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Summary: Watch as an animal care specialist explains what to feed your pet rat in this free online video about exotic pets.
Laura Fitzgerald has been an animal lover her entire life. Having her first pet rat at the age of 5 (after rescuing it from the snake food chain). Growing up on a 200 acre horse farm...read more
"Hi, I'm Laura Fitzgerald and on behalf of Expert Village, I would like to talk to you today about the care and maintenance of your pet rat. Now I would like to talk to you about your rat's diet. Your rat's diet is one of the most important things that you should learn about to make sure that your rat lives a long and happy life. Rats only live about eighteen months to two years so that is why diet is so important. Today I want to show you a little about what a rat should eat. Right here I have lots of vegetables, your broccoli, cucumber, green peppers, carrots, even some asparagus, some fruit, apples, and some cheese, bananas, and these, I have some dog food pellets, wheat crackers, whole grain cereals and then your regular rat diet. You should have multi things for free grazing all day long. So I would put two or three bowls, maybe a bowl of fruits and vegetables and a bowl of his rat chow and maybe a couple of crackers and maybe a bowl of his whole grain food in and offer it to him every single day."
eHow Article: Pet Rat Food
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Comments
grace4 said
on 1/23/2009 This lady doesn't know crap about rats. They need to be fed lab blocks like HT, Mazuri, or Oxbow. They do need fruits, veggies, and grains as well, but not... is that Reggie Rat???? NOT seed mixes, especially REGGIE RAT. That stuff is terrible. Yes, goosemoose.com is a FABULOUS site with people who actually know their stuff.
And she should NOT have her two girls running around with a MALE. Unless she wants her already nursing girl and hairless to get pregnant, they shouldn't be out together, especially when she's busy making a video. Their cages need more levels and some more stimuli - hammocks, a variety of toys, apple sticks, more boxes, chew ropes... seriously.
She also has them on bad bedding. It looks like pine or cedar shavings. With two week old rittens on them? That's wrong.
She's also encouraging people to breed their rats. WE DO NOT NEED ANOTHER UNEXPERIENCED BREEDER IN THE WORLD. Do NOT breed your rats! Please, please, please sign up on goosemoose.com and get some true facts from people who actually know their stuff if you're thinking about getting rats. They're fantastic creatures - very clean, social, hardly ever bite, and will come when called and can be trained. That's probably the only thing she got right. Goosemoose.com.
sandratodd said
on 8/2/2008 I cannot even finish listening to this. I just hope and pray that people that are new to rats do not listen to this woman. She is so off on the diet it isnt even funny and the life span of a rat is 18 months to 2 years? Perhaps HER rats due to the poor way she raises them, perhaps, but my rats, unless there have been some underlying birth defect, have lived to be over 3 and close to 4 years old. Her diet is loaded with foods rats should NOT have including foods high in protein and fats. I guess she is trying to promote kidney disease in the elderly rat after eating a high protein diet? Because that is exactly where that diet is taking the rats. No wonder her rats dont live long.
I did not even dare go to any other video other than the part about diet and when I saw she is also teaching how to breed? Is she serious? Please, lady, do not shame the title of exotic expert because you have no clue what you are talking about. Expert in your own mind, maybe.
jorats said
on 2/17/2009 Holy crap... Laura is no expert. They need to do their homework... what a terrible disservice to the rat community.
hello6 said
on 12/16/2008 i read rats live 5 years she wants you to buy one so you will get stuck with she is just mad beause people feed rats to the snakes yes i went there
hello6 said
on 12/16/2008 that is so funny lol