Rat is acting aggressive over food

[Smittenkittens]

Hey guys!

So, I have four girls. Renn, Waffles, Ivy, and Nimbus.
Ren, Waffles, and Ivy are all 1+ years. Generally about 1 1/2 years. Nimbus is about a year. Maybe a little younger.

My girl Waffle has always been aggressive towards the other rats with food, but I've noticed it's been getting exceptionally bad.
Waffle has been picking on Nimbus in specific when I feed them.
(I give them each about 3-4 pellets a day, along with other small treats. This is the food I give them: http://www.petco.com/product/108606/Kay ... erralID=NA)
So, when I feed them Waffle always goes around and literally takes the food out of their mouths. She wrestles them to the ground, chases them around the cage, and shows aggressive tendencies.
This only happens with food though! Waffle will snuggle with the other girls, and play with them. But when it comes to food, she gets mean.
I think she might go for Nimbus because she's younger, and a weaker target. This has been going on for a couple months, it seems.

Do you think this could be caused by me not giving them quite as much attention lately?


I'm so frustrated.

Any help? :gaah:

 

[jorats]

What your little girl is doing is quite common and not always aggressive, maybe more obsessive. Have you thought about free feeding them instead of just giving them a certain number of blocks? Some rats enjoy stashing and stealing it from the others might allows her to do that.

 

[Smittenkittens]

Hm.

How should I go about free feeding them? Should I continue giving them the blocks, just all the time, or should I switch to a mixed seed food?

 

[Maple]

Free Feeding is when you fill up their bowl whenever its empty. Continue to use block as seed mixes contain a lot of fat and protein. I free feed mine (always have) and I have one that will go after the others if they get to close while she is eating. Sometimes its just the nature of the rat.

 

[xxchelle]

We always free-feed ours here. We fill their bowls every night, and empty stashes back into the bowl in the morning.

You do NOT want a seed mix as they are crap for rats. You want to feed a good, high-quality lab block such as Harlan Teklad, which can be ordered online and shipped through many rescues in the States.

The food you feed now is very high in protein (21%, I think?), and Kaytee as a brand in general doesn't have the best ingredients. As Jo has said in other threads:

Although, all mine, young or old get 2014.
Rats go from needing 24% protein during lactation to less than 10% protein at weaning. I'm pretty sure I found this in Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals, Fourth Revised Edition, 1995
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=4758&page=11

As rats age, their kidney can't process amines found in the blood as efficiently. Amines is a byproduct of the protein break down and causes crystals in the kidneys which can be very painful.

(See full discussion here: viewtopic.php?p=283255 and many more threads in the Diet section of the forum.)

SO you want to keep a lower protein diet (mine all get Harlan lab blocks with 14% protein) and you can free-feed as long as you don't have any really obese rats. As I said, we fill bowls every night, and find food stashes in the cage in the mornings to return to the bowl. We feed about 80% lab block and 20% fresh veggies.

 

[Smittenkittens]

Free Feeding is when you fill up their bowl whenever its empty. Continue to use block as seed mixes contain a lot of fat and protein. I free feed mine (always have) and I have one that will go after the others if they get to close while she is eating. Sometimes its just the nature of the rat.

Yeah I've heard that seed mixes are also bad because rats can just pick and choose, which obviously isn't what you would want for your child.

SO you want to keep a lower protein diet (mine all get Harlan lab blocks with 14% protein) and you can free-feed as long as you don't have any really obese rats. As I said, we fill bowls every night, and find food stashes in the cage in the mornings to return to the bowl. We feed about 80% lab block and 20% fresh veggies.

Yeah, I've been looking into giving mine the Harlan blocks. I was thinking of ordering from Theratshop.com


Also. I don't put my rats food in a bowl. Should I be?

 

[jorats]

You could put a couple of food bowls in two different spots and that might stop or slow down Waffles's obsessive behaviour with food.

 

[Smittenkittens]

You could put a couple of food bowls in two different spots and that might stop or slow down Waffles's obsessive behaviour with food.

I'll have to try that.
I will see how that goes tomorrow. ;D

 

[LadyGray]

How did it go? I think curly's stashing most of the food so Tuppence is hardly getting any! Tuppy's just too nice :-(

 

[Smittenkittens]

How did it go? I think curly's stashing most of the food so Tuppence is hardly getting any! Tuppy's just too nice :-(

It seems to have gone pretty well. They're nearly out of food, though, because they stash it and then I can't find it. It usually ends up not getting eaten. I need to try to start trying to find it, otherwise I will be broke. :emb:

For the most part though, I give it a thumbs-up. They are generally not as aggressive since they have had more access to food.

 

I free feed Living World Extrusion!

 

[jorats]

Go in everyday to find the stash and return it to the bowl. Don't just refill the bowl. Use the stash.

 

[pscychopomp]

I have a girl like this too. When I put new food in she will go to work stashing it, and when she's done she'll go steal blocks from the others. Also if she notices another rat finds a block in the stash she'll pester the heck out of her, chasing and pinning until she gets it. Typically I think they do this because animals don't know when their next meal is going to be, that's why free feeding has probably helped you...doesn't seem to make a difference to Sassafras though :roll:

 

[Smittenkittens]

I have a girl like this too. When I put new food in she will go to work stashing it, and when she's done she'll go steal blocks from the others. Also if she notices another rat finds a block in the stash she'll pester the heck out of her, chasing and pinning until she gets it. Typically I think they do this because animals don't know when their next meal is going to be, that's why free feeding has probably helped you...doesn't seem to make a difference to Sassafras though :roll:

Yeah. You'd think after a couple years they'd learn they're going to get fed at the same time everyday. :roll: Lol.
I guess some girls are just born with that personality. They're hoarders!

 

[RaychieRay]

We always free-feed ours here. We fill their bowls every night, and empty stashes back into the bowl in the morning.

You do NOT want a seed mix as they are crap for rats. You want to feed a good, high-quality lab block such as Harlan Teklad, which can be ordered online and shipped through many rescues in the States.

The food you feed now is very high in protein (21%, I think?), and Kaytee as a brand in general doesn't have the best ingredients. As Jo has said in other threads:

Although, all mine, young or old get 2014.
Rats go from needing 24% protein during lactation to less than 10% protein at weaning. I'm pretty sure I found this in Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals, Fourth Revised Edition, 1995
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=4758&page=11

As rats age, their kidney can't process amines found in the blood as efficiently. Amines is a byproduct of the protein break down and causes crystals in the kidneys which can be very painful.

(See full discussion here: viewtopic.php?p=283255 and many more threads in the Diet section of the forum.)

SO you want to keep a lower protein diet (mine all get Harlan lab blocks with 14% protein) and you can free-feed as long as you don't have any really obese rats. As I said, we fill bowls every night, and find food stashes in the cage in the mornings to return to the bowl. We feed about 80% lab block and 20% fresh veggies.

Where do you get your Harlan lab blocks? I've looked at a few places online and the shipping cost is pretty expensive. Also I use living world extrusion, is it an appropriate food for them? How much veggies do you give them?

 

[xxchelle]

Since you're in Canada, you can order online from Flower Town Chinchillas (http://chinchilla.ca). I think it's very roughly $1/pound to ship. I think you'll find that even after shipping it's cheaper than most store-bought foods.

You can also ask PitLuvs, she's in the Maritimes and she has food shipped from Flower Town Chinchillas, so she'd have a better idea of shipping costs.