# Reggie Rat.....Is It Ok For Young Rats?



## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

Well as many of you know im getting rats for Christmas. (Im so excited!)
And i was looking around on the internet and i saw Reggie Rat food. Check it out and let me know if you think its good for young rats.

http://www.afrma.org/cc_reggierat.htm

Thanks


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

*Re: Reggie Rat.....Is It Ok For Yound Rats?*

My god it is


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

*Re: Reggie Rat.....Is It Ok For Yound Rats?*

i buy a mixture actually i buy reggie rat a natural kaytee blend and lab blocks i mix them all together my rats used to discard the long black tube things but now they eat them


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

Well do you guys think i should just feed them Reggie Rat? Or some dog food too?


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

oh yea my rats like dog food they steal it sometimes but if u want to add dog food make sure you get california natural or what ever brand has the least amount of chemicals or else your rat will get fat and possibly poisoning


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

ok il look up california natural


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

but if you dont have that make sure it doesnt have to many chemicals i cant stress this enuf


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

It looks good, what kind do you get it shows alot of different kinds
http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/...-_-Broad_Ad_622300149|-|100000000000000001478


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

*Re: Reggie Rat.....Is It Ok For Yound Rats?*

kaytee & reggie are both really bad diet choices

reggie & kaytee both contain alfalfa: rats cannot diagest alfalfa 


be sure to check the rat diet thread because many members have contributed a lot of great info about the various foods out there.

http://ratforum.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=3079.html


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

umm probably anyone of those would be good but mine like lamb and chicken


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

I agree with Passion, just say NO to both of those diets.


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

lol its fine


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

Il go with Passion


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## JoshDeMott2010 (Aug 25, 2007)

I go to My local grocery store for my rats staple diet. I cannot afford fancy rat foods so i decided id study what is healthy for rats. 

I have came up with my own mix!

Origional oatmeal

Brown rice

some mastacholi noodles (the ones with barley wheat) they are a dark brown noodle.

i have add some non healthy dog foods a few times (Not reccomended but rats loved it)

As far as how much of each to add is up too u.. my mix is like 4 parts oatmeal 3part brown rice and around 1 part noodles.

Or in other words... most is oatmeal the brown rice should be noticably in the oatmeal after mixing. and the noodles need to be about 2 every 2inches or so inthe surface of the mix.

this costs about 3-5 dollars for 2 ibs. I think its pretty healthy my rats dont have health issues.


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## JoshDeMott2010 (Aug 25, 2007)

AustinXAPMX3 said:


> It looks good, what kind do you get it shows alot of different kinds
> http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/...-_-Broad_Ad_622300149|-|100000000000000001478


if ur talking about using these dog foods as a staple diet then u probably shouldnt because dogs require alot of proteins rats require proteins but not nearly as much as dogs. to much proteins means bad skin conditions bad coat conditions. and could possibly make the rat fat. rats should be muscular many beleive they need to be fat. Muscle is the way to go trust me! sorry for the double post just hope i help a fellow rat lover!


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

I found this in the rat diet thread, its ok for young rats?
http://www.ratnutrition.com/order.html


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## cjshrader (Feb 15, 2007)

In my food post, found here:

http://www.ratforum.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=3079.html

Under the Suebee's Diet section you'll find a listing of lab blocks/dog foods considered good for rats. If you go dog food, you must mix it with a grain mix of some sort (Like Suebee's Mix). If you go lab block, you can feed it by itself but the rats will appreciate more of a mix.

The only two good lab blocks are Harlan Teklad and Regal Rat. (I'm not sure if I've put Regal Rat in that post yet or not)


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

its ok im not hurt


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## JoshDeMott2010 (Aug 25, 2007)

I dont beleive this is the best idea. This looks like an independant clerk trying to make a buck off of a 10dollar mix. lol Beleive me just buy some of those ingredients i listed and feed these to your rats. If u are willing to spend a good amt of money lab blocks is definitely the way to go for the staple diet. Good treats include some no or low fat yougurt some fruits and smoe veggies. eggs are a favorite but i wuldnt advise to many.. 


as far as the site u found goes i dont have any experience with it but some of those ingredients seem healthy enough for rats...


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

Yah thanks for your help  I appreciate it, im getting rats for Christmas. So it soon, im just trying to get more and more prepared.


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## cjshrader (Feb 15, 2007)

Oh no, I only used that site as a source. Mostly I got info on food that is good and food to avoid from that site. I didn't even know they were selling their own mix.

way2kewl was 100% right, it's much easier to just make your own.


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

yea my rats like yoagie's


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

Can you feed them just Subees mix, all the time? Or dog food too?


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## cjshrader (Feb 15, 2007)

You can't feed them *just* the mix. Either dog food or a lab block is required to be mixed in (50%).


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

way2kewl4u_92 said:


> I go to My local grocery store for my rats staple diet. I cannot afford fancy rat foods so i decided id study what is healthy for rats.
> 
> I have came up with my own mix!
> 
> ...


I have to say that this food does not sound nutritionally balanced. It is lacking in so much...

