Rats only want milk bones?

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Slint Flig - 03 Dec 2007 05:58 GMT

It's been a few days since I got my rats and I noticed that they haven't
been too excited about the rat food I've been giving them. I gave them a
(dog's) milk bone the other day and they gobbled it up like it was going out
of style. I noticed today that they weren't really eating much, so I gave
them another one (split in half) and now they're gobbling it down like they
haven't eaten in days.

I'm wondering what's up. I've been giving them Vita-Plus rat mouse and
gerbil formula and it looks good.. not too many sunflower seeds.. but they
don't seem to like it very much. And then they chow down on the milk bones.

Any ideas? Or am I just missing out on them eating the rat formula because
I can't hear them gnawing away like with the milk bones?

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Joanne - 06 Dec 2007 12:45 GMT

> It's been a few days since I got my rats and I noticed that they haven't
> been too excited about the rat food I've been giving them. I gave them a
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> Any ideas? Or am I just missing out on them eating the rat formula because
> I can't hear them gnawing away like with the milk bones?

Dog food is high fat and high protein which makes it highly palatable
for the rats. But very unhealthy. If you were to offer a child the
choice of broccoli or McDonald's... bet you a million dollars they'll
choose McD's. And if they think the McD might be coming, they'll wait
for it. This is why I never give my rats anything but healthy foods.
Have you searched for a high quality block for rats like Harlan Teklad
or Oxbow Regal Rat? It's much better than a seed mix.

Signature

Joanne
The Rat Shack
www.jorats.com

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Slint Flig - 06 Dec 2007 22:24 GMT

Yes I bought some Mazuri rodent pellets and I have a order of Harlan/Teklad
coming in in a couple of weeks...

Should I remove all their other food except for these healthy foods? They
don't go for the Mazuri at all but rather eat the seeds.

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The Rat Lord - 07 Dec 2007 08:27 GMT

> Yes I bought some Mazuri rodent pellets and I have a order of
> Harlan/Teklad
> coming in in a couple of weeks...
>
> Should I remove all their other food except for these healthy foods? They
> don't go for the Mazuri at all but rather eat the seeds.

one possible way of doing it is to mix the pellets with unsalted sunflower
seeds. mine really seem to like it. joanne is right in that , like humans,
they prefer junkfood whenever they can get it. mine are always ending up
with little pieces of pizza, cookie, hamburger, etc...

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Slint Flig - 07 Dec 2007 10:12 GMT

> one possible way of doing it is to mix the pellets with unsalted sunflower
> seeds. mine really seem to like it. joanne is right in that , like humans,
> they prefer junkfood whenever they can get it. mine are always ending up
> with little pieces of pizza, cookie, hamburger, etc...

heh yeah it's hard not to throw them more than a couple treats a day.
Though I thought sunflower seeds were super fatty?

I cleaned the cage and pulled everything but the Mazuri and they seem to be
going for it. They've consumed 3 of the pellets so far today. Can't wait
for the Harlan to come in.

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The Rat Lord - 08 Dec 2007 11:10 GMT

>> one possible way of doing it is to mix the pellets with unsalted
>> sunflower
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> heh yeah it's hard not to throw them more than a couple treats a day.
> Though I thought sunflower seeds were super fatty?

sometimes a little high-fat is good for the digestion :)

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Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / December 2007

Rats only want milk bones?