Overfed, twitching rat?

Question

ok so i got a rat (Ricky) about a week ago. i notice that he twitches a lot (not just his nose, his entire body) . someone said that he could be either scared, hungry, or just really excited about something.

and about the overfeeding part, how do i know that I'm over feeding Ricky? the lady at petsmart says that i need to give him one hand full of his food every day, but that's a lot of food for such a small animal. he only eats about a 3rd of it all. also, i have been feeding him one or 2 baby carrot sticks each day while teaching him how to do different tricks (giving him pieces when he completes the trick correctly)... i really don't want him to get fat but if i cut down on his food intake, he might not be getting enough food.

at the moment he is normal sized, i think. he doesn't look fat but he doesn't look underweight.

Answer 1

As the others have said, he'll stop eating when he's full, don't worry about it.

And i think the twitching could be hiccups, especially if it's rhythmic and when he seems to be acting casual otherwise. Rats do get hiccups, though without seeing him, i couldn't be sure.  

Answer 2

A rat will only eat what it needs to eat. They will not over eat like people do, if the food you are feeding him is healthy he will not get fat. The carrots are just fine, they make a great treat. If you are teaching him tricks and he gets plenty of exercise he will be fine (about 1-2 hours a day of being out and playing)

If he is an only rat you may have emotional problems to deal with. Rats need another rat companion to be truly happy. This could be part of the twitching. You should do a bit more research into rats to know for sure.

Check out some pet rat forums to help you out.

ratchatter.com is a good site to check out

Answer 3

Nah, rats learn to stop eating when they are full, so fill his dish up each day with about a couple of tablespoons of food and some vegies and fruit and it should be fine and remember to refresh his water bottle. If you take him out for exercise everyday (1/2 hour plus) it shouldn't be a problem. Also you really need to have gotten two rats, rats are very social and your poor rat will become depressed. But this might mean a bigger cage etc so it is your choice. You also need to read up on how to introduce a new rat, so don't go about it in a rush. For now you are doing fine though :) Don't stress!

The twitching is more likely to be squeeking that you can't hear. Please get him a companian (triple check that it's a he), he might be lonely. To intro a companion keep it separate for 2 weeks in case it has a bug or something. Then introduce them in a neutral place, like on your bed or in the bathtub (obviously with no water in it). Do this for about two weeks or more. They may have a minor scuffle or two but eventually they will bond. When they seem friendly (they wash each other and play fight, not serious fighting which is fluffed up fur and biting hard and squeeking and they follow each other round). After about 2-3 weeks of taking them out, clean out the cage you are going to put them in thoroughly and place them both in. Watch them carefully in case they fight but it should be fine. If they do, you may need to separate them and start the process again.