[Dusk]

:!: ok, so my mom is a vet, and she says my rat is too thin 8O , yet i still feed her regularly, so I was what i could give her to help her pump up a liitle bit, any ideas?

 

[AustinXAPMX3]

Well what are you feeding her now?

 

[rat_ratscal]

i hate you for having a vet in your own house!!!!!!!!!!!! can you get pics? that will make it easier

 

[AustinXAPMX3]

Yes pics will make it alot easier. I wish one of my parents was a vet! That would be awsome!

 

[Darksong17]

I'm going to third the call for pictures. Is your mother a small animal/exotics specialist? Also what do you feed?

 

[Dusk]

Well, I feed her a kinda expensive nutrition feed that i buy from the pet store. Trying to remember the name tho.... :? :?
It IS amazing that I do have a vet in the house, lets just say all our animals are in great health and get medical care CHEAP!

There is a problem with the pictures, i currently only have the camera on my cell phone, but i can take some, tho they will be crappy, very very crappy. I'll take some and put them up now...





Alas! the crappy photos are in:

thanks to the father...
hes holding her up for a kinda "side" view.

http://img254.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1120071642fc4.jpg

and a two pics of her hangon around..

http://img214.imageshack.us/my.php?image=c2kt6.jpg

http://img406.imageshack.us/my.php?image=c3tu0.jpg

there they are, hope they help!

 

[Darksong17]

Well, first I have to say that post pet store foods are pure crap. This doesn't mean that an animal on them will necessarily loose weight though. According to RatGuide:

Weight (male average adult) : 250-550 gm
Weight (female average adult) : 225-400 gm

You can weigh her with a digital gram scale. Are any other rats in the cage thin?

 

[Kimmiekins]

Nutrition feed?? Hmm.. If you can get the name of the food, we can probably help more. If it's a seed mix, rats can loose (or gain) weight, depending on what they're eating (and what they're not).

Is she a single rat? It's possible that she's depressed, as single rats get depressed and lonely without friends.

I'd like to know the food you feed specifically (that could be the problem right there), but aside from that, there's way to put some meat on a rattie's bones. Supplementing quality food with some baby food, baby cereal and/or Ensure may help. Also, giving Nutri-Cal/Ferretvite, a bit a day can help put pounds on pretty quickly.

I am a bit surprised that your mom knows she's thin but doesn't know how to "fatten" her up. Nothing meant by that, just musing! Do you know how much your rat weighs?

 

[Dusk]

1. i have no idea how much she weighs

2. I know that rats should have other ratsies to play with, but my parents wont let me get another one.

3. The pictures are up, look at my previous post.

4. No, my mother is not a small animal specialist, but one of the docters at her hospital are, maybe I should arrange a check up.. nah, my parents(yes, even my mom) would never go for it, they look at rats like any ohter small animal: smelly.

5. I wish I could tell what kind she eats, but we just ran out and my mom threw the bag away! :lol: Sorry!

6. oh! and, thanks for all the help!

 

[Forensic]

Do you have a kitchen or postal scale in the house you can use?

From the photos she actually looks all right, but the photos are small.

Girls can be very small.

But I am also interested in what she's eating.

 

[Kimmiekins]

She look fine to me, actually..

Hm. So your mom is a vet, but doesn't care that they need companionship and quality food? Maybe if you can talk them into letting you take her to the vet, the vet could talk to your parents about rat needs?

 

[Dusk]

I do not have a scale at home (man im just making this really hard for you guys huh?)

The name of her food is like Nutrifeed, or something along those lines, ring any bells?

 

[Dusk]

She look fine to me, actually..

Hm. So your mom is a vet, but doesn't care that they need companionship and quality food? Maybe if you can talk them into letting you take her to the vet, the vet could talk to your parents about rat needs?

My mom wont let me get another rat because of that, they think that i cant handle two rats...

I hope, but money's tight and i really shouldnt be spending as much money as i am now on her food, and my parents dont really have the money for a vet right now, even with the discounts..

 

[AustinXAPMX3]

I would feed her some mixes like Subees mix, there is a whole diet thread that is very useful. http://www.ratforum.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=3079.html

 

[rat_ratscal]

do you remember who made the food she was eating, the brand, what the bag looked like, anything? because i could search it up if i got little details like that

 

[Forensic]

Nutrifeed isn't for rats, I'd thought? The only thing I find is for calves/piglets/turkeys.

 

[Dusk]

Thats great! thanks!

 

[AustinXAPMX3]

Did you see see all the mixes? You mix them yourselve from things you can get at the store

 

[Dusk]

Well, im not sure if nutrifeed is the name, its along those lines, i need to go to the pet store anyway... hopefully tonight, if i go ill tell all the details of the food.

Yea, now to get all of those things, and my rat needs food NOW, i feel so bad...

 

[AustinXAPMX3]

Ok, and if you go with subees mix i would mix it 50 50 with some dog food. Guys help me out here i forget how much protien is supposed to be in the dog food?