What Food Do You Feed?

[Rachael]

What do you consider a "treat"? I consider their food their lab blocks and veggies treats, & what is wholemeal toast?

Wholemeal toast is brown bread toasted??

Yesterday some of mine got small bits of ice cream cone, and watching how they enjoyed it... I wouldn't give them anything but things like human treats. For their birthday treats, they might get a muffin and share it out amoungst every rat. They don't get massive amounts of things, and it isn't often, I'm not saying it's super healthy, but vegetables are good for rats and I have no idea why they'd be given as a treat and not a staple diet.

 

So it's whole wheat bread that's toasted? ..pretty much the same as just bread.

Do you eat just veggies for your main diet?

I'd rather give my kids healthy treats, that way they will have a longer enjoyable life. They love veggies and consider them treats.
every little bit of junk given adds up to be alot.

 

[Rachael]

I don't feed my rats *junk* and my rats lifespan has not been shortened by diet no matter what you are going to say. No offense meant, but I don't like being told that my rats are cramping and I don't know that, I could be giving them a shorten lifespan, etc etc. I would never risk that if I thought it had a bad affect on my rats. And I've had several die under the average lifespan - because all of mine came from the same sort of background... often rodent mill background or obviously the siamese which was again origianlly a rodent mill.

Don't know why your asking me about my main diet, but vegetables are part of my main diet.... I'm a vegeterian and yes they are.... what does that matter?

 

[jorats]

I'm sorry...but if you didn't do your proper research in what is best to feed your rat, to calculate the daily required vitamins, minerals, microminerals then yes, you are harming them in some way. All animals have their own specific needs. Humans are constantly told they are missing this vitamin or that so many of us supplement. Why wouldn't you make sure your rats are getting everything they need? Same goes for birds, ferrets, dogs, cats...if you took them in as a pet, you would feed them what you eat? That is not right.

 

I don't feed my rats *junk* and my rats lifespan has not been shortened by diet no matter what you are going to say. No offense meant, but I don't like being told that my rats are cramping and I don't know that, I could be giving them a shorten lifespan, etc etc. I would never risk that if I thought it had a bad affect on my rats. And I've had several die under the average lifespan - because all of mine came from the same sort of background... often rodent mill background or obviously the siamese which was again origianlly a rodent mill.

Don't know why your asking me about my main diet, but vegetables are part of my main diet.... I'm a vegeterian and yes they are.... what does that matter?

Sorry, but some of the things you feed I do consider junk & yes you don't know if they are cramping, but most likly they are with what you feed. They can't talk to you, so you wouldn't know. If you get rat's which are origianly from rat mills, why wouldn't you feed them the best possible, saying they are already unhealthy.

 

[Rachael]

I don't feed my rats what I get. By human, I mean human foods, I don't chuck in lasagna, and burgers, and rolls, and chips, hardly.

 

[Rachael]

I find it a bit frustrating you keep saying my rats are cramping. With humans, you might slow down, not move around as much.... yes they can't tak... yes they hide their pain well.... but they are bright and happy!

 

[jorats]

I don't feed my rats what I get. By human, I mean human foods, I don't chuck in lasagna, and burgers, and rolls, and chips, hardly.

Well no, aren't you vegetarian?

I find it a bit frustrating you keep saying my rats are cramping. With humans, you might slow down, not move around as much.... yes they can't tak... yes they hide their pain well.... but they are bright and happy!

Heaven's no, I wish it was that simple. If I eat bananas or milk, I get severe cramping and pain. If I eat too much fat or grease, I get severe headaches.

Your rats are bright and happy... except for those that have seizures and other ailments we keep reading about. How many times have you said in chat so and so was dying or in bad shape. Food for thought?

 

[Rachael]

I'm a vegeterian I mean vegeterian burgers/lasagna..... my rats don't get any of those things.

The ones I talk about in chat in bad shape, seizures - siamese family. They are the most unhealthy rats I've ever had. Epilepsy, respiratory, ear infections, tumours... etc. They are more unhealthy than any of my rats. Because the mums were young and from PAH, not because of their diet I don't think.

 

[Rachael]

Also in chat I've spoken about a few of mine that were "dying" and not well. I don't know what's wrong with that. I'll just not say anything about that even though it's a rat forum then? I've seen plenty other people in chat talking about the same things, I don't see how that is relevant to a diet thread.

 

[jorats]

With my first crew of rats, they were not healthy, not looking good had all kinds of stuff, the first thing my vet asked me is what are you feeding them.
I told her it was suebee's mix and dog food and that's when she told me that was pretty much their death sentence. They need proper nutrition. So I did some research and she contacted her international exotic colleagues as well as animal nutritionist. They all agreed a block with all the needs are the best but not the nutritionist but the nutritionist was very very specific in what a rat should eat. They need a balanced meal daily. It needs to be planned and calculated. She also told me no soy, no wheat and no dairy for rats.

