Owning rats, or as some say, being owned by rats, is a journey. For me it began with being intensely rat-phobic to where I am now, rat-obsessed (ok, i admit it).
This is a checklist I created to keep track of my rats nutritional requirements (according to Debbie D. the Rat Lady). Bold items are essential; the boxes show how many times/week they should have each item. Liver/oysters should be given 2x/wk for adults and 4x/wk for ratkids under 6 months.Please feel free to use it if it will be helpful. You can download it to your computer by clicking on the picture at the left. This will load the full-size graphic which you can then right-click on and save to your computer. Or I would be happy to send you the Excel file. Just leave your name and email address in the comment section with your request or email me directly.
My next project is a Ratty-Human Diet complete with recipes. In the meantime, if you want some good kale (and other) recipes check out World's Healthiest Foods Recipe section or Food Down Under.
Labels: food/nutrition
I was interested in this book when I first read about it on the Shunamite Rattery website (the owner, Alison Campbell, is the author), but because it is located in the U.K. I didn't order it. If you are on that side of the globe, the website has several sources that stock it linked at the bottom of the page.I recently discovered that Linda from The Crafty Rat has it here in the U.S. and is reselling it for $15.00, so I purchased one from her. She doesn't have it listed on her site, so she may have a limited number of copies available. (update 11-5-05: Linda informed me that she has added it to her website. She also passed on an interesting link to a breeder feeding rats a natural, raw diet, Sparticles Rattery.)
I am so happy I bought this book. I've been trying to read as much as possible on the web and elsewhere to figure out what a nutritious rat diet would really look like. I've found that there is a lot of conflicting information out there and much of the information has no explanation so that you cannot really make an informed decision.
This book is very thorough and goes into detail outlining the nutritional needs of rats at different stages of development and with specific medical conditions. There are several examples of good diets and healthy snacks and lots of recipes. There is also a fun section on food toys.
And there was also important information that i'd never heard or read before. One example is that mango flesh is as dangerous as oranges to male rats because of the d-limonene which can cause kidney cancer (more info about d-limonene and male rats can be found here).
Lots of people say "just feed lab blocks, then you don't have to worry". I've always felt that approach was wrong somehow, but didn't know how to argue against it. I like this author's philosophy. It is gratifying to see that a well-known and respected breeder feels that the pleasure that rats get from eating is reason enough not to feed just lab blocks and that rats can eat healthy and enjoy their food.
As a large person who is trying to eat healthier, I see it as the rat taste equivalent of the difference between a "Jenny Craig or Slimfast"-type diet compared to a well-balanced diet, high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, with minimal and healthier snacks, and more exercise.
It is my personal belief that 'balance' should be interpreted as feeding a diet wide and varied enough to provide overall balance, rather than needing to find a homogenous, pelleted diet, where every mouthful contains the same balanced nutrients (but also the same flavour, smell and texture)...Like us, rats are omnivores, who naturally eat extremely varied diets. They also seem to derive a great deal of pleasure from eating.My only suggestions for future volumes would be an index and reviews of commercial mixes that are available in the U.S (oh, and maybe a couple of blank pages for notes to add interesting information such as ways to grow and feed sprouts - *thanks Linda).
-Alison Campbell
Labels: food/nutrition, product review
How does someone with 4 rats end up with 8 rats?
Published Tuesday, November 01, 2005 by eileen2000.
Well, I got a little ahead of myself and already introduced you to Bunnyman, so i guess its time for you to meet the rest of the boys.
When my sweetheart Penelope died I was really depressed. She and I had a special connection that is hard to explain. While I love all of my girls, none of the ones who remain are especially people-oriented. Dinky is the sweetest and most affectionate of the lot, but she is still sort of shy and would rather hide out than hang out.
I decided to get another pair of rats. Boys this time so that we wouldn't have the tumor issues that have plagued the girls and because I wanted to experience a group of boys.
I contacted a couple of breeders to let them know I was interested, Linda B. of the Crafty Rat in San Jose and Connie Perez of Rat Genesis in San Francisco.
Linda had some adorable blue dumbo boys that would be ready soon and arranged a play date so that we could meet our prospective adoptees when they were 3 weeks old.
Right after I heard from Linda, I heard from Connie. She had pictures of some beautiful Burmese and black-eyed Siamese and Himalayan pups that would be available. I somehow convinced John that we should get one of these guys too, but then realized that one would be lonely during quarantine, so it should really be two. (hmmm.... you see the pattern here???)
