Stashing food

[Reptilian]

Hey all-

A few more rattie related questions.

I feed a mazuri lab block that if made for rats and mice and found in the pet store. I also feed a rat mix with it to. The rats go for all of the food, but lately I've noticed the stashing all of the lab blocks.

How many lab blocks should I give? Do I need to have a bowl of them sitting out and then just fill another with the mix? They are nibbling at the blocks, but if I were to keep a bowl of them in the cage at all times and keep filling the mix bowl, they won't getting a balance of lab block and mix. They'll be getting more mix than lab blocks. When shouldn't it be more lab blocks than mix?

I hope that made sense.

[frankykeno]

Mine hide their lab block too Layna. I think it's just typical "putting aside a bit in case food runs out" behaviour all rodents do. I usually just don't give them more until they eat their lab block or I flick it back in the bowl for them. If they get too snooty about eating it, then that's all they get for a few days. The other thing I've done to get them to eat a bit more lab block is to smash it up a bit in a bag and then just mix it right back in. Then they can't as easily sneak off and stash it.

[Reptilian]

Ooooo good idea with the smash and mix. I'll have to try that!

[AzureN1ght]

Hehe...they're like kids--hiding the brussels sprouts so they can get more of the "good" stuff

[frankykeno]

Yep pretty much Kim.

[catawhat75]

Glad it's not just mine, picky little suckers.