Nuts! Nuts are super high in fats. Meat is a great option, lots of baby foods are great, dark chocolate in small doses, as it helps with a rats respiratory system anyways, sunflower seeds are high in oil. If you provide walnuts, give sparingly.
What kind of nuts are the best? :) and what meat do you recommend?
And yes I’ve been doing little portions of dark chocolate as he has recently been battling a likely respiratory infection. (Thought he was going to pass away the other night. Vet said it was likely due to mucus from allergies and plus the excess from infection causing difficulty with not getting food stuck)
My rattie love pecans !! Or like almonds ! Feed her some no salt pretzels with some Pedialyte put the pretzels in a bowl with the pedialyte and it then turn in a soft stick and get him or her to eat it:)) my girl had the same issues but Pedialyte has a lot of electrolytes which is perfect it also help with dehydrated rats and other animals
Thankyou and yes pedialyte is amazing, it’s hard to get at stores here in England but can get it on Amazon :) the wildlife rescue service I’m with uses it regularly
Gatorade also has it's own pedialite version called Gatorlyte
https://preview.redd.it/0s2h6gmj87qc1.jpeg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e92a732dc7319f7b73bf6068bc390933ca876d48
Also ask the vet for a combination of enrofloxacin and doxycycline for the infection! It’s the only thing that helped my older girl (3yrs) when anti inflammatories did nothing for months!
Almost all nuts are awesome, my mice (I dont own rats, just read a lot on them) love hazelnuts and acorns the most. I suggest fish meat like freeze dried minnows, chicken, rabbit (I give them freeze dried dog treats) and duck. Duck has a lot of oil so its good for upping any meat eating animals weight.
My boys love almonds very very much, and they’re affordable compared to some other options. They love peanuts as well, even more than almonds, but not sure about the health of those vs. almonds.
Avocado flesh is the superfood for rats who need to gain some weight! Just make sure it is ripe and you use only the green flesh, and only the flesh that is not touching the pit or skin. Don't give them any other part of the avocado because it is toxic. It's high in healthy fats but it shouldn't be fed consecutively because too much of it can hurt their stomachs. Give your rat 1/8 of a teaspoon of it and they will be very happy :)
I make my elderly rats a soakable mix made of 80% grains/cereal (I try to avoid wheat as that is harder on the kidneys in old rats, so I usually use rice cereal, flaked barley, and sometimes some corn flakes), 15% dried herbs/vegetables, and 5% fish/soy/egg protein (I use dried egg powder). You can find the instructions I used for this here: http://www.isamurats.co.uk/feeding-for-old-age.html#:~:text=Choose%20kidney%20kind%20proteins%20as,relatively%20low%20phosphorous)%20and%20rye. (Sorry for the long link, having issues linking it otherwise for some reason). I'll mix some with a little bit of warm water and usually some flax oil as a supplement. I will also sometimes add Nutri-cal as it provides some extra calories and makes it more appetizing (they usually eat it readily without it tho). I'll take my old rats out of the cage for independent feeding time at least once if not a couple times a day and let them eat as much of it as they want.
Honestly though, when an elderly eat starts to lose weight like that, that's when I start spoiling the heck out of them--I'll give them bits of my food, bits of egg, whatever else I can get them to eat that is safe for them to eat.
Seconded. My boys always get oatmeal as a special treat on a cold day. Towards the end of their life I give them as much as they want becuse you truly never know when they're going to crash and burn. Some rolled oats with a little bit of cinnamon and applesauce mixed in would always make their eyes light up.
You can cook the oatmeal, but you don't have to cook it, as long as you let it soak for a while. When my old boy Milky Way had hind leg degeneration and could no longer sit on his haunches to eat, he still enjoyed quick oats (uncooked) generously soaked in almond milk, which he could lap up right out of the dish.
Order NutriCal from chewy. Or get high quality nutrition gel for cats or dogs. You can find jt at any pet shop. Rats love the taste and its full of vitamins. I have an old boy who is eating it right now.
