Rats that won't eat?

[Mindibun]

I'm posting this in the small mammals section, but I think it might get more attention in the breeding rats section. It's not a breeding question, though, so... yeah.

Anyway, my two pet rats have both pretty much stopped eating. It's been gradually happening over the past week. I figured they were just getting bored with their food so I didn't worry and two days ago I switched it up. I bought them all of their favorites and they just wont eat. They didn't even eat their cheese last night! And tonight I gave them cooked bowtie pasta and they each took two noodles, and then they were done.

They sleep a lot, but they're already a year old and they were bred to be feeders so I'm not expecting them to live to be a hundred. I figured they were getting to be middle-aged and were just slowing down. But now that they've stopped eating I'm worried.

I did call a vet yesterday, but all they said was, "Well, they should probably be seen." I want to call a few more vets but they aren't open on Sundays. For some reason all my animal issues happen on Sundays...

Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions for me? They seem otherwise perfectly normal. They don't seem like they have a cold or anything.

I dunno.

Halps?

[drugaria]

Hm, I don't want to sound pesimistic, but rats don't usually stop eating like that. They may slow down with their feedings but , will still eat. Are you sure they are not eating even a little bit? My extra fat long evans rats don't eat much altough they are extremely fat
Have them seen by a vet if they are pets, if they are feeders/breeders and is not practical with the vet bill, you know what's the next best thing.
I hope they get well

[blackcrystal22]

How can you tell they are not eating?
Also, make sure your careful about feeding them processed foods like cheese and pasta, I've heard that some dairy can be bad for them.

What is their staple diet?

[Mindibun]

I can tell they are not eating because there is still all the same food in the bowl the next morning. -lol- Sorry, but that just seemed like a silly question at first glance. I try to keep track of what they get and how much. The bowl will have been slightly picked over the next day, but not much else. I can see that they've barely touched it. Also, they are used to eating out of my hands and they just dont want to take stuff from me lately.

Their normal diet is very healthy. I gave them the cheese and pasta because I knew they weren't eating. Usually, they get fresh greens (I know not to give watery ones) and fruits. They like apples, grapes, and banana. They get carrots, broccoli, squash, tomatoes, anything I have handy. They get brown rice on occasion, too. They eat as well as I do, basically. Trust me, their diet is pretty good.

They are still pooping, and its not any different than normal. Not particularly runny or discolored or anything unusual like that. They dont have watery eyes or runny noses, and they are not injured in any sort of way. They dont seem to be bloated, but that's hard for me to judge. I really just dont get it. I've gone over what seems like every possible option with people I know, and we just can't figure it out. Other than not eating, they are perfectly normal rats.

I'm going to make them a vet appointment tomorrow, but I dont even know what to tell the vet to look for since there are no outward signs. I don't want them to have to go through a bunch of blood tests.

[SatanicIntention]

Try not to give them much cheese if any. Rats are lactose intolerant, like dogs and cats.

Are they hydrated? Still drinking?

If you're worried, you can get some Hill's a/d from the vet and mix it with some store-brand Ensure(nutritional drink supplement of some sort), preferably the kind with 350 calories per can. You can also put the Ensure in a water bottle (for a few hours only, then refrigerate) and let them drink it that way.

You want them to stay hydrated and warm, eating is second on the list.

www.ratguide.com Look up the list of no-no foods. I believe tomatoes are on that list, and try not to feed too much broccoli or spinach(if you feed spinach). Oatmeal or baby cereal is a good alternative with some fruit(not too much) or a bit of yogurt mixed in.

[littleindiangirl]

Sorry to hear that, and while I love your giving them a fresh diet, I do have to point out that many rat lovers also realize that it's difficult to know you are giving them a nutritionally complete diet when feeding them like this.

Rats are considered omnivores, but I didn't hear anything but veggies and fruits in your short list. Veggies and fruits are good, but I ask you if you give them any sort of lab block or Becky's diet 24/7, and are only supplementing with fresh fruits and veggies?

There is also the Rat Lady's diet...
http://www.ratfanclub.org/diet.html

I strongly feel that you should look into getting a high quality lab block, or mix like Becky's. I really think your on the right track, but need to offer them the choice of eating a nutritionally complete diet with lab blocks involved. Not just the fruits and veggies alone.

[Mindibun]

They dont just get fruits and veggies. I think I mentioned that they get grains and proteins too. If I didn't mention it, well, I am now. They do get Regal Rat chow from Oxbow but they dont usually eat it. The only reason I even started to offer the fresh stuff is because they wouldnt eat rat food.

Anyway, I took them to the vet today and he said they are the healthiest rats he knows. He said they were even healthier than his own rats. He tested for anything we could think of - parasites and respiratory issues, etc. He looked to see if they had any mouth problems, and he checked for tumors and other injuries. In short, there was nothing at all wrong with them.

So we're not sure why they're slowing down on the eating, but I guess I'm going to just have to keep trying. I'm going to give them just a bowl of regal rat during the day, and then at night I'll also offer their fresh stuff. Maybe that will get them to eat a little more. :/

[littleindiangirl]

My rats didn't like regal rat at all.

[SatanicIntention]

Neither did mine. I just feed them a very varied mix(changes each time I make it) and Mazuri 9F blocks. They get blocks 3-4 times a week and mix 2-3 times a week. Works well and I haven't had a mammary tumor or illnesses(other than the occasional boy abscess) for a long time.

The regal rat is only 14% protein, which may be fine for older males that actually eat it, won't work well for females. Try a block with 16% protein(no more or you'll get skin problems) and a bit more fat 6-9% and you'll be good to go. Blocks the majority of the time, mix a few times a week with fresh veggies and minimal amounts of fruit/human foods.

[littleindiangirl]

I started by giving my two boys regal rat, and they would root through the mix and appeared to eat it, but after a couple of weeks they wouldnt touch it. They really didn't like it, so they went back to Mazuri 6F and started eating normally again.