I would encourage you to look into rat nutrition a little more. There are mixes that you can make yourself that are healthy, but none of them contain only three or four ingredients.

8O :?


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

50% wow i only thought it was like 20%


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

So 50% Subees and 50% dog food? Mixed 50 50


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

AustinXAPMX3 said:


> So 50% Subees and 50% dog food?


That is what I have found to be the most nutritionally sound.

It lasts a loooong time, too!


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## cjshrader (Feb 15, 2007)

That is correct, Austin. You can check out the Suebee's website for more detailed information.

http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

thnaks


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

Thank you guys i appreciate your help. Since i am getting rats for Christmas I am starting to get really prepared. Sorry for being annoying.


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

np (even tho i didnt really help hehe..)


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

lol np you were here talking, and maybe you learned something lol


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

oh yeah i did thanks


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

ratrover... yogies are something you need to be very careful about giving as well

They are like all sugar. Not something the rats should really be eating at all when there are so many healthy choices to offer them. 

Please do take a look at the thread that has been created with lots & lots of suggestions of good, healthy food choices for rats.

This is a general idea of their primary diet: I use a good lab block as a daily staple (Harlan if available or Mazuri). Along with that I offer a very small amount of a premium low protein senior dog food, maybe 3 to 5 pieces (since I have a senior dog in the home) rolled oats, brown rice (both cooked or puffed), pasta (both cooked or dry), various veggies (they LOVE green peas, diced carrots, broccoli & romaine lettuce) & fruits in moderation (banana, blue berries, papaya) & as a treat they get 3 or 4 sunflower seeds as finger treats a couple times a week. There are other items they get but no real need to list all of that here. Anything I would list can be found on that diet thread.

What we feed our rats can & will have a major impact on the length & quality of life they have. Too many high fat & sugary foods will have a negative impact on their life... just like it does on us human folk.


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## ratrover (Nov 17, 2007)

i know how to use yogies and may i warn u about romain lettuce they loved it but it gave mine wet tail


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## cjshrader (Feb 15, 2007)

A1APassion said:


> What we feed our rats can & will have a major impact on the length & quality of life they have. Too many high fat & sugary foods will have a negative impact on their life... just like it does on us human folk.


To give a personal anecdote that backs this up, I used to not be the greatest rat owner. I didn't do enough research, and I believed what products in pet stores said. I saw no problem with buying a pet store rat and feeding them pet store food (I didn't know any better. I wish I'd found these forums sooner). So with that I fed them Kaytee, which we now know to be pretty bad.

None of those rats lived past 2 years of age, for sure. Of course I never knew any of their true ages, but I'm sure they weren't older than that. I feel many died younger.

Now that I'm quite a bit wiser and feed them good, healthy, Suebee's mix they are all much healthier and living much longer. The four rats I have now I am fairly sure are all above 2 years old. They all seem to be in good shape and rarely get sick. So what you feed your rats definitely matters.


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

What dog food do you recomend to mix with the subees mix? 

Remember my rats will be young.


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## Darksong17 (Feb 11, 2007)

AustinXAPMX3 said:


> What dog food do you recomend to mix with the subees mix?
> 
> Remember my rats will be young.



I would recommend Natural Balance Reduced Calorie Formula or Wellness Weight Management Super5Mix as those are two high quality dog foods with some of the lower protein and fat contents you'll find.


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## daisy184 (Oct 29, 2007)

Ive always used Reggie rat, it has chicken and essencial oils added to it...
I also give chicken,boiled potato and broccolli or tuna,brown rice or pasta and the occassional chunk of dog meat, they also have a bonio or similar hard dog biscuit to gnaw on.
My 20 or so ratties have thrived on it and nazzie lived to 3 years and 4 months on that diet!..


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

I used to use Reggie Rat but then found Harlan Teklad. You have to be careful with Kaytee products as well since they use a preservative that can cause cancer.


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## glindella (Sep 9, 2007)

As far as dogfood my rats absolutely love Natural Balance Reduced Calorie Formula  I feed then that as well as suebees, you can mix around the Suebees a bit to fit your pets tastes as well. I use either the puffed wheat or the puffed rice, the little boys ignore both and the big boys hide them, I don't want to sut them out completely because they might be eating some of it. 

Fresh foods are absolutely amazing for rats, veggies, chicken and some fruit (lots of sugar) are (almost) always enjoyed  

As a general rule stay away from pet store bag mixes and Kaytee, things are labeled badly to sell more product, not to keep your animal healthy


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

ratrover said:


> i know how to use yogies and may i warn u about romain lettuce they loved it but it gave mine wet tail


rats don't get wet tail... that is a hamster thing(specifically it effects Syrian Hamsters & not the Dwarf). In fact it is a bacterial infection, not food related at all.

...& if you note, I said fruits & veggies in moderation... not so much that it would give them the runs which is most likely what you experienced if you gave them too much fiber in their diet. 

Green makes you clean! 
(I know I know... ewwwwwwwwwwwwww!)


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

Lol so i think im going to get the Natural Balance Reduced Calorie Formula. And il just mix it with the Subees mix 

Oh by the way how much do you feed them a day?


