Rat Diet?

[toxxxic.kitten]

I'm going to be obtaining some rats here in about a week. I've raised and bred rats on/off for about 9 years, but some areas could always use some perfecting.

I was wondering perhaps anyone who also owns rats could recommend some homemade based diets? I would like to feed something else besides boring lab block to my critters.

 

[3CsMommy]

http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html

When I had mice I modified this one. For the dog food (since I could NEVER find lab block) I fed either the Natural Balance Lite or the Wellness Healthy Weight foods. I kept the Total flakes and cereals, but cut the dried fruit WAY back to about 1/2 cup per batch, and I tried to use apples, cranberries, blueberries, etc. instead of raisins. I also used about half that amount of sunflower seeds b/c of the fat content, and only fed a couple of tablespoons of the grain mix a day. Most of their variety came from whatever we were eating that night: cooked pasta, lean unseasoned meats, pieces of fresh or frozen/thawed veggies, etc.

 

[toxxxic.kitten]

Thank you!!

 

[3CsMommy]

Np. The nice thing about that diet is the cost, esp. if you're feeding a larger colony. Rolled oats from a bulk store bin are a lot cheaper than the can of Quaker ones, and you can get the puffed wheat, etc. cheaply that way too. The major criticism of Sue Bee's diet is that it's got a LOT of carbs in it, but that's why it's an addition to a good block/dog food, not a staple itself. Some owners are concerned about the Total flakes having too much vitamin and mineral content as well, but at those proportions, each bowl I fed had maybe 3 flakes a night, if that, so I wasn't overly concerned about it. I'm sure if you do a search for the name of it, you'll find some well-reasoned criticism of it from knowledgeable owners for the opposite opinion. The vet I talked to about my mice seemed to think it was acceptable, so talking to your rat vet is always an option too.

 

[menagerie]

I'm not a fan of the SueBee diet. I've seen photos of SueBee's rats and 90% of them are morbidly obese. The best diet is a diet of quality lab blocks, such as Harlan Teklad, along with fresh fruits, veggies and other healthy food.

You can get Harlan on-line from Wee Companions for $1.00 per lb plus shipping.