I was so anxious for our first play date that I couldn't stand it. Every day I was counting down how many days were left before I could go. When I got there I met Linda in person and she invited me in. Rat heaven. Three cages of adorable baby rats. One was the blue litter, one was a down-under litter and another litter had just been born with more potential down-unders. I played with the boys and girls in the blue litter. It was hilarious the way they swam out of their cage. I really enjoyed talking to Linda, very knowledgable, funny and down-to-earth. She handed me a little agouti-hooded rex guy from the other litter. He curled up on me and started bruxing. I fell in love with him right then but I figured he must already be spoken for. On the next play date the same thing, came out, cuddled up and started bruxing as soon as I petted him. I tentatively asked if he was available. Linda said "Well, I hadn't told anyone about this litter, but yes, he's available." That was it. I knew Bunnyman was coming home with me. I still couldn't decide which of the blue boys was the one, though. They were all cute and sweet and playful. John came with me on the second playdate and fell in love with a little blue agouti hooded guy, Otis.
I told Connie the personality types I was most interested in and let her choose which boys to bring. We met midway at the San Mateo train station. It was also the first time I had met her in person. I have admired her knowledge and kindness on the list serves where she posts and it was nice to have the chance to meet her.
Oggie and Buster were so tiny. With their big eyes and ears, they almost looked like little mice. Initially they were shy, but soon warmed up to us.
We introduced the two pairs of boys after they had both had a chance to settle in and they bonded immediately. No huffing, puffing or posturing from anybody. In fact, the two bigger boys of Linda's seem to realize that they need to play a little bit more gently with the little guys and are very tolerant of Oggie's relentless Kamikaze attacks on them.
When my sweetheart Penelope died I was really depressed. She and I had a special connection that is hard to explain. While I love all of my girls, none of the ones who remain are especially people-oriented. Dinky is the sweetest and most affectionate of the lot, but she is still sort of shy and would rather hide out than hang out.
I decided to get another pair of rats. Boys this time so that we wouldn't have the tumor issues that have plagued the girls and because I wanted to experience a group of boys.
I contacted a couple of breeders to let them know I was interested, Linda B. of the Crafty Rat in San Jose and Connie Perez of Rat Genesis in San Francisco.
Linda had some adorable blue dumbo boys that would be ready soon and arranged a play date so that we could meet our prospective adoptees when they were 3 weeks old.
Right after I heard from Linda, I heard from Connie. She had pictures of some beautiful Burmese and black-eyed Siamese and Himalayan pups that would be available. I somehow convinced John that we should get one of these guys too, but then realized that one would be lonely during quarantine, so it should really be two. (hmmm.... you see the pattern here???)I was so anxious for our first play date that I couldn't stand it. Every day I was counting down how many days were left before I could go. When I got there I met Linda in person and she invited me in. Rat heaven. Three cages of adorable baby rats. One was the blue litter, one was a down-under litter and another litter had just been born with more potential down-unders. I played with the boys and girls in the blue litter. It was hilarious the way they swam out of their cage. I really enjoyed talking to Linda, very knowledgable, funny and down-to-earth. She handed me a little agouti-hooded rex guy from the other litter. He curled up on me and started bruxing. I fell in love with him right then but I figured he must already be spoken for. On the next play date the same thing, came out, cuddled up and started bruxing as soon as I petted him. I tentatively asked if he was available. Linda said "Well, I hadn't told anyone about this litter, but yes, he's available." That was it. I knew Bunnyman was coming home with me. I still couldn't decide which of the blue boys was the one, though. They were all cute and sweet and playful. John came with me on the second playdate and fell in love with a little blue agouti hooded guy, Otis.
I told Connie the personality types I was most interested in and let her choose which boys to bring. We met midway at the San Mateo train station. It was also the first time I had met her in person. I have admired her knowledge and kindness on the list serves where she posts and it was nice to have the chance to meet her.Oggie and Buster were so tiny. With their big eyes and ears, they almost looked like little mice. Initially they were shy, but soon warmed up to us.
We introduced the two pairs of boys after they had both had a chance to settle in and they bonded immediately. No huffing, puffing or posturing from anybody. In fact, the two bigger boys of Linda's seem to realize that they need to play a little bit more gently with the little guys and are very tolerant of Oggie's relentless Kamikaze attacks on them.
Labels: food/nutrition
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