# Pale feces



## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

I just switched to harland, after using suebees mix for a long time. (basic mix, supplemented with crappy pet store food instead of dog food, since even that had lower protien than dog food) I decided the protien was too high, and now have HT 2014. I've noticed that since the switch, they have had pale poos, not dark brown, almost the colour of the blocks. All drink normally, and their coats are softer, they seem brighter. I really like HT, and I'm hoping this is not reason to discontinue using it. I've seen only two or three dark raisins in the cage at all since changing.

Anyone else seen this in rats on 2014?


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Well I am sure you know this, but poop gets pale when it dries out. A fresh turd is always darker.

I use 2018 Harlan, for my boys because it was easy to obtain and 2014 for my girls.

I don't think the poops should be an issue unless they are malformed, or bloody or runny.

Remember, that even though the protein can be higher in dog food there is more to food then just protein content (which I have managed to find low protein dog foods but I live in NY and we have literally every kind of pet food under the sun around here)

I prefer the content of Oxbow Regal rat, but like many others my rats stopped eating it after a while. AND it was WAY to expensive to buy multiple 40 pound bags of it since I have 15 rats.
Harlan is much more affordable.

I also found that my rats got fat when they were on Suebees mix, so now I don't use it. I supplement the harlan with fresh romaine lettuce and sometimes fruits and berrys


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

I know, it also had to do with availability and me being a lazy ass and liking being able to wander to the store for food. I'm not the best planner and tend to notice our absense of food the day before it's gone. Either way the bad food is gone now, so I'm going to pretend it never existed, and continue the harland. Gotta put a thing in my phone to remind me to order more when I'm expected to run low. I'm using the crafty rat to get it, I like that site, they were reliable.

The poos I mention aren't just pale, they're that whitish colour of the blocks and look like if I picked one up, it would be chalky. I havn't seen any of them poo that colour when out of the cage, always brown. I should save a fresh turd or two and see what happens when they dry..
None are abnormal aside from that. 

I'm using the 2014 because of the higher protien crap they were on. I absolutley do not want to risk furthering any damage they may have from that. Frankly, though, I'd prefer to supplement protien for any who need it, since it's easy for me, because I have chickens that lay amazing eggs, than be offering too much protien. To supplement, all I really need to do is rip a corner off the eggs I eat in the morning, they always love egg as a treat, and Romeo is a bit old, so gets small bits more often. He seems skinny sometimes compared to the others, but he eats and runs, and I think he's okay, just aging.


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## smesyna (Nov 22, 2010)

I've noticed lighter poops just from switching from 2018 to 2014. They are darker fresh though.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Do you mean chalky when they are fresh or dry?

Each food will have a different poop consistency and especially color. Mazuri 6F makes for darker nasty smelling poops, Harlan is lighter and a lot less smelly, etc, etc.

Are all the rats having the same coloured poops? if they all are don't worry.


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

Dry..they still poo brown fresh as far as I can tell. I keep wondering why some of the dry raisins are that whitish colour and then there's a few scattered dark ones.

It does seem like they are all having the same colour, though.


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## Snippet (Dec 30, 2010)

One of my girls started having pale poops when she first came to me. She'd been fed a good, but generic shop bought diet before she came to me. When I got her I started feeding her what my own girls where fed. I assume it was something to do with the change of diet as it cleared up and hasn't some back.


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