# How to put weight on a rat?



## mrowfs (Sep 20, 2014)

My oldest ratty, Louise has been very sick with a bad respiratory infection, we took her to the vet a few days ago and the vet is fantastic! After three days of doxy and baytril, her breathing is already a lot better and she has more energy and is showing a lot of progress already which is awesome! But, in the past few weeks she's lost so much weight and her bones are sticking out, even though she was eating like a pig, so I was wondering what I can feed her to help her gain some of the weight back. They currently eat oxbow regal rat food, as well as yogies and people food once in a while, but is there anything special I can give her with extra protein or fat? I'm not sure what I should give her. All of my other ratties are in perfect health and one is even a little bit pudgy.
I know that eventually she'd gain weight back since her body lost it due to being so sick and trying to fight off her infection, but what can I do to help gain weight a little faster. She hasn't really gained any in the past few days. 

Or should I even try to feed her extra and just let her gain it back on her own? I'm not really sure what to do here. 


If anyone is looking for a veterinarian in the Chambersburg, PA area, Dr. Jeannine at Best Friends Animal hospital is amazing! She's very knowledgeable with rats and actually shows an interest in them, unlike other vets I've taken rats to in the past.


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## abratforarat (Jan 12, 2014)

I'm happy she's getting better! Try giving her fats and proteins such as sour cream and steak!!!!!!!! Goodluck!


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## mrowfs (Sep 20, 2014)

Thank you! I figured she'd need lots of fat and protein but I'm just not sure which foods are high in those and are okay for her to eat?


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## Pixxiies (Jan 25, 2016)

There are a ton of options on the market to feed your ratties...
When it comes to protein, you can always share a small amount of lean meats including chicken, turkey and fish.
I'd recommend going out and getting a couple of jars of baby food. Also, premium brand (blue, wellness, etc.) wet cat food is a nice treat for rats in moderation (it's super high in protein for what a rat needs). When I give these as treats I only give each rat between 1/2 to 1 tsp. But I'm sure you could give Louise a little extra given her situation, but that doesn't mean she'll eat it all anway.
Avocados have the highest level of protein out of all fruits and contain good mono and polyunsaturated fats.
Since shes on antibiotics you might also want to implement a little bit of unsweetened plain or vanilla yogurt that has probiotics. Not only is this a good protein for her but it also will help her gut flora as antibiodics can be quite troublesome for their little bellies. I usually offer each rat 1/2 to 1 tsp of this as well. I never measure it, I usually just scoop a bit on to the tip of a spoon (what would be equivillant for a human to taste) and scrape it on the side of their fresh food dish OR offer it to them off of the spoon.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Older rats should not get more protein and phosphorous containing foods. It increases considerably their chance of kidney disease and failure. Stick to carbs and to some extend fatty foods. Avocado is fine, and rats love it. You can add a little flax seed oil into her baby foods, veggies

Benebac gel is great for probiotics. My rats think it's the best treat ever, and it has lots of calories from fat in it. Yogurt is ok, but many rats are lactose intolerant so that might make her sick. Kefir is way better than yogurt because it has more probiotics and more different strain of probiotics than yogurt- as a bonus kefir is 99% lactose free, so you don't have to worry about potential upset tummy


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

I wouldn't focus so much on protein (unles she's young) instead for weight gain you want mainly easily digestable carbs, with extra fat/calories and protein. So some options are

* cooked white rice with egg cooked through and made up with coconut cream
* cooked egg noddles with tinned sardines in a tomatoe sauce, with a bit of linseed oil
* cooked pasta with cooked chicken and a tin of baby food mixed through
* senior wet dog food, ideally fish / egg / white meat based protein (for oldies)

With all of this I would take her out of the group into a small cage or carrier for 30-60 mins a night with a bowl able to eat as much as she wants. If she wont eat alone then alternate a friend or try her in the main cage whilst the others free range. As shes on her own so wont need loads try mixing up a few options and freezing in tablespoon blobs, this means you can alternate falvours which is very useful in encouraging them to eat, just defrost a blob or two.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I know our pudgy rats tend to like sweets of any kind... Typically sweets aren't a good idea for healthy weight rats, but rats love them and under your circumstances they can help in a pinch up to a point in a pinch. I do tend to think that dense proteins might be a bit heavy on an old sickly rats digestive system.


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## Minky (Apr 4, 2013)

I highly recommend avocado as a superfood to feed to thin or undernourished rats. It's highly nutritious and full of calories and good, healthy fats. Most rats adore avocado.

Oatmeal is another healthy food that they love which should help fatten her up. You can even add a bit of cream or coconut oil - the fat makes the food more palatable and she will eat more of it. 



I recommend feeding Louise seperately since the already fat rats don't need to get any fatter  Plus you want to make sure they don't grab food from her.


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