A few question roughly speaking my pet rat?
1. How can I get him to lose weight? He'll run around and play when he's outside of his hold, but when he's inside he either eats or sleeps.
2. What's better for exercise? A running wheel that go inside of his cage, or a ball to put him in so that he can run around on the floor undamagingly? Or are both of them good?
3. What do rats enjoy playing with (toys, games..) and what can I do to receive his days more fun?
4. Is it okay to give him a couple of little bites of holiday leftovers, like turkey, mash potatoes, etc.. Basically, can they eat most people foods?
Thank you, have a great holiday season! (:
1. Get him a wheel for the inside of his enclose.
2. Both are very good.
3. Ropes and stuff they can climb on.
4. No.
You can get him a joystick if you want him to get exercise in his enclose, but if he won't exercise in his cage carry him a ball. Don't feel him to much. They will like bells to play next to or other shiny objects. Rats don't really eat meat. They will like cereal and crackers or fruits and vegetables.
First entry, please invest $10-15 in a kitchen scale so you can weigh your rats. It is especially functional when they are feeling sick. A few grams of weight loss or gain for them is like a few pounds for us humans. I weigh my rats regularly. If you hold a male and he is under 700g I wouldn't worry too much at adjectives.
Rats really don't like runabout balls as they hinder their faculty to feel and smell where they are going. Plus the size of most of those balls is small adequate to damage their neck when try to run in them. A reins should be 13".
Rats like to dig and shred. If you get a bamboo basket and fill it with quality newspaper to shred or fabric pieces he should play in it.
A little turkey is ok, but stay away from sweet potatoes and sugary things close to the cranberry gel from the can.
Keep in mind there is no better piece you can do for a rat than get it a playmate of its own species. Your rat will live longer and be healthier.
1. Just let him run around on your bed or the floor next to supervision. My rat loves to do that. Balls and wheels are both great- and a ball will allow him to explore more than just his pen.
2. both are really good- get him both!
3. They love to chew on things, or rip things apart. Give him some flavored wood blocks to chew on and an old tee shirt to shred. He'll love you for it. You can also instruct him tricks- they love learning new things.
4. Of course- just dont over-do it. Whatever make us fat or sick will do the same to him. Thye love turkey, even jello, but stay away from nuts and too much sweets so you dont mess up his digestive system.
Answers: 1. conceivably your rat is getting exercise, but it has a bad diet what are you feeding him/her presently? some of the best diets are suebee's diet- a homemade diet, Harlan tekland or Regal rat.
Suebee's - http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html
Harlan tekland; official site - http://www.teklad.com/rodent.asp
find there food through online stores, you can't get it contained by pet stores.
some harlan tekland stores are:
http://www.kimsarkrescue.org/content/vie... theratshop.com, ratzrealm.com, craftyrat.com, http://www.camarattery.com/coloradoratst... (scroll down)
regal rat - I haven't looked where to find this yet, but some speak they prefer it over harlan.
2. I would never advise giving a rat a roll-around-hamster ball type thing. a big, solid running wheel for inside the cage is fine, needs to be solid to prevent injuries - approaching tail getting stuck, and large to accommodate a rats size and avoid spinal problems.
3.Well rats should always be bought in a duo, or if you buy one rat atleast have another it can live with at domestic. Rats are very social. and buy in pairs of the same masculinity or ..you'll obviously have babies. you can spay or nuter rats, also. You should also try and socialize and play/pet with your rat terrifically often, but when you first get it let own time to get to know you. rats also love hammocks/beds. here are some links to people who make/sell homemade hammocks.
http://www.therowdydog.com/
http://www.dearpiehammocks.com/
http://www.chelseyscozies.com/
http://mainelyratrescue.org/store/index.
and here are some rat toy ideas- http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm
4. as far as i know skin and 'eyes' of a potato are not good, not certain of mashed potatoes. cooked Turkey/chicken bones are fine, they won't splinter in there throat because they don't get through them whole like a dog. most just guzzle the marrow. sweet potoe is okay only after cooking, corn is only good on the cob, frozen, or from a can. i'm not certain if some things in frozen/canned corn is all okay. corn lacks much nutritional worth, personally i avoid it. cooked green beans are also good.
if you want to hand over your rattie a bunch of leftovers be careful not to give to much, present all in moderation, your rat could get fatty or to sick from adjectives of one thing.
heres a site with rat food info;
http://www.bruxnboggle.com/forum/viewtop...
1.Those male rats really pack on the pounds don't they? Most manly rats are a little chunky and many of them do become overwieght. Unfortunately, you can't do much that much. Those boys are very languorous. Try cutting down on the treats including fruits and veggies. Measure the food everyday. I give my boys 3-4 tablespoons a day. Two contained by the morning and two at night. Filling the bowl to the top gives him access to eat anytime doesn`t matter what he wants. Try taking him out longer in an enclosed room approaching a bathroom and letting him play for extra time. Chase him around with your fingers and have fun beside him.
2.Running wheels are great forms of exercise. The only problem is that rats are usually to smart for them and won't use them or to inactive. I have never had a boy rat use a wheel. I hold had a few very active females progress for them but it is not common. A ball an absolute no no. Rats can own their tails caught in the ball and their foot can get caught as well. They do not move like hamsters. Rats to not resembling being restricted to small spaces and it will freak him out. It is dangerous and also stressful. None of my rats, boy or girl, ever have used a orb. I suggest you getting on the floor with him and giving him the attention yourself instead of putting him in devices.
3. Rats love toys! There are plenty of fun things you can seaily trade name yourself to put in his cage. This is my favorite website with tons of philosophy of homeade toys:
http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm#ratrun
My personal favorite is the Ratty pi~nata. It gives him exersise and keeps him busy. Be creative and own fun!
4. You can give him leftovers but if he is already flab, then I would go against it. Thanksgiving dinner food and most people food within general rats can eat. However, it is not healthy at adjectives. I would stick to fruits and veggies with a mix and nothing more. This is a wonderful site food you can make for them, and what they can and can't guzzle:
http://ratfanclub.org/diet.html
Good luck and feel free to email me with any other questions.
