# Oatmeal as a basic part of diet and their teeth are white :



## RattyJessica (Aug 22, 2008)

I was wondering if oatmeal, unsugared and unsweetened, is okay to put into their regular diet? I thought it would be okay, but I wanted to be sure, so is it?

And their teeth seem to be white, not orange or yellow, which means they aren't healthy or getting the right nutriants, so, what foods could help this??

EDIT AGAIN:
they are maybe a month, possibly two months old 

EDIT:
Well heir basic diet is a mix of:

oatmeal
little pellet things you feed hamsters and gerbils and rats (it says for rats)
sunflower seeds
usually a mushroom
diced carrots
when I can peppers
a saltine cracker (lol, they took a liking to it)
some nutty-nugget (grape nut cereal)
grapes
if I can a roasted peanut

Now, how is their diet, lol?


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## MadCatter (Aug 12, 2008)

*Re: Oatmeal as a basic part of diet? and their teeth are white :*

Perhaps it would help to post everything that they are currently eating (so maybe the other members can point out what might be missing from her diet)?


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## javakittie (Aug 18, 2007)

*Re: Oatmeal as a basic part of diet? and their teeth are white :*

Yep, need to know what you're already feeding them. A homemade mix? a block? a mix and block? Dog food..? How old are the rats?


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

*Re: Oatmeal as a basic part of diet? and their teeth are whi*

Plain oatmeal makes a great snack or mixed into a grain mix.

As for the white teeth... how old are they? Young rats start out with white teeth.


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## tiffrobbins (Sep 5, 2008)

*Re: Oatmeal as a basic part of diet? and their teeth are white :*

If you look at most lab blocks, Oatmeal is usually a fairly major ingredient. Its always good to make sure everything is balanced though.


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## pwrliftinratties (Aug 24, 2008)

*Re: Oatmeal as a basic part of diet? and their teeth are whi*

I give mine oatmeal and flax cereal mixed in with their food, sometimes grape nuts too. They love it, and they always eat that first lol!


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## RattyJessica (Aug 22, 2008)

*Re: Oatmeal as a basic part of diet? and their teeth are whi*

Well heir basic diet is a mix of:

oatmeal
little pellet things you feed hamsters and gerbils and rats (it says for rats)
sunflower seeds
usually a mushroom
diced carrots
when I can peppers
a saltine cracker (lol, they took a liking to it)
some nutty-nugget (grape nut cereal)
grapes
if I can a roasted peanut

Now, how is their diet, lol?


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

*Re: Oatmeal as a basic part of diet and their teeth are whit*

It appears you are feeding them the seed mix as the bulk of their diet. Lab blocks are suggested instead of a seed mix, as they prevent selective feeding and are also better for them.


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## javakittie (Aug 18, 2007)

*Re: Oatmeal as a basic part of diet and their teeth are whit*

Where do you get that she's feeding seed mix as the bulk of their diet? She feeds 'little pellet things' which could be the blocks available in some stores. It looks like rabbit pellets [alfalfa and such], but is marketed for small animals.

That being said, stuff available in the stores really isn't good for rats. Hamsters and gerbils have different nutritional needs than a rat does. It's not a complete diet for them, even with the supplementing that you do. I would strongly suggest you look up a better lab block, such as Harlan Teklad, and try feeding them that. 

I don't see where you mentioned how old they were.. White teeth can be caused by an unbalanced diet, malnutrition, and some diseases. Some rats that have come from very bad circumstances never fully regain the nice yellow teeth. Their teeth are in danger of becoming too brittle and breaking if the problem continues. So, if they're not very young, like under 3mo, then one of those might be the causes. Baby rats up to a couple of months old have white teeth that then turn yellow/orange as they get older.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

those little hamster/gerbil pellets aren't suitable for rats since they contain ingredients that the rats don't digest. They can eat it but it passes right through them & they derive no nutrition from it. 

Try to locate a rat lab block... even if it is the small bags you find at the pet store that is too high in protein. This is better for them than the alfalfa pellet

You can use a low protein Senior dry dog food also

The oatmeal is good, cereal with no sugar, dry pasta or dry egg noodles, increase the veggies. You can get a cheap bag of frozen mixed vegetables & float those in a shallow dish for nutrition & for fun.


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## Marysmuse (Apr 28, 2008)

There's a Diet sticky at the top of the page, with a link to the Suebee's mix. That could give you a better balance to feed them, with some of the same components you're using now.

Good luck!

Rejoicing in the day,
-Mary


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