Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / February 2008

Hi, I have two rats who are about 3 months old.  One PEW and one hooded.
They started out more or less the same size when I got them and I believe
that they were within a week or so of being the same age.  In fact the PEW
seemed a little smaller than the hooded.

However, I've been keeping track of their weights and it seems the PEW has
gotten much larger than the hooded, especially in the last month.  She
weighs a full ouce (~25 g) more than the hooded.  She's the dominant one in
the cage and wins 4 out of 5 "fights."  I've checked her out by feeling her
and there doesn't appear to be abnormal masses in her, she's just big.

Is this normal?  Will the hooded catch up in weight?  Should I start feeding
them differing amounts?

I currently feed them Teklad 2018, which they grab from their dish and stash
in their house.  It's hard for me to monitor their intake because of this.
Sometimes I give them a milk bone broken in half, veggies and other treats.

So the PEW is about 275g and the hooded is around 250g at this time.  Should
I be doing anything specific or is this difference in growth natural?

Thx!