LITTLE SQUEAKERS IS SOY-FREE!
I did away with the Lab blocks- Why? Check out these links:
http://socialrats.blogspot.com/2010/07/still-think-soy-is-good-for-your-rats.html
http://socialrats.blogspot.com/2010/09/latest-update-including-observations-of.html
Here is how I'm breeding for Soy-Free rats (I'm using the same foundation):
http://www.socialrats.com/SoyFree.html
I practice preventative medicine and supplemental feeding so my rats don't get sick.
Their main diet is comprised of the following foods:
1. Uncooked Ronzoni Garden Delight Vegetable Pasta.
2. Cub "Essential Choice" bran flakes, or a brand name flakes with 100% of vitamins- no raisin bran.
3. "Good Sense" brand Rolled Oats, or Cub brand, no "instant" or "quick" oats. The Cub brand cardboard tubes make great hidey holes for the rats when empty.
4. Dried split green and/or yellow peas and dry lentils. (either or both when available). The seem to not like the split green or yellow peas so I give them canned peas. They will eat the inner part and leave the outer shell. The dried peas and lentils can also be boiled to "al-dente" and then fed.
5. Diamond dog food~~ HAS BEEN RECALLED, so I've decided to change back to Wellness "Super5mix" Just For Seniors for the rats (18% protein and 10% fat).
I'll also be changing my Doberman's food to Wellness "Super5mix" Large Breed (protein 25%, fat 11%).
This brand has no soy, corn or wheat in it.
I get mine exclusively at Chuck & Don's Pet Food Warehouse: http://www.chuckanddons.com/
Wellness can be found at Chuck and Don's, as well as <shudder> Petco or Petsmart.The only reason I switched from Wellness to Diamond originally is because I couldn't get Wellness where I was living at the time. But now, with the recall, I'd rather change back totally rather than have it decimate my rattery, just in case. Better safe than sorry.
I also feed my rats foods that are all natural (organic is preferred):
Fresh spinach.
Leafy greens (no iceberg lettuce- no nutritional value).
Avocados; rare, only as a snack because of their high fat content.
Ripe bananas (no skin).
Orange segments only to the non-pregnant/non-nursing girls and NEVER to the boys (it helps the girls with tumor prevention but if fed to boys it can cause injury to their reproductive organs and cause pancreatic cancer).
In-the-shell nuts like Walnuts and Brazil nuts.
Green, red and orange/yellow Bell Peppers
Carrots.
Hard boiled eggs.
Scrambled eggs.
Green apples, NO CORE, the seeds can be poisonous, they can have the skin though.
A little bit of cheddar cheese (once in a while as a snack).
Cooked chicken bones with some good stuff left on it, same with pork and beef bones- good for gnawing and keeping those teeth down.
Other fresh veggies and fruit, canned when I run out of fresh.
Koshi brand low-sugar cereals.
Organic chips, organic green tea rice cakes- my rats LOVE these!
If you decide to give rats Yams or Sweet Potatoes- MAKE SURE they're cooked thoroughly!
Rats can have beef or chicken liver, oysters and tuna or other low fat fish. I gave mine tuna but nothing else. They can also even have meal worms.
Here is a great list to go by when feeding: http://www.lilratscal.com/About%20Rats.htm Middle of the page. It also has a Do Not Feed list too!
I also recommend "Hamsteroids" as a supplemental chew: http://www.petdiscounters.com/Hamsteroids-Chew-Treats_p_12730.html
I also suggest anything you'd give to a large parrot, like the natural perches made from cuddle-bone or calcium. And of course the toys with wood or rawhide, try to avoid loose strings.
The best diet is a no soy diet (in my opinion), fresh veggies, fresh fruit when available, canned when not, low fat fish or other protein is the best for any omnivore. I try to give my rats the best I can get so they live a long and healthy life. Any of the foods I've listed can be tweaked to your liking as to avoid overly-squishy boys as they tend to gain weight faster than girls. Rats in the wild are known to search out what their body needs to fill their nutritional requirements and we should try to make it as diverse as possible for our ratties too.
