# Free Feed or Schedule



## ClassicFAIL (Aug 2, 2013)

Do rats over eat? Chase is very active but I can tell hes starting to get a little fat. He is free fed oxbow regal rat with a full bowl that is refilled when it is empty and very limited treats. Do rats know when to stop eating? Or should I limit his intake daily?


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## Marie5656 (Jun 1, 2014)

I find my rats do not over do if I just have the lab blocks in their dish. But if I mix in the home made mix, like the recipes shared here, they dive right in and eat it all pretty quick. They do eat the lab blocks though. I usually fill their food dish at night, and there is always food left in the morning. And that includes the food they have stashed in their hiding spots.


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

My girls will eat everything I give them so I have to limit what they get. They're also hoarders so I tend to give food once a day and I check their stashes before I feed again.

I think it depends on the rat. Chase is also getting older and filling out more so maybe thats what it is?


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## deedeeiam (Apr 8, 2014)

I keep all my animals on a pretty strict regime. They can free feed while there is food in the bowl, but if the food all disappears before the next scheduled feeding...they better go bust into their stashes.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Rats actually do better with a period with no food. There's been a fair amount of research into a starve period which shows it extends lifespan. Whilst only feeding them every other day like on the studies is harsh giving them a few hours a day when there's no food is good for them and helps keep them slim to. 

In reality they should get as much as they need to keep them slim. if I fed my guys adlib or even with 4 hours break a day I would have beach ball rats. Mine East most of there food in about 2 hours or do then forage a bit for a few more peices through the day before they get a second feed in the evening. 

I do agree rats area now likley to eat more of a decent quality mix than blocks. It goes with one of the reasons I fed a mix actually. Rats live variety and interest. lab blocks are frankly boring for them. Give them a good mix and control the amount you feed and they get lots of bonus enrichment


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

I'm still working on amounts, however I do plan on trying to get it so that there is some period of no food or stashes in between feedings. Since I'm doing a homemade diet it seems more important because otherwise they eat the things they love most and leave the other things. Though my girls are kinda weird-they don't like nuts-even if you take it out of the shell they look at me like I'm crazy. Fruit is snubbed too-they will nibble a lil banana but they will not each much of even that. They LOVE almost any grain and broccoli disappears faster than you can give it to them and they will beg for fish. But for balance sake I'm trying to get it right. Plus like isamurat said, it's better to fast a little, for health purposes.


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## ClassicFAIL (Aug 2, 2013)

Next question Should I stick to a once a week feeding schedule? Or follow the directions on feeding from oxbow bag? Is that accurate?


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## Bronte18 (Jun 2, 2014)

My rats get fresh food twice a day and an unlimited supply of dry food which I change every second day. My rats are perfect weight and the vet says they are perfect for their age! Apart from sergi who was overweight and now that he's older he's a little lazier! So I say they need unlimited food, they like to eat and it's not really fair as they can't just up and get food whenever they want!


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

ClassicFAIL said:


> Next question Should I stick to a once a week feeding schedule? Or follow the directions on feeding from oxbow bag? Is that accurate?


How do you mean a once a week feeding schedule? do you mean once a day, or is this inrelation to veg and such?


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Bronte18 said:


> My rats get fresh food twice a day and an unlimited supply of dry food which I change every second day. My rats are perfect weight and the vet says they are perfect for their age! Apart from sergi who was overweight and now that he's older he's a little lazier! So I say they need unlimited food, they like to eat and it's not really fair as they can't just up and get food whenever they want!


Its actually rarely an issue keeping young energetic rats slim, its a whole other challenge to keep adults slim!

Also in the wild a rat wouldnt have food available all the time, they have to hunt and work for there food, they have evolved to do well with periods of food and no food, feeding them constantly and from a bowl doesnt encourage natural behaviours or activity, ignoring the health benefits of a period with no food.


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## Bronte18 (Jun 2, 2014)

I have a few adult rats aswell who are perfect weight for their age also. My small furries have always lived past the average life span, and I believe it's the way they are kept and fed. And also, they aren't wild rats, these rats have been bred to be domestic pets and simply wouldn't survive in the wild, so I must disagree with you there. I think they should always have food available, because unlike wild rats they are unable to go and hunt for their food when they want and the majority of wild rats are unhealthy and don't have long life spans at all. I think us that own rats are way past the point of "natural behaviour" simply because we keep them in a cage.


