Gut loading rats

[serpent fan]

Whats up with this. Can it be good for the snake?
Like, if i fed rats a bunch of grapes, or healthy fruits, their getting super hydrated, and lots of fresh nutrients, which is than passed to my snake, right?. Is there anything specific to feed feeder mice a few days before their eatn, so as to give my baby bp the most bang for his bite, so to speak

[serpent fan]

And of course the obvious, can this harm the rats. Im not sayin forcing these down their mousey mouths, thats rude, im just sayin, what can i FEED these guys that will most benifit the snake. When feeding the feeders before eating, should i give then an hour, 2, a day to digest and break down the goodies before their eatn?

[The Serpent Merchant]

It's not really necessary... But if you want the best thing to do is provide water and high grade lab block like Harlan Teklad.

[serpent fan]

Lol i should just start pm'in your with my questions, your seem to be the first to answer all of them haha, thanks so much for the knowledge!

[Mishy]

Lol i should just start pm'in your with my questions, your seem to be the first to answer all of them haha, thanks so much for the knowledge!

So true! ^_^ lol


*MissMishyyy*

[serpent fan]

Man, this forum, and youz guys are awesome

[Rhasputin]

feeding your rats a lot of fresh veggies and fruits is actually bad for the rats, too.

[Mishy]

feeding your rats a lot of fresh veggies and fruits is actually bad for the rats, too.

Ummm no it's not. I've owned 8 rats as pets at different times when I was younger. Rats are supposed to eat fruits and veggies and lab blocks are only supposed to supplement. Obviously those dietary needs are not as nesissary if the rat is to be food bc you aren't looking for the longest life possible. Lab blocks can cause tumors in old rats when fed excessively throughout their life. Again for a feeder rat, they are fine and nutritious. But either way fruits and veggies are Not a bad thing health wise for rats.


*MissMishyyy*

[Mike41793]

Ummm no it's not. I've owned 8 rats as pets at different times when I was younger. Rats are supposed to eat fruits and veggies and lab blocks are only supposed to supplement. Obviously those dietary needs are not as nesissary if the rat is to be food bc you aren't looking for the longest life possible. Lab blocks can cause tumors in old rats when fed excessively throughout their life. Again for a feeder rat, they are fine and nutritious. But either way fruits and veggies are Not a bad thing health wise for rats.


*MissMishyyy*

He said "alot". Some is probably fine

[satomi325]

Ummm no it's not. I've owned 8 rats as pets at different times when I was younger. Rats are supposed to eat fruits and veggies and lab blocks are only supposed to supplement. Obviously those dietary needs are not as nesissary if the rat is to be food bc you aren't looking for the longest life possible. Lab blocks can cause tumors in old rats when fed excessively throughout their life. Again for a feeder rat, they are fine and nutritious. But either way fruits and veggies are Not a bad thing health wise for rats.


*MissMishyyy*

I'd like to correct you on the lab blocks. A quality lab block such as Harlan or Mazuri provides a rat with everything they need. No supplements needed. And quality blocks won't promote tumors. In fact many members here have seen tumors disappear due to feeding a quality lab block after feeding a poor diet. (feeding rats in the colony a bad diet vs a good diet. When feeding a poor diet, the rats developed tumors. When switched back to a good block, no tumors arose)
However, feeding a poor quality lab block is the same as feeding garbage...

Even fancy rat breeders will state that a quality rodent block is fine alone. Many rat clubs sell Harlan and Mazuri as a main diet item.

Blocks can also be better than a mixed diet as the rat doesn't have the ability to pick and choose what it eats. In a mixed diet, they would have to eat everything in the mix to get all the nutrients needed, and some rats don't do that. They pick what they like and leave the rest.

If you give too much fruit, they get diarrhea. Too much citrus can promote kidney tumors in males too. At best, I would supplement fruits and veggies as they're mainly a grainivore.

I breed and raise rats as feeders and pets. My rats live in my bedroom and live a pet quality life. I give my rats fruits as treats. But overall, they eat Mazuri lab block.
They are healthy and look as good as show rats.

And it does matter whether or not a feeder is put on a good diet. What goes into the feeder goes into the snake. I want to feed my snakes a good quality rat so I feed my rats a good quality diet. And that consists of rodent block.

I also work in a research lab. We feed rodent block to the rats and mice as well. And as a a scientific model, the animals need to be healthy. The block provides a fully balanced nutritious diet in order for them to thrive.