[JadeAmber]

We're having a little trouble with Deimos (2-ish year old Himalayan boy). I took him to the vet for a check up and to ask about his excessive buck grease. Even though he has lost some weight since the last visit, he still could lose some more. In fact, his chubbiness may be getting in the way of him cleaning properly. I know that older boys do tend to be more greasy, but its gross to touch him even the day after a bath (which he hates!). I'm thinking of doing something different with his diet. Right now he gets 3 lab blocks, a sprinkle of reggie rat mix, some cheerios, an uncooked noodle, and a yogie every day. We also give him bits of bread and fresh fruit from time to time. Anyone have any suggestions as to how we can help him lose some of the weight?

He is the happiest tickleish boy ever and I don't want to hold back from petting him due to grease. I also want him to be healthy comfortable.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thnx!

 

[Forensic]

I'd replace the reggie rat with veggies, but beyond that... hrm... not sure.

 

[Lesath]

What are you using to wash him? I was using baby shampoo for a while with my boys but recently switched over to a very small amount of Ivory dish detergent. It gets the grease off very well! Very small pea sized amount lathered all over your hand, pick up rattie and let him walk on the soap, then rub his back just a bit with it, RINSE WELL, and happy clean rat.

 

[A1APassion]

Stop yogies... even though they love them, they can live without them. They are pretty much pure sugar. Buy vanilla yogurt (not fruit mix) & offer a small amount as a treat occasionally. They also make the vanilla yogurt in fat free blends. I personally don't like the taste of the fat free stuff & if you are like me you may want to consider freezing the unused portion. Even the little individual sized cups would last a long time for one rat & it would go bad before you used it all.

You could cut out the bread as well... lots of carbs & calories in bread.. one slice of bread can have as much as 90 calories.

How many is "some cheerios"?

Rats like oatmeal cooked or uncooked. I have the cheapest oatmeal I can find (walmart) I eat it, rolled oats are rolled oats & for like a 1.50 for a huge can, you can't go wrong.

What type of lab block are you using? Not all lab blocks are created equal.

I don't know a thing about reggie rat mix but I assume it is a mix of seeds, nuts & pellets, etc. Seeds & nuts are very high in fat. Stick with the lab block as well as the healthy cereals & grains.

Do your research as to the fresh veggies that are not high in sugar & be very limited on the amount of fruit you offer.

Have you ever tried a wheel? Some rats reject the wheel but I found that by making an investment into a GOOD wheel... I'm going to have to buy more because they all want to run in it at the same time. This wheel wasn't designed with rats in mind but mine love it. CritterTrail Revolution. I have been shopping around for additional wheels & I was told by several people that their rats love the wodent wheels (sp?) My suggestion is buy the biggest one available because once they get the hang of it, they will really stretch out & run!

 

[JadeAmber]

What are you using to wash him?

I bought some small animal shampoo that is cucumber mellon scented. The funny thing is that after the bath is one of the few times i see him attempting to clean himself. "Get this grossness off me!" It seems to work pretty well, I don't have to scrub at all on his tail.

 

[JadeAmber]

How many is "some cheerios"?...
What type of lab block are you using?...
Have you ever tried a wheel?...

I give them about 5 cheerios mixed in with their food, they also like crispix from time to time. I'll make sure to get some oats.

I'm using Forti-Diet for lab blocks, is there a better one?

I think I will invest in a wheel, he'll need a huge one though. He's a big guy not just in weight. (3 times the size of my almost 3 year old girl, but i know spayed girls are significantly smaller) So far the best exercise we have for him is tickle time which he absolutly loves.

I guess I'm concerned of cutting out too much. Are carrots ok?

Thanks for all the input!

 

[Mana]

Forti-Diet is Kaytee, right? Kaytee is pretty much the worst food out there.. If you don't mind ordering stuff online, get some Harlan Teklad lab blocks, which you can order from Kim's Ark Rescue. You can find Mazuri lab blocks in pet stores, which are much better than Kaytee. Also, blocks can be free-fed, you don't need to limit those, which means you can rest easy about cutting out stuff in his diet

 

[lilspaz68]

Lab blocks and veggies for your overweight friend. Lots of different great veggies out there for him. If you are able I would suggest order the Harlan Teklad 2014 (14% protein, and I think 5% fat) lab blocks.

Use Dawn dishsoap to give him a bath...just put it on his greasy bits. It really does work, but remember it will dry out his skin a bit.

Feeding some olive oil on a crust of bread will also help with the buck grease production.

Cuddles to the old greaseball!!!

 

[Forensic]

You could try switching from Cheerios to Total and Kaytee to HT.

Boys are MUCH bigger than girls most of the time, spayed or not notwithstanding.