[sweet_dreams91]

Anyone know anything about Regal Rat rat food?

All I know is it's vet recommended, and doesn't have corn or alfalfa.


http://www.oxbowhay.com/link.sp?page=RegalRat




Ingredients:

Whole Brown Rice, Oat Groats, Wheat Bran, Wheat, Soybean Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Soybean Hulls, Monocalcium Phosphate, Flax Seed Meal, (Linseed), Brewers Yeast, Calcium Carbonate, Wheat Germ Meal, Methionine DL, Salt, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (topopherol), Vitamin C Supplement (Asorbic Acid), Colloidal Silica, Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Pan

 

[ratrover]

regal rat ive nver heard of it but i have heard of reggie rat

 

[cjshrader]

Darksong17 highly recommends Regal Rat. Here is the post where he went into a ton of detail as to why:

http://www.ratforum.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=4334/highlight=regal+rat.html

I'm probably going to try it out myself next time I need food.

For the record, ratrover, Reggie Rat is no good for rats.

 

[Kimmiekins]

Some rats love it. Some hate it. Some will not eat it after awhile.

We had our rats and the rescue rats on it. For a good long while, actually.

And then, a good handful of rats were getting thinner. We went with the approach that they'd eat it if they had no choice. But, for the first time in my entire rat experience, they chose not to eat it. And one by one, 90% of the rats followed suit.

Some do fine with it. I was hoping we could, as I think it's absolutely better than even lab blocks. But if you feed it, watch your rats closely. They may eventually stop eating it.

I'm still kinda sad. It looks like dog kibble, in the shape of a heart. I love it. Sadly, the rats don't anymore.

 

[Stephanie]

Only one of my 13 ratties will nibble at it. I have a ton of it and they are being punks about it LoL. At first they loved the change but now they are just not eating it.

 

[Schmea]

Based off of Darksong17's reasoned explanation I decided to give Regal Rat a try for my two girls... two 3lbs bags arrived in the mail about 15 minutes ago actually.

First impression from the girls was to immediately devour the first piece offered, and then to play the "grab it and dash to the back of the cage and drop it, and come back as though I'd forgotten to give them theirs game" with the rest.

The food is gone now, after sitting unattended for a bit, but we'll see if it's just hidden when I clean the cage tomorrow. So I really like Regal Rat, we'll see what the rats think.

 

[cjshrader]

I'm glad to hear that for when I try it myself. I certainly hope they like it, because they certainly don't like the Harlan Teklad they are getting now.

 

[mopydream44]

I certainly hope they like it, because they certainly don't like the Harlan Teklad they are getting now.

Really? That strikes me as very odd! I've heard that they love H.T. so much that they won't eat other food if given the choice.

 

[Darksong17]

I'd just like to say that I do recommend Regal Rat. And that I'm female XD;

I've been conversing with Oxbow through emails on improving the diet and addressing the concerns some people (kimmie ) have brought up here. It seems like they are very receptive to it all so hopefully we will see improvements though it might not be for a while yet as these things take time.

 

[Kimmiekins]

Do keep us updated, I absolutely would prefer Regal Rat if the rats would continue eating it! I definitely place it above blocks, for sure.

 

[Darksong17]

Will do! I can't disclose their emails as there is a confidentiality notice included but they were very receptive and we may well be seeing some good changes. On that note, as I said these things take time and it could very well be a year or two at least before we see these changes implemented.

 

[cjshrader]

Well I'm sorry Darksong! This whole time I thought you were male, and now I wonder why. Usually on these forums I assume female unless told otherwise.

 

[Darksong17]

Haha, it's perfectly alright. I am not the least bit offended, it's not easy to tell with my screen name anyway

 

[CaptainFlow]

I certainly hope they like it, because they certainly don't like the Harlan Teklad they are getting now.

Really? That strikes me as very odd! I've heard that they love H.T. so much that they won't eat other food if given the choice.

One of my girls drastically cut down on her HT nabbing after I started feeding Suebees! I used to lure them back to the cage with food, and they used to both grab a couple HT blocks from my hand and run away to eat them, leaving me relatively guilt-free when I closed up the cage. But now Belgie will sit and wait for a hand full of Suebees instead. What a punk! But I know she still eats it, I've seen her. And withheld Suebees for a day, to make sure...

 

[madonnaswimmer]

I am having trouble right now getting food consistently (besides dog food).

I also feed a little seed/pellet mix. But the stores where I buy the food always have different brands. I find one that I really like, and then they never carry it again.

 

[Kimmiekins]

I also feed a little seed/pellet mix. But the stores where I buy the food always have different brands. I find one that I really like, and then they never carry it again.

I'm not directing this AT you, as you do say you *also* feed, but just my opinion to anyone who wants it...

The problem with seed/pellet mix for rats is that it's half candy, half indigestible, and none of it is a balanced meal. Rats on seed mix are not getting anything they need, and are more prone to being under or overweight (depending on WHAT parts they eat, IF they eat any at all). Beyond that, the corn in the mixes is dried, and dried corn can harbor toxic mold and can cause cancer.

Some people like to include it with a balanced diet, and I don't really agree with that, but at least they're getting a balanced diet in addition to a seed mix. I don't, personally, think seed mixes should be fed to rats, period. It's generally the only food we ever get "donated" with surrendered rats, and we trash it.

It's amazing to see, also, the change in rats once they switch to a balanced diet. Skin and eyes become brighter, fur looks and feels better, sometimes you'll see a personality change, and they often look like they feel better. It's amazing what happens when humans/animals get the best diet! You feel good.

It's much, much better to get a lab block from the pet store, like Mazuri, if not HT or a Suebee's mix (which is also, not a fully balanced diet, even with dog food), or Regal Rat.

 

[madonnaswimmer]

You know, I know lots of people who feed a seed mix only. Lots of people just don't know better.

I only feed them a small amount (maybe half a teaspoon) just for some variety.

And being a microbiologist with training in mycology, I can attest that any corn really can harbor mold toxins (aflatoxin). There are also lots of other food, though, too. Peanuts are a prime example.

I know it's not looked highly upon, but I do it just for variety. And they way I feel, as long as it's not a large part of their diet, it's not that bad. It's like having a soda with your dinner. No, you wouldn't want to only drink soda as it's very unhealthy, but a little bit with a balanced meal isn't really that damaging to your health.

 

[Schmea]

Update: 2 days on Regal Rat now, and there's been no problem with eating yet. They definitely seem to prefer it over the old lab blocks, but we'll see if that's just the newness. One neat thing is that they're accepting Regal Rat pieces as a treat, (nice for when they're demanding a treat and being so so cute, but you know they've had enough treats today) which they never did with the lab blocks.

With Boobers being chronically ill for the last few month, regardless of what antibiotics the vet tries, I'm really happy to have them on a food that I know is such high quality. Their old food was good, but what I've read here about Regal Rat leads me to believe that if I'm gonna give her a fighting chance for a long and happy life, this food could only help in this goal.

So a thank you to those who have suggested it, especially Darksong17 for such a thorough recommendation.

 

[Darksong17]

I'm thrilled to hear your furkids are doing well on it thus far Schmea! I wish you the best of luck with Boobers' illness and continued luck with the Regal Rat diet. And you're very welcome for the recommendation