Suddenly thin...?

[Willow Bean]

Hey everyone... I went to take the girls out for play time today and noticed that they are VERY thin! They looked a bit lean yesterday but today... WOW!! Brenna's sides almost look sunken in and Willow, who has never looked THIN a day in her life, is suddenly looking a bit waif-like. Emma is the worst though.... She looks very long and her head almost looks comical on her long, thin body! What is happening?!?! I went through their cage and found their HT blocks stashed away here and there... looks like maybe two to three days worth and both the 2014 and 2018. I hurried and put in some high calorie stuff like some rice that we had for lunch and a vanilla wafer cookie each as well as a yogie for each to make sure that they have SOMETHING in their tummies and something to go on for the day.

Everyone had been eating their blocks everyday and I haven't been finding more than 1 or 2 blocks here and there when I do cage cleanings so I know that they like the HT blocks and have been eating them in the past. I checked the blocks and they aren't moldy. They have been in the freezer so they are fresh. The boys and Baby Girl are eating from the same bags as the girls so there's nothing wrong with the food that I can tell. They just aren't eating... :?: :cry:

 

[lilspaz68]

Post pics? They may actually be becoming a healthier leaner weight. How are they acting? Are they active or a bit lethargic?

 

[Willow Bean]

They are acting totally normal! When my bf is done cleaning the ferret cage I will get him to help me post some pics. It is quite possible that they are just more halthy and lean but I always considered Baby Girl to be the epitome of healthy and lean (what with her neurotic wheel running and all)... these girls seem to go beyond that...

 

[lilspaz68]

How old are your girls Willow?

 

[Willow Bean]

Emma is about 7 weeks now, maybe 8 weeks.
Brenna is about 4-5 months
Willow turned 1 on Devember 28th so she is about 14 months.

They aren't thin-thin-thin but I don't think that they are eating their HT blocks as much as they should and it's affecting their weights... Maybe they are just looking healthy though... I'm uploading the pics as I type so I'll post them in a minute.

 

[Willow Bean]

Willow:
BEFORE: around the 1st of February:

AFTER: tonight:

Brenna:
BEFORE: around the 1st of February:

AFTER: tonight:

Emma:
BEFORE: about 2.5 weeks ago:

AFTER: tonight:

 

[lilspaz68]

They look lean to me, can you feel little rib bones and hip bones and the spine or is there a layer of thin lean muscle on top?

 

[jorats]

The way you hold them makes them appear off but truly, your girls are perfect!! Lean muscular little girls. Take that yucky sugar stuff away!! :lol:

 

[Willow Bean]

hmmm.... I can certainly feel everything but it does feel like there is a layer (between the skin and the bone) of muscle. The ribs aren't prominent and I can't feel individual ribs either. I think you're right... maybe they are just lean. However... why did I find so many blocks in the cage? It really looks like they can't be eating much with so many in the cage!

 

[jorats]

Rats don't really eat much which is how it should be. Eat to live not live to eat.

 

[Willow Bean]

Oh good! Should I cut back to 2 blocks each per day then? and continue to supplement with fruits and veggies of course :wink: I'm so glad that they are okay! I took out all of the left over "treats" from their cage now so they just have their HT blocks! ^_^

 

[jorats]

Oh good! Should I cut back to 2 blocks each per day then? and continue to supplement with fruits and veggies of course :wink: I'm so glad that they are okay! I took out all of the left over "treats" from their cage now so they just have their HT blocks! ^_^

I'd keep their bowl full, you've got some young ones. Everyday go looking for the stash and bring it back to the bowl. Definitely keep up with the veggies.

 

[Willow Bean]

Thank you sooooo much!! You two have been such a help! I was really freaking out all day about this! I will definately keep up on the veggies. Growing bodies need good, nutritious food!

 

[Moon]

I notice with my girls that they'll be mostly quite lean and doing lots of food stashing, and every so often I get them out and I find very full little bellies and no blocks to be found. I wonder if they feel the need to binge when they get hormonal, like I do LOL

 

[jorats]

lol moon, that seems to make sense.

 

[user 78]

Willow and Brenna look like lean rats, though Brenna looks a smidge on the thinner side. Emma, though, does look pretty thin to me. I know that nice lean rats are a good thing, but one as young as 8 weeks should still have a little bit of baby roundness to them, IMO. I see in the last pic what you were saying about her head in comparison with her body, as well as the indentation on her sides. Her shoulders and hips look a little to defined for a youngster, IMO. Maybe offer her some higher protein treats for a little while, until she becomes a bit more mature. Nothing high fat or high sugar, just a little extra.

 

[Willow Bean]

See, now that's what I'm thinking too! Willow was always a little pudgy so she had the most to lose so I don't expect her to be nearly as thin as Brenna and Emma. Brenna had a little to lose too but Emma doesn't have anything since she's so young yet! I put in some oatmeal and banana mash tonight and gave them some peas, beans, uncooked pasta noodles and some apple this morning. I also checked on their water and found that they hadn't been drinking as much as I'd like three gorls to drink so I washed the bottle again with vinager then rinsed it thoroughly with HOT water, refilled from the rat pitcher (that's right, they have their own water purifying pitcher :wink: ) and I didn't think they would ever stop drinking! I'm wondering, now, if they were dehydrated and not eating because they could digest the food as well... I really hope not! I do their water Almost every day and I'd noticed that they weren't drinking as much but I never even thought it could be that they were dehydrated! I wonder if the water tasted bad or something? The bottles get washed every 2 weeks...

 

[Moon]

Rats just prefer fresh, cold water... so if you don't change the water frequently sometimes they don't drink so much.. and why they rush to the bottle when you do.

 

[Willow Bean]

I can hear someone munching on a lab block right now! Music to my ears!

 

[user 78]

Willow and Brenna don't need to put that weight back on, so take it easy with the oatmeal and banana mash. It's a good once in a while treat, but it can really pack the weight on. Just keep their snacks healthy [as you have been] and offer the baby a little bit more.

Did you recently add in the 2014? And were all three just fine with the 2018/14 mix before? Sometimes they can get weird about new foods and it can take them a little bit to get the idea. I have to taste test everything new for my Grey, to show her it's perfectly okay.

Whenever you mess with their water bottle in any way, make sure it's flowing like it should. I had one incident where the bottle tipped to the side, and after righting it the water didn't come out like it should. Took me all day to think to try depressing the ball to see if water was coming out. The girls were fanatical when I fixed it. Although it really could have just been they were excited over the fresh water.

If you ever think your rat is dehydrated, pick up a bit of skin, give it a half twist and watch it fall back. If it tents or takes a long time to snap back, then they're dehydrated. You can usually compare it to a cagemate or to another rat. Lilspaz's vet suggests that you do the pinch test all along their back, since rats who have lost weight will have excess skin that can throw you off.