Rats are friends, not food.

[Mindibun]

Ok, well they may be food from time to time, but these two girlies never will be. I just wanted to put up a picture of their new cage, and ask a few quick questions.

Cage:


Questions:
They're about a year old now and like to spend a lot more time in their cage. Even when I offer them time to run around, they wander for a bit and then go back in and lay down. The only time they ever get really hyper is when I go in and make baby voices at them and wrestle with them. Should I take this as a sign of them getting to be "over the hill"? I know they typically have a short lifespan: 2-3 years. So I'm figuring them to be about middle-aged now.

Is there anything I can do to keep them healthier, longer? Other than what's obvious in the picture, their life consists of play time out of cage several times a week and nothing but fresh grains, greens, fruits, proteins for meals. They've never eaten blocks; the only brand I liked was Regal Rat and they wanted nothing to do with it. So now they get a leafy green mix, brown rice, veggies and fruits, bread, olive oil from time to time, cheese here and there, crackers, etc. I give them chicken bits and chopped up egg for protein. Is there anything I'm missing?

If this would be better off in the "small mammals" section, could a mod please move it for me? Thanks.

[STORMS]

Nice Rattie setup! I have the same cage, but no more ratties Gosh I miss them I got too attached to them, I had to switch to critters that lived longer

[Michelle.C]

Once they hit a year or so old, they do slow down considerably from when they were babies. They should still be quite active though. The age I noticed my rats really slow was around 2 years. It sounds like you just have lazy little girl rats, no real reason for concern.

As you might have guessed, their aging is very dependent on genetics. If they came from a feeder breeder, or a "back yard breeder", their life expectancy will not be that of a an animal that was bred for longevity. In general, their general life expectancy is between 2-3 years for a healthy animal.

I tried Oxbow's Regal Rat too, my rats hated it. I ended up feeding it to the Lobster Roaches.

Harlan Teklab and Mazuri are both excellent lab blocks, that rats seem to like. My favorite (their's) is Harlan Teklab. I order my rat chow from Kim's Ark.

Sounds like you are giving them a pretty well balanced diet. I'd find a brand of lab block they will accept, because it is very important for their dietary needs. I feed mine Kashi Brand Cereals, Harlan Teklab Rodent Blocks, High Quality/Low Protein Dog Chow, Puffed Rice, Millet, Sunflower Seeds, Roasted Peanuts, Veggie Spiral Noodles, Finger Baby Foods (like the Apples and Strawberries), Total Brand Cereal, etc. I also offer Vegetables (Leave out vegetables like lettuce, high water content gives them diarrhea), Fruits, pretty much any left overs you have laying around.

Here is a Forbidden Food List. PetRatsCanada

Looks like they have a nice cage! You might wants to hang up cat toys (with bells), crinkle balls, etc. Give them things to shred like paper, paper towels and paper towel rolls, wooden chew blocks, etc. I also give my crew baskets. They seem to love bedding in them and tearing them up.

It looks like you have two very spoiled little girls! Good luck with them!

[littleindiangirl]

I bought the Oxbow for my two pet male rats, and they wont touch it. They ate maybe two cups of it, then they peed all over it and never ate it again when I offered fresh food. They're back to Mazuri 6F and scraps from us.

[marmie]

Looks like your girls have the penthouse! Lucky little girls.

I've had pretty good luck with my rats and the average life span is 2 years. IMO the boys last longer than the girls and I'm sure that's due to multiple pregnancies.