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## Darksong17 (Feb 11, 2007)

You can edit your posts AustinXAPMX3 

Some people will choose to feed a restricted diet but many freefeed. Since you're saying that your rats will be young I see no problem with freefeeding and restricted feeding can just be an option if they do become overweight on freefeeding as adults.


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

Lol i know i accidently pressed back space. 
So free feeding is just feeding them whenever?, sorry to ask dum things but im new at this hehe :roll:


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Free Feeding is when the food is always available. Generally the staple is free fed, so it's always an option. The Suebee's, veggies, and treats are then fed in set amounts.


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

so the staple is the thing you feed all the time like the dog food?
and then when do i feed the subees? vegetables etc


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

AustinXAPMX3 said:


> so the staple is the thing you feed all the time like the dog food?
> and then when do i feed the subees? vegetables etc


Right.

I free-feed lab block, and at night before I go to bed they get the rest. It's all gone by morning.

But you can pick whatever you like, even split it up, if you'd like. They'll eat when they're hungry.

Only thing is, if they aren't eating the staple, cut back the other stuff. They NEED the staple.


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

Ok so i will feed the dog food all day, and then subees at night. And other stuff inbetween. Does that sound good?


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## Darksong17 (Feb 11, 2007)

What I used to do was mix the staple dog food in with the Suebee's grain mix and simply freefeed that whole mix (in other words have it always available and refill it when it was all eaten.)


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## AustinXAPMX3 (Oct 23, 2007)

I was thinking of doing that. Im just trying to get ideas


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Darksong17 said:


> What I used to do was mix the staple dog food in with the Suebee's grain mix and simply freefeed that whole mix (in other words have it always available and refill it when it was all eaten.)


I think the reason that isn't often recommended is that some rats, not all, will pick out only the sweet/fatty bits and will therefore gain lots of weight and not get the balanced diet.


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## Darksong17 (Feb 11, 2007)

Forensic said:


> Darksong17 said:
> 
> 
> > What I used to do was mix the staple dog food in with the Suebee's grain mix and simply freefeed that whole mix (in other words have it always available and refill it when it was all eaten.)
> ...


'

I understand that but I also feel like too much of the dog food isn't necessarily good either. All in all it's really up to the individual and how they see it I'd imagine since there aren't really any conclusive studies on the best way to feed this diet. A good way to make sure a mix is eaten is to give it to them and not refill the dish until it is empty entirely. If you give too much that might take more than a day so giving certain amounts at a time and then refilling when it's depleted might work better than filling the whole bowl. Also, paying attention to how much of each ingredient you put into the mix could be helpful in ensuring that there is a minimal amount of the less nutritious bits and more of the more important ones.


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## reachthestars (Feb 27, 2007)

When I free fed my Subees mix, they would pick out all the 'yummy' stuff, and they gained a ton of weight. With the dog food as their free choice food they're back to a normal healthy weight. 

Dog food is fine for rats, provided you get a high quality brand that is low in protein. I personally get my vet brand dog food, and have had great success with it.


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## cjshrader (Feb 15, 2007)

Darksong17 said:


> A good way to make sure a mix is eaten is to give it to them and not refill the dish until it is empty entirely.


This is what I do. They like to change their hiding places to try and trick me, but every day I look through the cage. If they still have food stashed, then no extra food that day. If they don't, then they get fed. I try to make sure they constantly have food available, but they need to eat all of their mix.


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## glindella (Sep 9, 2007)

cjshrader said:


> Darksong17 said:
> 
> 
> > A good way to make sure a mix is eaten is to give it to them and not refill the dish until it is empty entirely.
> ...


What about ignoring part of Suebees? Two of my rats won't touch puffed anything, is it that important that they eat it? They eat their dog food and the rest of the mix. 

*I leave it in because the other two eat it and my apartment isn't big enough for two batches of suebees


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## Darksong17 (Feb 11, 2007)

glindella said:


> cjshrader said:
> 
> 
> > Darksong17 said:
> ...


I'd say that the most important parts of the mix are the staple dog food and the Total Cereal (the Total provides a lot of the vitamins and minerals). As long as they are eating those two things and the other ingredients I wouldn't be too terribly concerned.


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## Darksong17 (Feb 11, 2007)

reachthestars said:


> When I free fed my Subees mix, they would pick out all the 'yummy' stuff, and they gained a ton of weight. With the dog food as their free choice food they're back to a normal healthy weight.
> 
> Dog food is fine for rats, provided you get a high quality brand that is low in protein. I personally get my vet brand dog food, and have had great success with it.



I did mention how that might be avoided in a mix. Dog food is fine for rats but it's also formulated for dogs, not rats. I only recommend high quality dog foods. I've looked into a lot of the high quality dog foods to find which are most suitable based on their protein and fat contents. Honestly, even the best suited are still a bit higher in protein than is necessary for adult rats. That said, they are still most suitable to use in the mix and it's about as good as you're going to get. Again, there's no scientific evidence on which way is best when feeding Suebee's mix so at this point it's totally up to the owner to decide which they feel is best for their rats.


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