 

[Rachael]

Also this is just turning into a more personal debate that what I feed my rats, we're not going to agree, so maybe we should agree to disagree.

 

[jorats]

Also in chat I've spoken about a few of mine that were "dying" and not well. I don't know what's wrong with that. I'll just not say anything about that even though it's a rat forum then? I've seen plenty other people in chat talking about the same things, I don't see how that is relevant to a diet thread.

That's not the point. We can always do better for our rats and should always be looking into that. You refuse to tell us what your rat eats. What else are we to think? You can't say oh my rats are healthy and happy when we read otherwise. Of course it might not be at all related to the food but then maybe it is. We don't know because again, you don't tell us anything.
I'm done beating a dead horse.

 

Just would like to give my last 2 cents worth, then I'm done.

. They are more unhealthy than any of my rats

You think where they are so unhealthy, you would do everything possible to make them more healthy? but by feeding them the food you call "nurtritional for them" is not helping thir unhealthy state.& yes maybe it's nurtritional, but it's not everything they need.

 

I'm done beating a dead horse.

:laugh4:

 

[Chevalrose]

I don't know if I would classify all vegetables as treats really. I mean, treats are something that they just don't get often. They can still be healthy. I mean, really, people who give lab blocks should be feeding a small portion of "human foods" (veggies, fruits, grains) everyday...isn't a lab block diet supposed to be 80/20?

To me I'd see a treat as something healthy, but perhaps something you wouldn't feed regularly (like avocado or eggs).

 

[Rachael]

Also in chat I've spoken about a few of mine that were "dying" and not well. I don't know what's wrong with that. I'll just not say anything about that even though it's a rat forum then? I've seen plenty other people in chat talking about the same things, I don't see how that is relevant to a diet thread.

That's not the point. We can always do better for our rats and should always be looking into that. You refuse to tell us what your rat eats. What else are we to think? You can't say oh my rats are healthy and happy when we read otherwise. Of course it might not be at all related to the food but then maybe it is. We don't know because again, you don't tell us anything.
I'm done beating a dead horse.

I don't mean every rat I own is healthy... they are happy though. The 'otherwise' you read is a very small amount of the number I have and that's not related to any of this. I have listed some of the breakfasts and dinners mine get, how many times will I be told I haven't answered, I did? :stickpoke:

 

[jorats]

I don't know if I would classify all vegetables as treats really. I mean, treats are something that they just don't get often. They can still be healthy. I mean, really, people who give lab blocks should be feeding a small portion of "human foods" (veggies, fruits, grains) everyday...isn't a lab block diet supposed to be 80/20?

To me I'd see a treat as something healthy, but perhaps something you wouldn't feed regularly (like avocado or eggs).

My rats get 80% block and 20% veggies.
Their very occasional treats are bananas, grapes and multigrain cheerios.

 

[Rachael]

Just would like to give my last 2 cents worth, then I'm done.

. They are more unhealthy than any of my rats

You think where they are so unhealthy, you would do everything possible to make them more healthy? but by feeding them the food you call "nurtritional for them" is not helping thir unhealthy state.& yes maybe it's nurtritional, but it's not everything they need.

Apart from when I give them a better diet when they have tumours, no sugar etc (although really that's not part of their diet anyways), giving them a better diet won't solve epilepsy, respiratorys, etc. In fact, they got more treats - because they were sometimes refusing normal foods as they just won't eat.

When we have taken ours to the royal vets (I forgot the name... brain dead moment) a few hours from us, they do ask you diet, caging, all those details. When we told them their diet, they were fine with that and said that was good.

 

I don't know if I would classify all vegetables as treats really. I mean, treats are something that they just don't get often. They can still be healthy. I mean, really, people who give lab blocks should be feeding a small portion of "human foods" (veggies, fruits, grains) everyday...isn't a lab block diet supposed to be 80/20?

To me I'd see a treat as something healthy, but perhaps something you wouldn't feed regularly (like avocado or eggs).

Mine get the occasional piece of bananna, dry oatmeal, multigrain cheerios, watermelon ..but for the main part, they get 80% block and 20% veggies

When we have taken ours to the royal vets (I forgot the name... brain dead moment) a few hours from us, they do ask you diet, caging, all those details. When we told them their diet, they were fine with that and said that was good.

Not sure what kind of vet you have, but if I fed my rats that stuff, and told my vet that ..he would be in shock.