The supplement I add to their water to keep their scent down is BiOder- Now called Good-Bye Oder.
HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY SUGGESTED TO MY ADOPTERS!
It's much more economical to buy a whole gallon of the stuff than the smaller pump bottles, although it is nice to have one pump bottle to be able to refill to be added to your rats water (even an old hand soap dispenser will work for this, anything with a finger type plunger thingie). This is where I get my Bio-Oder from: http://www.petstore.com/Marshall_Pet_Bi_Odor_Waste_Deodorizer_Small_Animal_Pet_Vitamins_Food_Supplements-Marshall_Pet_Products-MP00186-SPHCVI-vi.html
Getting a gallon at a time will save you money in the long run, and because you will only have 2 to maybe 4 or 5 rats at a time (unlike me) one gallon should last almost forever! Please read the directions for adding it to your rats water.
** I DO NOT recommend ANY human-made rodent blocks, "seed" mixes or packaged "rat food" like Reggie Rat or Oxbow Regal Rat!!!**
**I HIGHLY recommend sticking with the diet I give the rats here, it will keep your new pups health as steady as possible and then once you get them home and they seem to get comfortable with their surroundings, then you can slowly incorporate new foods into their diet. BUT please, don't feed them any product that contains Soy!! I am trying to develop soy free rats and after the 3rd or 4th generation they shouldn't even be near Soy. It will have a negative reaction to their immune systems (according to Social Rats research). Read up on it here. And please remember, if you give your rats something with soy in it after they are in your home and either get sick or die, I will not replace them.
The dog food I buy in bulk, it's cheaper than the same amount in Lab blocks overall and is better for them. It is a little high in protein BUT it is NOT their main food source and shouldn’t be fed as such, they need other staples along with what I’ve listed to be balanced. Rats will eat what their body needs, unlike my dog that will eat anything just because it's there, LOL!
I did away with the Lab blocks- Why? Check out these links:
http://socialrats.blogspot.com/2010/07/still-think-soy-is-good-for-your-rats.html
http://socialrats.blogspot.com/2010/09/latest-update-including-observations-of.html
Here is how I'm breeding for Soy-Free rats (I'm using the same foundation):
http://www.socialrats.com/SoyFree.html
I practice preventative medicine and supplemental feeding so my rats don't get sick.
Their main diet is comprised of the following foods:
1. Uncooked Ronzoni Garden Delight Vegetable Pasta.
2. Cub "Essential Choice" bran flakes, or a brand name flakes with 100% of vitamins- no raisin bran.
3. "Good Sense" brand Rolled Oats, or Cub brand, no "instant" or "quick" oats. The Cub brand cardboard tubes make great hidey holes for the rats when empty.
4. Dried split green and/or yellow peas and dry lentils. (either or both when available). The seem to not like the split green or yellow peas so I give them canned peas. They will eat the inner part and leave the outer shell. The dried peas and lentils can also be boiled to "al-dente" and then fed.
5. Diamond dog food~~ HAS BEEN RECALLED, so I've decided to change back to Wellness "Super5mix" Just For Seniors for the rats (18% protein and 10% fat).
I'll also be changing my Doberman's food to Wellness "Super5mix" Large Breed (protein 25%, fat 11%).
This brand has no soy, corn or wheat in it.
I get mine exclusively at Chuck & Don's Pet Food Warehouse: http://www.chuckanddons.com/
Wellness can be found at Chuck and Don's, as well as <shudder> Petco or Petsmart.The only reason I switched from Wellness to Diamond originally is because I couldn't get Wellness where I was living at the time. But now, with the recall, I'd rather change back totally rather than have it decimate my rattery, just in case. Better safe than sorry.
I also feed my rats foods that are all natural (organic is preferred):
Fresh spinach.
