Rodents on Raw

Since I only have one rat right now, I have decided to see how introducing a raw diet will go with my rat, Sasha. She is an agouti with a white belly (berk?) and she currently eats Mazuri lab block. I have talked with someone who feeds an organic raw diet to her two rats with fantastic results. The diet consists of raw veggies (includes greens), fruits, seeds, nuts, grains, and fresh water.

Since I am adding more raw food to my own diet, having these things on hand won't be a problem. I plan on monitoring her weight and keeping an eye on her health in general. At any poing, I see her begining to decline, I will switch her back to her lab blocks immediatly. Others have used this diet with good results (healthy rats) so I am wanting to give this a try. Anyone interested in my updates? Sasha begins her diet today.

I always recommend giving a lab block regardless of what else you add. You really have no way of knowing if you are providing her with a complete diet, or complete crap.

No matter if the intentions are for the best, unless you plan on taking her into a vet for a complete check up every week and rodent dietary professionals.... you know there is no way to know if it's good for her until it is too late.

I suggest you read everything. Yes, I mean everything. Read Debbie Ducomons (sp?) feeding regimine, read and use rat forums, talk to other fancy rat breeders, and they will tell you that feeding your rats a mix and match diet WITHOUT lab blocks is almost always a bad idea unless you have been trained thoroughly in their nutritional requirements.

I really am trying to be nice about this, but I think it's irresponsible to remove a lab block from a rats diet.

She really needs a partner too.

That's my two cents.

She's getting a friend as soon as I get paid on Thursday. Might go today though.

I will follow your advice and talk to other people and get more information. I won't be able to take her to a vet every week, but I do plan on monitoring her weight. I will do some more research before starting this. Do you know of any good rat forums/sites?

it will die.feed lab block.

Mine have lab block in their feed hoppers always. But I do give treats of dried fruits once a week. The lab block {6F] has everything they need but water.

I could not agree with Connie more.

Bruce

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

I always recommend giving a lab block regardless of what else you add. You really have no way of knowing if you are providing her with a complete diet, or complete crap.

No matter if the intentions are for the best, unless you plan on taking her into a vet for a complete check up every week and rodent dietary professionals.... you know there is no way to know if it's good for her until it is too late.

I suggest you read everything. Yes, I mean everything. Read Debbie Ducomons (sp?) feeding regimine, read and use rat forums, talk to other fancy rat breeders, and they will tell you that feeding your rats a mix and match diet WITHOUT lab blocks is almost always a bad idea unless you have been trained thoroughly in their nutritional requirements.

I really am trying to be nice about this, but I think it's irresponsible to remove a lab block from a rats diet.

She really needs a partner too.

That's my two cents.

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Originally Posted by Bruce Whitehead

I could not agree with Connie more.

Bruce

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Agreed and agreed.

She will not die from having a switch of diet. While lab block does provide everything they need, using a raw diet could work. I am talking with people that feed raw.

I will do more research on the subject before switching her diet. I dont understand why switching their diet to fresh organic fruits veggies grains and nuts? As long as everything is given in proper amounts, what harm are you doing. People told me my ferrets would get sick and possibly die from eating a raw diet and not eating any kibble but they only got healthier.

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

She will not die from having a switch of diet. While lab block does provide everything they need, using a raw diet could work. I am talking with people that feed raw.

I will do more research on the subject before switching her diet. I dont understand why switching their diet to fresh organic fruits veggies grains and nuts? As long as everything is given in proper amounts, what harm are you doing. People told me my ferrets would get sick and possibly die from eating a raw diet and not eating any kibble but they only got healthier.

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Because simply put, rats are omnivorous. If you don't provide meat products to their diet, you're keeping essential nutrients from them. I do not recommend you feed them raw meat at all.

If you try to make them vegetarians, you will be giving them an incomplete diet. They do not have vegetarian digestive track, they are not ruminants with multi chambered stomachs and have the ability to break down plant matter easily. They have to have a second go at whatever plant matter they eat by eating it again.

Give them too much of one thing, or give them the option to pick and choose, you can end up with either fat rats (from them picking out what tastes good), or an underweight sickly rat, (because they lack certain vitamins and minerals).

My advice is to NOT talk to people that feed a RAW only diet, because they will give you what you want to hear. Talk to people that feed a home made diet, people that have worked with rats for years and years etc etc. It will give you a balanced out look into rat nutrition. Not just what you think is best.

It was recommended to feed raw or cooked meat as well as cooked egg for protien. Im going to speak with some rat breeders about diet.

I breed rats for pets. Very, very occasionally.

I use a homemade, mostly organic food mix(many more ingredients than the cheaper mix I have a recipe on here) and feed Mazuri 9F blocks 3-4 times per week. They get mix the other days.

I use Wellness Senior dog food in small amounts. Get dry tri-colored pasta(all sorts), slow cooking oatmeal, black oil sunflower seeds, pine nuts, goji berries, banana chips, bags of dried fruit(different kinds), dried cherries, kashi go lean, kashi go lean crunch(2 boxes each), raisin bran or total flakes, cheerios, puffed wheat/puffed rice, crispy rice, orzo, wild rice, brown rice, couscous, some other dried grains(organic), muesli, dried blueberries(or a cereal with blueberries in it).

Honestly any whole grain cereals with fruit/nuts without any added sugar. Brown sugar isn't too bad like what Kashi has in it.

Please Jay, you CANNOT mimic the correct diet. Rats are omnivorous and need meat in their diet. If you cannot provide that, then please don't keep them. The lab blocks provide all of the micronutrients that you are not reasonably able to.

Do not feed them raw meat. They cannot process it and it would make them sick, like it does us(although I love my steaks barely seared and mooing slightly.. surface bacteria's gone anyway).

Do not feed them alot of uncooked or even cooked fruits and vegetables. It gives them the runs. Frozen veggies/fruits in small amounts a few times a week is fine.

I have had rats, even from awful breeders and pet stores, that have lived over 4.5 years on MY DIET. I rarely have to deal with mammary tumors or cancers. My guys/gals act young up until they are ready to pass on.

Too many nuts and dried fruits can be detrimental to their health(either too much sugar or too much of one mineral or another ie: selenium). Moderation is key. I like to get the in-shell walnuts, pecans, filberts, etc and give them to them. Keeps the rats busy for awhile.

If you want a detailed list of what I put in my mix, I will look in the bins and try to identify.. I just made 60lbs+ of it 2 nights ago. Cost was very low also and it lasts a very long time for my 26 rats.

I just want to reiterate that they NEED the lab blocks to be healthy. If you are unable or unwilling to provide that for them, then please rehome them. The lab blocks contain nutrients that you would be unable to easily provide to them and it would not be ethical IMHO.

I'm not unwilling to feed them lab block. I was just seeing if it was possible to put my rodents on a healthy organic diet. I would love the specifics of the mix you made. I will continue to feed lab block. Actually we are going to order some more next week.

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

I'm not unwilling to feed them lab block. I was just seeing if it was possible to put my rodents on a healthy organic diet. I would love the specifics of the mix you made. I will continue to feed lab block. Actually we are going to order some more next week.

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WHY? JUST DON'T GET IT:confused:ORGANIC WHY?

I feed my rats all kinds of food. I feed a mix of grains, seeds, holistic dog food(no fillers,dyes,by products), fruit and veggies, eggs, fish( dried), baby cereal,rabbit pellets, They love cooked chicken bones,pasta,dog treats I feed them mealworms I raise as treats on occasion.

greghall, are you asking why feed my rats organic?

rebeccabecca, that is the kind of diet I had in mind.