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## Bronte18 (Jun 2, 2014)

Also, I think you should feed your rats fresh food at least once daily and I don't know about oxbow as I've never used it but my dry mix is topped up once every 2-3 days depending on what theyv eaten.


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Hmm my Bo's eat Oxbow and get veggies and fruits. I haven't had issues with them trying to over eat on their food (if I didn't regulate the veggies and fruit they would snack on it all day). Mine are only seven months though. I don't know if thy makes a difference.


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

Bronte, the studies of fasting rats were done with domestic rats, not wild, so it's definitely pertinent. I don't think anyone is recommending going long periods without food, a few hours though. 

As far as treating them differently than their wild kin, we actually provide a mix. Wild rats like to live in groups. Most of us agree that our pet rats also do. Just because they are not wild does not mean they should be lonely. So completely disregarding the behavior of wild rats I believe is wrong. 

However, what makes a successful domestic rat and a successful wild rat can be completely different thing-such as a successful wild rat would be distrustful and fearful of a human whereas a successful domestic rat is friendly and trusting.

Things like the food, whether to feed 24 hrs a day or 20 hours, is going to be what individual owners feel is best for their mischief. Lets face it, different rats are different-so what maybe great for one may not be best for the other. Some may never have a weight issue ever, even if they are fed all the time and given tons of treats. However another may only eat lab blocks and be hugely obese. Like humans they are all different. I don't think something like minor differences in feeding schedules, as long as they are being fed a nutritious diet, makes an owner wrong or right. I've had previous rats live to 3 years and 6 months (one of our first made it to almost 4) and others not make it a whole year. I think a lot of that is based on genetics and even things like an individual rats ability to handle normal stress, we can't beat ourselves up too much over life span, just do the best we can with the information available. anyways that's just my 2 cents on the subject.


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## Bronte18 (Jun 2, 2014)

I didn't and wouldn't disregard the similarities between wild and domestic rats. However, unlike wild rats, domestic rats cannot go and hunt for food when they want. Obviously different people are going to care for their pets in their own way, and I'm in no position to judge, as long as the pets are healthy and happy, so please don't think that because I don't agree with something that it makes it wrong. Personally, I have food available for my rats 24 hours a day even free range time, who says that an individual rat will be hungry when we as humans decide that they should eat? Shouldn't it be their decision? And studies also show that rats will eat until they are full and know when to stop eating. Also when rats blood sugar goes too low they are at risk. Wether people choose to withhold food or not is their decision, but personally I think it's wrong. When I was younger we had a rat live until 5.5 years old, had a cat who lived until it was 24 and so on... I also think environmental factors play a major part in life span aswell and shouldn't be narrowed down to genetics...


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## delilahrene (Nov 1, 2013)

Without taking fasting periods for health benefits into consideration, the choice is up to your situation. There are plenty of people who have rats that can always have food available and only eat when hungry and are active enough to burn it all off. The others, like me, have rats that would eat every single morsel you offer and stuff themselves silly and then go sleep for 10 hours. It is not true that all rats have self-control and will stop eating when full, just like with people, dogs, cats, etc, there are always examples that would eat until sick. If your boy is getting chubby on free-feeding, I would put him on schedule and only offer what he needs to stay healthy. Being overweight will contribute to a shorter lifespan and is unfair to the rat just to let them always have a snack available. It is quite simple, if the rat is gaining too much weight he is either eating too much and/or not getting enough exercise, it is up to you to determine which it is.


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## Perocore (Jan 6, 2014)

Note I am just responding to the OP's first thread and haven't quite gotten through the other posts.

My boys hoard but do not over eat. They seem to snack a bit throughout the day. I must keep the food bowl filled, because if Styles goes for more than a couple hours without eating then his blood sugar does a dangerous drop and he seizes. My boys started to get a little bit chunky at one point, so they just got more exercise until it balanced out, and now they're perfectly healthy, weight wise.


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## ClassicFAIL (Aug 2, 2013)

It usually takes him about a week to finish his bowl and then I replace it. He usually gets a few pieces of fruit every other day. I have scoweredhis cage, he is not a hoarder. lol


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