Leafy greens (no iceberg lettuce- no nutritional value).
Avocados; rare, only as a snack because of their high fat content.
Ripe bananas (no skin).
Orange segments only to the non-pregnant/non-nursing girls and NEVER to the boys (it helps the girls with tumor prevention but if fed to boys it can cause injury to their reproductive organs and cause pancreatic cancer).
In-the-shell nuts like Walnuts and Brazil nuts.
Green, red and orange/yellow Bell Peppers
Carrots.
Hard boiled eggs.
Scrambled eggs.
Green apples, NO CORE, the seeds can be poisonous, they can have the skin though.
A little bit of cheddar cheese (once in a while as a snack).
Cooked chicken bones with some good stuff left on it, same with pork and beef bones- good for gnawing and keeping those teeth down.
Other fresh veggies and fruit, canned when I run out of fresh.
Koshi brand low-sugar cereals.
Organic chips, organic green tea rice cakes- my rats LOVE these!
If you decide to give rats Yams or Sweet Potatoes- MAKE SURE they're cooked thoroughly!
Rats can have beef or chicken liver, oysters and tuna or other low fat fish. I gave mine tuna but nothing else. They can also even have meal worms.
Here is a great list to go by when feeding: http://www.lilratscal.com/About%20Rats.htm Middle of the page. It also has a Do Not Feed list too!
I also recommend "Hamsteroids" as a supplemental chew: http://www.petdiscounters.com/Hamsteroids-Chew-Treats_p_12730.html
I also suggest anything you'd give to a large parrot, like the natural perches made from cuddle-bone or calcium. And of course the toys with wood or rawhide, try to avoid loose strings.
The best diet is a no soy diet (in my opinion), fresh veggies, fresh fruit when available, canned when not, low fat fish or other protein is the best for any omnivore. I try to give my rats the best I can get so they live a long and healthy life. Any of the foods I've listed can be tweaked to your liking as to avoid overly-squishy boys as they tend to gain weight faster than girls. Rats in the wild are known to search out what their body needs to fill their nutritional requirements and we should try to make it as diverse as possible for our ratties too.
The supplement I add to their water to keep their scent down is BiOder- Now called Good-Bye Oder.
HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY SUGGESTED TO MY ADOPTERS!
It's much more economical to buy a whole gallon of the stuff than the smaller pump bottles, although it is nice to have one pump bottle to be able to refill to be added to your rats water (even an old hand soap dispenser will work for this, anything with a finger type plunger thingie). This is where I get my Bio-Oder from: http://www.petstore.com/Marshall_Pet_Bi_Odor_Waste_Deodorizer_Small_Animal_Pet_Vitamins_Food_Supplements-Marshall_Pet_Products-MP00186-SPHCVI-vi.html
Getting a gallon at a time will save you money in the long run, and because you will only have 2 to maybe 4 or 5 rats at a time (unlike me) one gallon should last almost forever! Please read the directions for adding it to your rats water.
** I DO NOT recommend ANY human-made rodent blocks, "seed" mixes or packaged "rat food" like Reggie Rat or Oxbow Regal Rat!!!**
**I HIGHLY recommend sticking with the diet I give the rats here, it will keep your new pups health as steady as possible and then once you get them home and they seem to get comfortable with their surroundings, then you can slowly incorporate new foods into their diet. BUT please, don't feed them any product that contains Soy!! I am trying to develop soy free rats and after the 3rd or 4th generation they shouldn't even be near Soy. It will have a negative reaction to their immune systems (according to Social Rats research). Read up on it here. And please remember, if you give your rats something with soy in it after they are in your home and either get sick or die, I will not replace them.
The dog food I buy in bulk, it's cheaper than the same amount in Lab blocks overall and is better for them. It is a little high in protein BUT it is NOT their main food source and shouldn’t be fed as such, they need other staples along with what I’ve listed to be balanced. Rats will eat what their body needs, unlike my dog that will eat anything just because it's there, LOL!
