Rat Qs
I went to meet this lady about 2 rats. And the lady told me that male rats do not mark their territory or pee as much if you feed them hamster food. Is this true? And she also said that female rats bleed when they come in heat like dogs do. Is this true also? I have never heard any of this before and i was wondering if the lady was just making this up.
Answers:Um, she's completely wrong on both accounts.
All rats leave scent trails to mark their territory, males and females. Diet does not affect this, though it could affect the smell of the urine. Don't feed your rats hamster food because hamsters have different dietary needs than rats. Rats need more protein, so just get a good lab block for rats and they're dietary needs will be met. Read the labels and make sure that corn isn't the first ingredient, wheat or soy should be the first ingredient. Animal protein is also important in their diet. Mazuri rat lab block is the best food I've found and you can buy it at Petsmart. It doesn't have any animal protein in it, so I supplement it with a little dog food.
I have two female rats and they have never bled while in heat. They get extra hyper when they're in heat, but that's really the only way you can tell if they're in heat.
It sounds to me like this lady has no idea what she is talking about. Nothing she said is true at all.
Male rats will act like male rats because of hormones, not because of the type of food they eat. Rats have different dietary requirements to hamsters, and so should be fed accordingly, to keep them healthly.