# Food bowl myth!



## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

I keep seeing food bowls in pictures of rat cages and find them for sale. Why?!?!

I've tried bowls in the past, but my girls just empty it ASAP and relocate all food to their hoarding spot, regardless of how many times I refil it. I just feed them a measured amount per day so I know they won't have any extra hidden in the bedding to get wasted or peed on (plus calorie restriction increases lifespan). I dump it right on the fleece. Bowl would be useless since it disappears in a few minutes.

Does ANYONE actually use a food bowl?


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## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

I was using a food bowl with Petey and Binx and they weren't emptying it and hoarding the food, but I chose to use a hopper instead anyway. I also use bowls to feed them vegies and fruits.


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

raindear said:


> I was using a food bowl with Petey and Binx and they weren't emptying it and hoarding the food, but I chose to use a hopper instead anyway. I also use bowls to feed them vegies and fruits.


Which food? I feed regal rat and haven't had luck with common hoppers (.5 inch). So strange you found two ratties that don't horde!


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## linkmoon (Aug 24, 2015)

All 3 of my girls dont horde. They eat their food in from the bowl, or next to it.


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## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

I feed Harlan Teklad. I use a suet feeder that has 1/2" x 1" openings on all sides. Most suet feeders have bigger openings on the sides, but with a lot of searching I found this one. Unfortunately, I found it more than 6 years ago and didn't save the brand info. I checked a number of stores in my area and ordered a bunch from Amazon before I located this one. I could just kick myself for not saving the information somewhere.


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## saratherussiandog (Aug 9, 2013)

My girls are also hoarders so I don't bother with a ceramic bowl anymore instead I use this half coconut hanging bird toy kind of like this one except it doesn't have a top http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13301 I put their blocks and fruits/veggies in there. I don't really have to clean it and I like to hang it where they have to stretch or climb a bit to get the food.


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## Sabatea (Aug 23, 2014)

I use one. They just dump everything in their cage on top of it and call it hidden. xD


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

I use the bowls that attach to the cage and my 7 girls and 8 boys don't horde their normal food. Though they will horde things from their ceramic bowls that have fresh veggies/fruit in them. But there is only enough to last an hour or less, so they horde it off and then eat it.

Mine also horde their toys. I have the same bowls I use for food full of wooden blocks, wine corks ect-those all get pulled out and stored away all over the place.


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

mimsy said:


> I use the bowls that attach to the cage and my 7 girls and 8 boys don't horde their normal food. Though they will horde things from their ceramic bowls that have fresh veggies/fruit in them. But there is only enough to last an hour or less, so they horde it off and then eat it.
> 
> Mine also horde their toys. I have the same bowls I use for food full of wooden blocks, wine corks ect-those all get pulled out and stored away all over the place.


For the short time I tried bowls, one of my neurotic girls took all the food out and then refilled the bowl with all her jingly cat balls.


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

saratherussiandog said:


> My girls are also hoarders so I don't bother with a ceramic bowl anymore instead I use this half coconut hanging bird toy kind of like this one except it doesn't have a top http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13301 I put their blocks and fruits/veggies in there. I don't really have to clean it and I like to hang it where they have to stretch or climb a bit to get the food.


That's a great idea! I'm going to try that.


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## Synthman (Dec 22, 2014)

When I got a new cage for my boys, it came with a stainless steel bowl that hangs on the side of the cage. The first few times they managed to unclip it and throw it to the bottom of the cage, but they don't do that any more. However I've noticed if I let their bowl go empty and they go a short while without food, when I refill it they will take all the contents and stash it under the fleece. Which makes it harder for me to tell when they run out. So now I never let their bowl go empty haha!


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

Synthman said:


> When I got a new cage for my boys, it came with a stainless steel bowl that hangs on the side of the cage. The first few times they managed to unclip it and throw it to the bottom of the cage, but they don't do that any more. However I've noticed if I let their bowl go empty and they go a short while without food, when I refill it they will take all the contents and stash it under the fleece. Which makes it harder for me to tell when they run out. So now I never let their bowl go empty haha!


