[Fink]

Hello all

I am new to this forum and need some help
I live in Canada and I currently have one rat. I recently lost two one to a mammary tumor the other respiratory infections. I only have one left and I want her to live a lot longer, she is VERY over weight and she is 1.5 years old.

I need a good weight loss program for her with foods I can buy here. I only have one pet store, pets unlimited. I want something that is easy to feed as I have a bunch of animals.

Thanks
Jenna

 

[renay]

Well... try her on an all natural diet but ration it.. also, you should get your rat a friend, it may prove a little more difficult to properly ration your rats food with a friend, but it may encourage her to be a bit more active which would also help in her weight loss effort...

 

[reessm01]

Question! Where and what do you buy for this all natural diet?

 

[ratastic]

Do you feed your rat any veggies?

 

[Fink]

Yes I just started with veggies, carrots, greens, and beans

 

[ambernd]

i just feed ny rats normal "rat and mouse fiesta" food and i give them a boiled egg every now and then. Then I'll give them some cheese or some carrots or green beans. (not all at once lol)... But my rats have a very healthy wieght and don't have any problems. But for your rat to loose weight i would just put a small bowl of rat food in there a boiled egg every now and then. And some veggies. I'm not an expert on their diet but it should help if they eat healthy. Also you deffenatly need to get him a play mate of the same sex. That could make him loose a lot of weight. I would sugest a younger rat probably around 6 weeks old since they have lots of energy and might encourage him play a little more.

 

[Vixie]

i just feed ny rats normal "rat and mouse fiesta" food

This food is not very good for the rats, try switching to Harlan Teklad or Suebee's with a dog food of good quality.

 

[Stephanie]

I agree with Vixie the better food you give the longer the live!

 

[Forensic]

i just feed ny rats normal "rat and mouse fiesta" food and i give them a boiled egg every now and then. Then I'll give them some cheese or some carrots or green beans. (not all at once lol)... But my rats have a very healthy wieght and don't have any problems. But for your rat to loose weight i would just put a small bowl of rat food in there a boiled egg every now and then. And some veggies. I'm not an expert on their diet but it should help if they eat healthy. Also you deffenatly need to get him a play mate of the same sex. That could make him loose a lot of weight. I would sugest a younger rat probably around 6 weeks old since they have lots of energy and might encourage him play a little more.

Boiled eggs are very high in fat and protein, so if you're trying to get them to lose weight, eggs probably aren't the way to go. And I agree with the others about the Fiesta junk... There's much better stuff out there.

 

[ambernd]

i just feed ny rats normal "rat and mouse fiesta" food

This food is not very good for the rats, try switching to Harlan Teklad or Suebee's with a dog food of good quality.

Whats wrong with fiesta? I have never heard of Harlan Teklad or Suebee's.... This is the only food they have at the pet store for rats. The rest is just for gerbils and guina pigs.

 

[twilight]

It's made by Kaytee which is a very poor quality food. It's full of fillers, mostly corn and grains that go right through your pet and have no nutritional value.

 

[renay]

Well basically I feed my rats limited portion of what I hear is no good food, but they love it, and they get a lot of HEALTHY table scraps, actually it would be fair to say that most of their food consists of fruits, veggies, and a bit of meat here and there. So i guess the "no good" food is a treat to them.

 

[twilight]

Why feed it at all if its no good? :? Just because they love it doesn't mean they should be eating it.

 

[Chthonicfox]

ambernd;

Perhaps you should do more research on rats? The pet stores here do not carry good brands of rodent feed, but I research alternatives (before I even got my first rat!) so that I could feed my companions well. Try looking for Nutro Choice Lite dog food. That is what I could find here - mixed with grain mixes and fresh fruits and veggies of course.

Most products found in pet stores seem to be of poor quality. Just think: pet stores recommend pine shavings for rats and other small animals and that crap is toxic to them.

 

[ambernd]

ambernd;

Perhaps you should do more research on rats? The pet stores here do not carry good brands of rodent feed, but I research alternatives (before I even got my first rat!) so that I could feed my companions well. Try looking for Nutro Choice Lite dog food. That is what I could find here - mixed with grain mixes and fresh fruits and veggies of course.

Most products found in pet stores seem to be of poor quality. Just think: pet stores recommend pine shavings for rats and other small animals and that crap is toxic to them.

grain mixes as in like farm animal grain???

 

[lostbutnotforgot]

Don't forget about Mazuri! I think it's the best you can buy at a regular pet store. They're just lab blocks, but if you supplement with fruits and veggies (or use them in a Suebee's mix) they're much better than Kaytee.

 

[Stephanie]

I am not a huge fan of mazzuri for the simple fact it is sooo high in protien and fillers. I would try the Nutro Choice Lite dog food first

 

[Fink]

what would you suggest for grain mixes? I can get the nutro choice.

 

[Fink]

Should I get Nutro Choice Adult Lite Small bites?

 

[ratastic]

I'd hold off on giving them dog food, with all the problems that have been happening with contamination.