[jamesReid]

Ok.. so as you all have figured out by now.. Tonya and I are NooBs when it comes to rats for pets. Hector is our first little fuzzy, furry, whisker twitcher, curious, poopin albino loving RAT!! hehehehehe.....


So we were wondering what you feed your little ones? We had some crab legs for diner tonight and I geve Hector 3.. maybe 4 small bites.. of which Tonya kept yelling at me.. probably for good reason.. dont want him too spoiled.. (yes I do)


So what is ok to feed him?


PS.. everytime he gets tired Tonya and I are like.... OH NO.. I hope he is ok... LOL.. He played on the bed and climbed all over me.. and now he is in his cage.. in his little house... I took some paper towles and tore them up a little bit.. he dragged them all in the bucket house HEHE.. anyway.. just wanted to share news about Hector Cook Reid.



Thanks!!!!!

 

[Storyseeker]

If you want the easiest way to give them complete nutrition, then get Harlin Tekklad (sp?) lab blocks. It's a scientist lab blend designed over years of keeping rats for study in laboratories. It's only sold in bulk...ie, more than you'll ever need before it goes bad, so what a lot of rat rescues do is buy extra and sell it for a small profit to us. You'll have to order it online unless you are lucky enough come across a pet store that will sell the 'commercial' version of HT, which is called "Native Earth". I buy mine online. I've occasionally found Native Earth cheaply through Amazon, but they invariably send me the wrong formula. Another place from which I've purchased it is Mainly Rat Rescue. You can pick the number formula designed for your age rat. A rat will eat about 3-4 lab blocks a day supplemented with their fresh foods, and it keeps its nutritional value 6 months without freezing. Longer if you freeze. So that will give you an idea of how much to order at a time.

You'll supplement the staple lab block with an assortment of fruits and veggies, and the occasional treat. They won't generally need much if any extra protein if you provide the lab block, as the lab block is designed to provide enough. A rat serving is the size of one block. A cheerio is the equivalent of a bagel for us.

Here's a link to Mainly Rat Rescue, plus a page that gives you a list what and how to feed your rat, along with foods to avoid and why:

Mainly Rat Rescue Lab Block Sale Page: http://www.mainelyratrescue.org/store2/

Phoenix Gate Rattery Nutrition Page: http://www.pxrats.com/ratfood.html

I will often make a dry mix for the rats made of lab block, Kashi Heart to Heart cereal, Kashi 7 whole grain flakes and puffs, and shredded coconut.


Something I also do for my rats is get echenacia/golden seal capsules sold in the vitamin section of any pharmacy. I break open the capsules and mix the powder into soy yogurt or some other favorite licky treat. Half a capsule is good for 3 rats. I'll do this once a day for 2 weeks on, and one month off.

This helps boost their immune systems.

I'm sure others will have other great homeopathic tips to share as well as food mixes you can try.

 

[Storyseeker]

Oh, and since you've got a manrat, I'll point out you should never feed him oranges as it can cause cancer in male rats.

More info: http://www.rmca.org/Articles/oj.htm

 

[Storyseeker]

PS.. everytime he gets tired Tonya and I are like.... OH NO.. I hope he is ok... LOL.. He played on the bed and climbed all over me.. and now he is in his cage.. in his little house... I took some paper towles and tore them up a little bit.. he dragged them all in the bucket house HEHE.. anyway.. just wanted to share news about Hector Cook Reid.



Hehe. Welcome to the addiction. They are so flippin' entertaining. What a cutie patootie.

 

[breyer08]

Storyseeker has given some great links for food and nutrition recommendations. Here's another link I've found helpful: an A-Z list of fruits and vegetables that are safe to feed rats.

I also give my boys Harlan Teklad blocks, which I order online from The Rat Shop.

For their daily dry mix, I use a homemade mix of the following ingredients:

corn flakes
small shredded wheat cereal
organic puffed wheat
organic puffed rice
tricolor spiral pasta

They also get rolled oats for breakfast, and for dinner they have a mix of fresh veggies and usually one fruit. The most common supplemental foods I give my boys (on rotation) are:

kale
bok choy
tomatoes
mushrooms
eggplant
garbanzos
kidney beans
rice
cooked sweet potatoes
baby food squash
grapes
berries (blueberries are their favorite)

These are just some of their favorite foods. For dinner they always get one leafy green vegetable (bok choy or kale), plus a tiny bit of one or two other veggies, and sometimes a small bit of fruit. Since my husband and I eat a lot of veggies, they just tend to eat whatever we're having that evening.

 

[Vladina]

Jimmie, I can tell you and Tonya are going to be great rat parents. And you are not alone when you made your joke about spoiling Hector...we all LOVE to spoil our ratties...they deserve to be spoiled!

You have gotten great advice already from Storyseeker and Breyer, both of whom are so wonderful with their tips. Check out the link to Rat Shop and the other online places that were mentioned to get Harlan Teklad lab blocks for Hector. I think Rat Shop was where I used to get my Harlan Teklad blocks.

The general starter rule for rats is to always have a fresh supply of lab blocks in their house, every day, 24/7 so they always have access to it. Putting the lab blocks in a nice heavy ceramic food bowl is great because it prevents tipping and is easy to clean too.
Then, you can supplement their lab blocks with different fruits, veggies, dry pasta, breads/cereals, soooo many things out there to try. All ratties have individual likes and dislikes when it comes to food, so I am sure you will soon find Hector's favorite fruits, veggies and starches. ALSO, make sure your ratty always has fresh, clean water every day in his water bottle, but I am sure you already are doing that!

Breyer's list of A-Z foods for rats is great because I believe it also shows what NOT to give rats. Raw potato, onion and citrus fruits are bad. Citrus from things like oranges, etc, has something in it that is really bad for male rats.

Enjoy the learning process! And by the way, I LOVE your photos of Hector, Zoe and Leo...so precious. Rest and be at peace Zoe and Leo. You were loved.

 

[jamesReid]

YEA... thanks for all the great info.. i feel like im back in college doing research for a paper.. all the learning I am doing!! hehe...

 

[Storyseeker]

I felt the exact same way when I started in with rats!

 

[Talamos]

I use lab blocks and an occasional added seed treat since they like it so much. D;