Interesting. I'm experimenting to see I'm my girls are the same. Put a bowl in their cage and filled it last night. Had to refill it this morning. I'll keep it full for a few days and see if they start to stash less.


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

Sabatea said:


> I use one. They just dump everything in their cage on top of it and call it hidden. xD


So, I put a bowl in and kept filling it as fast as they were hoarding. They kept moving it into one of the hammocks, so once the hammock was full enough I would empty it right back into the bowl. Well, I guess they got sick of me screwing with them because when I went to check on them a minute ago, this is what I found...
(pic attached)


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

Synthman said:


> When I got a new cage for my boys, it came with a stainless steel bowl that hangs on the side of the cage. The first few times they managed to unclip it and throw it to the bottom of the cage, but they don't do that any more. However I've noticed if I let their bowl go empty and they go a short while without food, when I refill it they will take all the contents and stash it under the fleece. Which makes it harder for me to tell when they run out. So now I never let their bowl go empty haha!


Lol! Se the post above to see how it worked trying it your way!


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## ducketar (Apr 29, 2015)

3 of my rats have no problem using a bowl. They climb up and take a bite or two whenever they're hungry. The fourth one, on the other hand, thinks that a bowl full of food is the perfect place to sleep. I don't know if she finds it comfortable or is trying to hide the food from the others. If she is trying to keep the food to herself, it doesn't work. The others just dump her out onto the floor


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## Synthman (Dec 22, 2014)

Lightswitch Man said:


> Lol! Se the post above to see how it worked trying it your way!


Sorry I had one too many beers but I assume they gave up trying to stash the food?


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## Lauraeliza (Aug 28, 2015)

Lightswitch Man said:


> For the short time I tried bowls, one of my neurotic girls took all the food out and then refilled the bowl with all her jingly cat balls.


That's hilarious. Rats are so funny. When my girls were really young, they would eat a treat immediately. Now, they hide the treat and come back and ask for more and hide it again.


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## Dan203 (Jul 10, 2014)

We use a bowl. Only Buddy hoards. And he's sporadic about it. For the most part they just eat from the bowl.


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## ratorical (Aug 19, 2015)

If your ratties hoard then measuring their food would be the best thing to do. My boys just eat the food by the bowl so I use the bowl.


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

Lauraeliza said:


> Lightswitch Man said:
> 
> 
> > For the short time I tried bowls, one of my neurotic girls took all the food out and then refilled the bowl with all her jingly cat balls.
> ...


Ha! One of my girls did this, but they each only get one treat per day that doesn't have to be earned from training. So this rattie would hide the treat and come back only to be turned away and then realize the one she hid was stolen by her sister! Didn't take long for her to stop trying that. :-D


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## Lightswitch Man (Sep 12, 2015)

Synthman said:


> Lightswitch Man said:
> 
> 
> > Lol! Se the post above to see how it worked trying it your way!
> ...


Kinda. Once they realized I was taking food from their stash spots to refil the bowl, the just started piling all their toys on top of the bowl and buried the entire thing!


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I use a bowl for all of my rats. 

I am lucky not a single one of my rats hordes food really- when given yummy treats they will do the whole - go hide the treat and ask for a second one like they didn't get any yet lol but nothing like actual hording. The very first rats I ever had were big horders. Idk why...I think it may have been the type of food I was feeding then perhaps.

i think it helps now that the rest of my rats are all raised using bowls so they just know I guess. It sure helps keep things cleaner.


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

moonkissed said:


> I use a bowl for all of my rats.
> 
> I am lucky not a single one of my rats hordes food really- when given yummy treats they will do the whole - go hide the treat and ask for a second one like they didn't get any yet lol but nothing like actual hording.


Lol that is the type of hording mine do too. Look at those little empty hands that need a treat! My husband falls for that one every time, so mine are all encouraged to try that.

I have Buttercup that does put toys on top of the food bowl though. I also think having raised bowls help. Mine attach to the cage and they have to actually climb up to them.


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