requirements a rats diet should meet and once you get that worked out your ratties will have healthier poops.
 
smilez_n_hugs said:
Nuts and fruit should only be fed rarely as treats because of the high fat and sugar contents. I suggest you do some looking around here in the diet section to get a better idea on what requirements a rats diet should meet and once you get that worked out your ratties will have healthier poops.
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Trust me their diet is well taken care of. keep in mind I have had them 4 days now and they are not the first I have ever owned
 
TTstinger said:
smilez_n_hugs said:
Nuts and fruit should only be fed rarely as treats because of the high fat and sugar contents. I suggest you do some looking around here in the diet section to get a better idea on what requirements a rats diet should meet and once you get that worked out your ratties will have healthier poops.
Click to expand...
Trust me their diet is well taken care of. keep in mind I have had them 4 days now and they are not the first I have ever owned
Click to expand...
 
I agree with Ryelle, the problem probaby isn't diet related. Especially the red urine, the poo MIGHT be.

Dried fruit is very high in sugar, nuts are very high in fat as well are seeds. I would rather feed a good quality food block and know it's very good for them then that. Also some dried fruit can be toxic like raisins (if you feed them that). Fresh veggies are much healthier and have less sugar. Fresh fruit is good however it does contain more sugar then veggies.

There are some members in England on the forum that might be able to direct you towards a good quality block that they use that you might find acceptable.

Jorats can also weigh in on info that might help. She and her vet have been working for years on diet she's very knowlegable in that area.

I think nuts are high in protein as well (not 100% on it), rats do better with a lower protein diet such as 14-18%. Boys can have the lower end because it's not as hard on their system.
 
LA said:
There are some members in England on the forum that might be able to direct you towards a good quality block that they use that you might find acceptable.
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There is some listed on the Rat Blocks post by Jorats, but all the blocks here contain Chicken Meal. The Scuttling Gourmet book has suggestions on other diets and also has the nutritonal requirements for rats - but i think that all the diets in there contain dog biscuits as supplements or other animal/meat based products.
 
TTstinger said:
smilez_n_hugs said:
Nuts and fruit should only be fed rarely as treats because of the high fat and sugar contents. I suggest you do some looking around here in the diet section to get a better idea on what requirements a rats diet should meet and once you get that worked out your ratties will have healthier poops.
Click to expand...
Trust me their diet is well taken care of. keep in mind I have had them 4 days now and they are not the first I have ever owned
Click to expand...

We can only go by what you're telling us that you're feeding. And from what you listed, it is not a great diet. Many people have had rats before but might not have been knowledgeable about everything they were doing. It wouldn't hurt to learn more.
 
If the little man is other wise healthy I would say he has a urinary tract infection. Nothing a little antibiotic can't clean up and coloured poop would appear to be something he ingested.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions, the little man is going to see a vet. Just to remind everyone I have had these dudes 4 days the Poos where that color from day one same with urine. This would suggest it being a problem before I ever feed them.
This is their main menue from me
Sunflower seeds, corn, dried peas, grass, wheat, barley, and flax seeds with holistic herbs thrown in at times.
 
If you're going to do a homemade mix, supplementing with fresh vegetables (gradually increasing the amount and variety) is absolutely essential. Also, rats are omnivores and *need* to be omnivores, so swapping out the high fat and protein sunflower seeds (which are known for causing skin problems) for a small amount of organic, free-range chicken or wild caught low-mercury fish may be a good idea. Certain brands of baby food can be good for fulfilling this requirement. Fortified cereals without added sugar also help with getting your fuzzies the nutrition they need.

ETA: Now that I think of it, tofu (not bulk tofu, but individually packaged tofu) is also a good low fat protein source for your ratties. Making tofu scramble or a stir-fry with tofu crumbles and sharing with your rats may be a good idea.
 
YOU might not eat meat, but for your rats it's part of their necessary diet. In the same way that you couldn't get any other omnivorous or carnivorous animal to stop eating meat, your rats shouldn't have to either.

Maybe look into a local free-range organic chicken farm to buy some meat for your rats :)
 

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