Rat companionship

[hrl20100]

Originally Posted by Wanna Hamster

I'm not liking it, I'm loving it!

Yaaaay!
Don't turn into a crazy rat lady like me! 8 is too many! hahaha

[Wanna Hamster]

LOL!
You should really include your many other pets in your sig, you don't just have Flump! You have more pets than most people!

[hrl20100]

Originally Posted by Wanna Hamster

LOL!
You should really include your many other pets in your sig, you don't just have Flump! You have more pets than most people!

I was thinking that! But I don't know if they'd all fit hahaa i'll have to ask :P

[Amethyst_ice]

Originally Posted by hrl20100

I have to disagree with this...
Rats are omnivores, meaning they are designed to eat a wide range of foods ranging from fruit and veg to meat. They require between 16 and 18% of protein in their diet and this is mostly souced from a good quality rat food (shouldn't be a muesli based mix). Mine are on PetsAtHome rat nuggets and every other day they get additional foods such as cooked chicken, meal worms (which they love) and boiled egg.
Rabbit food is not suitable for rats, especially the pelleted kind where its made up of alfalfa and other hay/grass based foods. This is a source of fibre which is a huge requirement in a rabbit's diet.
Not trying to sound rude in anyway, just trying to raise awareness that rats need a protein based diet.

A high protein diet in rats can cause itching and the majority of rats I meet on high protein smell much more. Meat products should be sparing and reduced during normal adult life and if you look at many breeders own mixes they use rabbit based mixtures (sorry I should have said a museli not pellets..and rats are ok to have hay and grass parts, I just swapped my base mixture to Mr.Johnsons from banana crunch and have absolutely no waste) with added veggies, cereals (low sugar) and a small amount of protein such as a good quality dog kibble.

A nugget based diet for a rat is very boring. Diet will always be a big source of contention but as an active member of several rat clubs and friends with breeders and years of rat keepign under my belt and experiementing with various diets (shunamite, pellets, science selective, wet foods etc) there is nothing wrong with a good museli with added bits depending on your individual rats requirement

[Amethyst_ice]

Originally Posted by Wanna Hamster

I give them some high protein (18%) low fat (7%) dog kibble mixed with good quality lab blocks. The breeder gave me the bag of dog food and the boys love it. Also, it is all natural ingredients. The additional foods I give them are boiled egg whites (every other morning for protien), purple grapes (once or twice a week, the boys LOVE them), raw pumpkin (I stick a small one in their cage for a short amount of time under supervision and the love to gnaw on it), and the occasional few seeds from an old homemade mix someone gave to me as a gift (I don't give much because they are all quite fatty seeds). Does this sound good, or should I change anything?
Thanks!

As I put in your other post, up to 12 weeks old they will need a high protein, a good way to keep check of their development is to feel their tails. If they start feeling square as opposed to rounded then they need some more protein and vits.

Oily fish, brown bread, brown rice, chicken, chicken bones (they will LOVE these), kale, boiled egg, kitten meat all good for them in the kitten stage..just makes them stinky but worth it for healthier adult ratties