Help! Pet Rats?

Question

this is kind of gross, but my pet rats have diarrhea and it smells really bad, ok it IS gross. well anyways...

they are two males a little under 5 mounths old. i did a little bit of reasurch and some websites said it is sometimes caused by an imcompleate diet or too many fresh greens. I only occaniasnly give them fresh greens so i dont think that is the problem. Here is what i am feeding them...

Made by LM ANIMAL FARMS, the Vita-Vittles rat and mouse diet with cracked corn, sunflower seeds, peanuts and vitamin-enriched pellets.

Along with that i give them LM ANIMAL FARMS Classic Mouse and Rat Food. (bassicly the same thing as lab blocks)

i keep the food availble pretty much at all times.

Do you think that their diet is the problem?

Would a vet be able to help?

If there diet is the problem, then could someone tell me what i could feed them instread that would be better. i dont care if that food is homemade or if i have to buy it at the store.

Thanks for the help...

Answer 1

cut the lab blocks out, thats your first mistake.  Many of those blocks while seeming ok and sufficiant have products in them that rats actually can not digest.   But also understand that sometime the ratties will just have upset tummies especially if your trying out different foods.

dried out cranberries are good and tasty for them, it helps with their uninary tract and bowel movements, sunflower seeds good,   once in a while you can throw in some baby food, peas, bread,  even some chicken would be great (just make sure whatever they don't eat of meat you remove soon after they are done)

Almost anything that is healthy for you is also healthy for your rat.....be very careful tho when giving them dairy products, while a tiny piece of cheese is ok don't load up on it because that will make very soft stinky p**p.

there are web sites online with lists of what not to feed your rat as well as recipies for home made mixes that are great for them.

hope this helped

good luck

Answer 2

I used to have pet rats and their tummies are pretty sensitive at that age.  Try going to a local pet store (like Petsmart, Petco, or where you bought them) and explaining the situation.  Give them the names of the food you are giving them and see if they have another brand with different ingredients.  

Also try feeding them a bit less.  Perhaps they are over-eating because the food is right there for them all the time.  Place the food in their cage for 3 hour intervals.  Then remove it for about 3 hours, then replace it.  Watch to see if them eating less helps the diarrhea clear up.

If they keep having bad diarrhea after 24-48 hours has passed then call a vet to see if they have suggestions or want to see them.

Oh, and also make sure they have clean, fresh water at their disposal.  Sometimes dehydration or dirty water can cause diarrhea.  Also clean out their cage every day until their p**p hardens and then you can do it once a week, or every other day (like I did) if you'd like.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I'm not sure whether what you're feeding them is directly making them sick, but from the sound of it your staple food is NOT appropriate (let alone healthy!).

(Dried) corn has very little nutritional value and has been linked with cancer in rats. Even fresh corn should only be an occasional treat - NOT the heads with black stuff on them, which (for some reason) they insist on selling for human - and animal - consumption in the shop. If it looks odd (black, brown, grey, etc.), don't buy it!

Sunflower seeds and nuts are fattening, and should NOT be part of the regular diet of an adult rat! They, too, should only be an occasional treat.

Most of the rat food in the shop (especially if it's labeled "for rats AND MICE") is pure rubbish. Seed mixes are, for the most part, junk food by any other name - chock full of unhealthy things which your rats will eat while completely ignoring what little healthy things might be in the mix. The only commercial rat foods I'd recommend are Oxbow's Regal Rat (NOT Reggie Rat!), Mazuri lab blocks or Harlan Teklad lab blocks. If you can't get those for some reason, try asking for Altromin, which is a mediocre brand available in Europe.

If none of the above choices are available for whatever reason, you can try Suebee's mix http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html - NOTE: this is NOT a complete diet: it needs to be supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables, and a good-quality dog kibble. (If it's advertised on TV, chances are it's NOT good-quality.) I expect someone else will pitch in with suggestions on good dog food.

Answer 4

A vet will be able to help any pet and I really doubt they will abandon an animal.

Answer 5

Even though the diet does seem OK maybe it has too much protein in it. Try and change up the diet any and see if that helps. If changing the diet doesn't help then you need to take them to the vet.

Answer 6

One more thing they could check, if it's not the food, it to see if he has any parasites.  In particular Pinworm.  It could potentially give him dirrahea.  

They would just need to do a fecal and a tape test.

Answer 7

You need to take them to the vet, particularly if the diarrhea is extremely watery and foul smelling.  This can be a sign of a serious problem, especially if it has been occurring for more than a day.  Rats dehydrate easily and can become quite sick in a very short amount of time.

Lab blocks are excellent, but the quality varies.  I prefer Oxbow Regal Rat but my rat is currently refusing to eat it.  So, I'm shopping around for a different block.  Get rid of the Vita-Vittles, those are all ingredients that should be fed sparingly.  The link you gave to Suebee's mix is excellent I have used that in the past.