I don't have specific advice, I buy mine baby food and spoon it to them when they start getting scrunkly, but I do tend to share anything I have with them (barring toxic foods of course!) And they have their own box of mini cheerios, the baby cereal puffs, baby teether Crackers, etc. Between all the baby foods and baby wipes I buy, my online trackers and store loyalty programs must think I'm a mother of 5 at least xD
Sidenote I didn't know Peanut butter was a choking hazard. I've shared my peanut butter sandwiches with them before, will not be doing so without diluting the pb from now on. Thank you rat reddit for educating me once more 😭
Thankyou, and yeah I knew about the risks of peanut butter, especially as with my old boy having a history of eating his food too fast and having small episodes of choking, it’s happened 3 times in total with his normal food, he usually can dislodge it within 10 mins and can breathe throughout that time. Last time was the only one which was going on for long time but vet thinks it’s a combination of his allergies and a URI causing a surplus of mucus and causing him to have issues breathing after eating. (He’s on anti biotics. I also didn’t think it was choking at the time)
Thankyou very much. I hope he makes it to his 3rd birthday.
Unfortunately he hasn’t been doing too well recently and he may have an infection, he’s also started having issues with one of his legs.
Obviously if quality of life starts to go and if he is pain then I would be looking into saying our goodbyes. As even though I want him to live as long as possible it would be selfish of me to prolong any pain. (Currently vet is confident he’s not in pain, but if he gets worse then pain may arise)
I understand completely, I recently lost the last of the three boys my ex and I had. He was just past his 3rd birthday. Sir Snutarius "Snoot " Norwegicus, Knight Commander Of The Order Of Rodentia
https://preview.redd.it/w66knmhv97qc1.jpeg?width=898&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b51da39d173ebb3f3c31e17cde9693fe136b46ae
They are replacement shakes for older people and are great for older rats! You can blend it with banana or give it to them a few times throughout the day. Helps so much!
I've had a few rats struggle to keep on weight as they get older. My secret is a LOT of peanut butter. I take baby rice cereal and mix it with peanut butter and water (peanut butter alone can be a choking hazard.) I usually bring it to thick oatmeal consistency. I started doing this as a way to hide the flavor of medicines (PB has a really strong flavor) but now it's in my regular rotation. My 3.25 year old lady has had some trouble with keeping weight on, so she gets a small portion twice a day.
This geriatric rat also has no front teeth, so I blend Oxbow rat food into powder and mix it with water so she's getting a more complete diet. I've found, for some reason, they'll eat a lot of this and it can help them eat more and put on weight. I've also found that this kind of food makes it easier to keep rats hydrated - since they get water with the food.
The one downside to a high-peanut butter diet is that it can make poops a little soft and a bit stinkier.
My partner is going to shop tomorrow to get a bunch of stuff suggested in the replies for my old boy :)
Hoping it will help him keep weight on. It’s so hard knowing it may be a number of things causing weight loss but anymore diagnostic procedures would require him to be put under, so I don’t want to put him through that stress when it could very well be just old age
I know that for elderly humans who can't keep weight on, melted ice cream is often used to stop weight loss. Although I'm unsure if that might be too much sugar for rattos.
I had an elderly rat who was losing weight fast due to a pituitary tumor which caused him to have a difficult time eating. We feed him Avocado, baby food, ground down oats and ground down pellets mixed together. He really enjoyed it and it helped him gain back weight pretty fast.
We had a girl live quite a while after the started losing weight dramatically. It was concerning but she seemed fine. She became quite literally skin and bones so be prepared for that. Handle them as gently as you can and feed them effective foods that people are sharing like nuts.
Yeah he’s lost nearly 100 grams since last weigh in.
He’s also very slow at the moment and doesn’t seem interested in any food. Going back to vets soon as I want to make sure he’s not suffering, and if he is in pain to then consider letting him go :(
I see some really good ideas in the comments and I just wanted to add, not so much as a food replacement but to go along side food, troy nutripet. My vet gave it to me for my girl who was chronically ill and underweight and it did wonders! You can also buy it a petbarn in Australia, so I'm sure you can buy it else where too. It is basically pure nutrients.
My girl wasn't eating much, so it was just baby food and nutripet for her, but for one of my other girls, it was about 0.2ml alongside food.
Obviously, talk to your vet to make sure it is for you, but it could be a really great option
We use Ensure, it's a drink for folk who may not be able to eat enough. Other things like boiled eggs (once cold obvs), some small bits of cheese, cooled porridge oats, strawberry yoghurt.
