Healthy adult male neutered rat weight....

[undergunfire]

All four ratties went to the vet today. Louie and Leonidas are on Baytril for a bit of a URI.

My biggest monster rattie, Spartan, weighted in a 460 grams. He is an adult, probably about 1 years old, neutered, and is on a diet of organic cereals, grains, black oil sunflower seeds, oats, Total Cereal, ect...with Chicken Soup Senior dog food and Solid Gold Holistique. My rats also get nightly dinner with meat, fruits, and veggies.

Does Spartan's weight seem okay for an adult neutered male? I just seems to me like he weighs so much more when I pick him up!

[mandycoot]

Weight is a factor in a rat's health, but I like to go more by how they look. 460g can be very low for one rat and very high for another, depending on body size and composition. Are they solid and firm, without a lump on the back of the neck or rolls hanging off behind their front legs? When they walk down a ramp does fat fall forward? I don't usually worry if there is a *bit* of chub, but you want to cut back if they start to get rolls and excess weight hanging off them.

[undergunfire]

I, personally, think Spartan looks very healthy and great. I was just shocked that he didn't weigh more. I must be thinking he weights 1 pound, at least that is what I was expecting. I am going to go to Walmart later and buy a postal scale, anyway....I need to do weekly weighing, for my records.

He doesn't have fat rolls, at least not to me.


Maybe some pictures would help, to see if he looks good...and not too chubby?


On his back...


Next to his (then) 13 or 14 week nakey friend:






And when he first came to me, approximately 9 months old, my guess. He was extremely thin, and pretty much on the verge on death:

[scout]

He looks okay in the current pictures, weight wise, but not ideal. I think you'll need to be careful not to let him gain any extra weight or he will be overweight. So I'd reduce the sunflower seeds and some of the nightly treats as those probably contribute the most to his daily caloric intake. Make sure he gets out for exercise daily - give him lots of climbing and exploring to do with plenty of variety to keep him interested in getting around. If you have a lot of room for him to roam, see if he'll chase you around. Exercise is as important for rats as it is for people and will help him get and stay slender.

[undergunfire]

Him and his buddies have a full bedroom with nothing but a bed, desk, and night stands to roam around in (brother in law is away at college, so we use his room)  . Spartan is my baby and also gets to run around on the couch a couple nights a week with me when I watch television (which really only is a few hours a week).

He does run around a lot and play with his "brothers" in the cage (when not out for free time), and there aren't too many sun flower seeds in my mixture....everything is measured out carefully.

I'll be sure to watch his food. It's tough because I want to make sure the two younger guys in the cage get their share.

[ozzysmama]

Our Ozzy is 620g and the boys are 450g....but to me, the brothers look way chunkier and Ozzy even has a "mad man mane" to add to his look!!  So I agree.....I think it kind of depends on how the rat "carries" his weight.  *super cute he is!!!*

[undergunfire]

It might just be his rex fur that makes him look a little "chunky", too?