How much do your rats eat? Please let me know.

[Fleur.Cirocco]

How much do your rats eat?
I read on the back of my bag of food that they should eat about 20 gramms of it in a day.
I am concerned that mine aren't eating that much, and also it seems quite a lot.
They are definately eating, I'm not concerned about that, I just don't know how much they are eating.
Let me know how much yours eat.
Sophie. x

[Elaken]

I don't know how much they eat, I just give them lab blocks whenever they need it and then supplement their diet with smaller amounts of other types of food.  If your rats are a healthy weight then they are probably eating enough.  What kind of food do you feed them?

[Fleur.Cirocco]

Well, I just buy the mixed dry food, but I give them treats. Sometimes, proper rat treats from the shops, sometimes bits of carrots, or other fruit or vegetables. Also bread from time to time.
Is that alright?
Oh, and their weight, they are both 16 weeks old, and one is 220 gramms, one is 200 gramms.
Is that weight alright?

[Elysium]

The girls get 1/4 of a cup of Nutro's Natural Lite dog food, and 1/4 cup of Suebee's mix every morning. Normally by the next day it is all gone! They get two different treats everyday. For instance, today they got small pieces of steak, and a leaf of Romaine lettuce.

Yesterday was the first time I gave them a boiled egg, and they said "YUCK!"  It was kind of funny though because I broke it up in to bite size pieces, and within an hour they had it all over the cage. 

[Elaken]

Fleur.Cirocco, if it is feasible you should maybe look into an alternative food source such as the dry mix many people make and use or a high quality lab block.  That way you know your kiddies are getting everything they need without harmful additives.  I think 200 grams is fine, although I am not very knowledgable about rat weights.

Ella_Bella I can't believe your kiddies said yuck to a boiled egg!!  When I give it to my kids I pretty much have a full-scale riot on my hands!

[Elysium]

Ella_Bella I can't believe your kiddies said yuck to a boiled egg!!  When I give it to my kids I pretty much have a full-scale riot on my hands!

I thought they would just gobble it up too! I'm curious to see if they like peas which I'm going to buy the next time I go food shopping.

[mandycoot]

My four are free-fed lab blocks and get 3/4 cup of Suebee's every couple days. They also get a big rat salad every day with varying greens, veggies and fruits, probably about a cup to share between them. The funny thing only one is pudgy, two are normal, and one is super tiny!

[rapforjane]

I'm going to say this because I care about your rats. Commercial diets are crap, I've only experienced one that was "ok" and it was turned up by all my animals. I'm not sure what rat fanciers in the UK recommend, but we always recommend Harlan Teklad because it is the most nutrionally sound food available in the state. I wouldn't recommend suebees because it's full of carbs and I've got the fatties to prove it. Please please check out alternative diets for your rats because I highly doubt the food you're feeding is appropriate. Also, I'm pretty sure you said you're in the UK, have you checked out http://fancy-rats.co.uk? They can give a lot more region specific advice too. 

[Reverend Sin]

I agree with rap... pet store foods/diets are crap. Just because it comes from a pet store or says its for a certain species or even good for them, doesn't mean it is. Thats just their way of getting money from those who don't know any better yet. If the person who works there tells you any different its only because thats what they are trained to do ( either that or they think they know something and lead you to believe the same thing)
I would buy a low fat - low protien dog kibble or lab block before ever feeding the mixed stuff from the stores.

[Siana]

I suggest you check out the UK version of Suebee's Diet at Shunamite Rats.  Linky.

[Fleur.Cirocco]

Alright, thanks a lot everybody! Your advice is great!
Yes, I am from UK, and I will check out both the links that I have been given!
Only thing is, I've got a HUGE bag of the food that they already have!   
I shall also try the boiled egg that was suggested, see if mine turn their noses, or love it!
Thanks again.
Fleur.Cirocco x

[Reverend Sin]

Keep the bag food you have and give it as a treat once in a while or .. put it out for the birds and squirrels .
You can give a hard boiled egg, baby foods, chicken, rice, pasta, fruits, veggies, and almost anything you eat as long as its not a no no food. Just make sure you get a good staple food too. YOu're rats will love you! ( Not that they don't already hehe)

[Fleur.Cirocco]

Lol. Thanks again. 

[dwankrista]

all i could think when i saw the title of this topic was, "too much".   

[Elaken]

all i could think when i saw the title of this topic was, "too much".   

 

[mandycoot]

all i could think when i saw the title of this topic was, "too much".   

Me too *hides head in shame* My estimates in my reply were a bit on the small side...

[NewRatMomma]

My rats are free fed lab block and suebee's mix.  One of them eats about 3/4 cup of Suebees a week, and several lab blocks.  It's hard to tell with the other one, because she scatters her food all over the cage she's in right now.  Both of them are supplemented with all kinds of different foods: cheese, scrambled egg, various fruits and vegetables, cooked pasta, chicken, fish, yogurt, cottage cheese.  I gave them each some soy milk today: Daisy guzzled hers up, Sheniqua hasn't touched hers yet, but then, I don't think she's been down to the food level yet today (we played hard during cage cleaning, so she's been sleeping).  They also get yogies and crunchy peanut butter ball treats occassionally-probably more often then they should.  So, yeah, I guess too much applies here as well.  I think my pets eat better than I do.......................Oh, and the bones from cooked chicken legs or thighs are excellent gnawing treats!

[Rowena]

LOL I thought: Uhm maybe too much??

the boys get a dish full of their Innova Senior and Suebees. I just sort of put it half and half....so probably a cup combined of that. Then in their other dish, they get a diff. mix each day...Some days its just mixed veggies and some fruit. Others its a mix of veggies, cooked pinto and garbanzo beans, with flax seeds...then I have some homemade baby food that Ive been giving, since my son doesnt eat it and someone should lol So those days its a mix of brown rice, and veggies lol Oh and spaghetti. They LOVE the spaghetti. They tend to have both bowls cleaned out the next day. Sometimes the dry stuff is two days, but not often....They seem to really like the squash I have frozen too

[NewRatMomma]

Update:  Sheniqua does not like soy milk.  All she did was dump it over in the cage so I had a big mess to clean up.  Bummer.