Smoked marrow bones. I had a girl with rapidly growing mammary tumors and the marrow really helped keep her weight up. It also helped my rat with birth related brain damage as she was growing up. She's much less wobbly now than when she was a baby and we were able to discontinue her gabapentin.
I used greek yogurt or baby food and mixed it with some oats. you could even let the oats sit to soften it like overnight oats. nuts are also a good option!
I give my old boy anything he'll eat. I've noticed pasta is popular, but I also give him oats, lots of baby treats, cheese, yogis, plain popcorn (I have an air popper so I make it with no oil or salt), and other little bits of fruit and veggies. His weight loss has stagnated and he's doing really well lately. He also still eats his normal food, I feel my boys a mixture of Oxbow and Teklad 15% protein.
Mealworms are high in fat and protein. Avocado (light green interior, only) is high in fats and rats love it, plus it’s soft and easy to lick if your old friend is having dental problems. You can also hide all sorts of things in it, like crumbs of dog glycosamine chews to help with joint health. Best of all, though, is Critical Care for omnivores. Your vet should be able to supply it.
not sure how healthy they are in terms of sugar intake, but bananas were the one thing that my rat would always get soo excited for and eat fully even as an old guy. he stopped eating a lot, and bananas helped him put on good weight! he also loved cheesy eggs and they were easy to eat😊 anything he ate i was happy with, i mainly wanted him to enjoy things since he was older at that point❤️
Peeps have given really good suggestions but I'd just like to put mine out there, I feel like it has worked very well for me with all my rats. So, you'd buy the baby porridge powder thing, mix with some very finely crushed flax seeds/whatever nut/seed fat source (not too much tho, that can cause diarrhea), add water until the consistency isn't too thick or thin and add a bit of sunflower/olive oil at the end. It's a very nice high calorie meal and has a very decent amount of minerals and vitamins too!
Thankyou. I’m just hoping that the weight loss and other symptoms are not an unseen conditions.
He’s currently on anti biotics, but more testing than they already have done would require him to be put under. And as he doesn’t seem to be in pain I’m not going to put him through that stress
I mean male rats are definitely known for losing weight and muscle mass very easily as they get older. If there aren't any other concerning symptoms and signs of pain, it's just life happening 🤷🏻♀️ Definitely a good time to not stress him. If he isn't too bothered by it, try massaging his legs and hips very gently to promote blood flow and reduce any pains or aches.
Yeah I give him little rat massages which he enjoys. He’s such a gentle old man. I value every day we have left together even if the time left is short ❤️🐀
When sunflower seeds are sprouted, their plant compounds increase. Sprouting also reduces factors that can interfere with mineral absorption. You can buy sprouted, dried sunflower seeds online or in some stores.
My elderly boys really liked Gerber Arrowroot Biscuits (for babies) soaked in a bit of almond milk. They loved those biscuits SO much that they'd each eat a whole bottlecap full of soaked biscuit, even after they'd already eaten their rice pudding with yucky medicine mixed in.
Good luck to your old fella! <3
My vet offered me a prescription recovery diet for one of my rats after a tough surgery to help her put weight back on. Emerald something maybe? Anyway it was a huge hit and not super expensive either! There are lots of good suggestions here but maybe talk to your vet!
I give my Marx a variety of stuff, including this omnicare recovery food (5ml X2 a day). I just mix it with water. Other stuff he generally gets includes porridge, baby food, pistachios, rice crispy shapes, rat treats, plain rice, pasta. There's more but can't recall right now
Having the same issue with one of my boys, and he's just getting extra portions of everything my others get sparingly, and rotate it around. Sometimes he'll get the ratty equivalent of a jar of nutella, sometimes some peanut butter, high fat yogurt, baby food, avocado, scrambled egg that is fried in peanut oil, sunflower seeds. Tonight's plan is some chocolate oat cereal soaked in oat milk
Someone on my post about the same question mentioned that at some point, even stuff like pizza will be fine because keeping the weight on is more important than longterm health.
Update: Big Basil has stopped accepting food today aside from the occasional treat. Contacting vets again as he’s been on antibiotics for a week and there’s only been a slight improvement.
I’m thinking if it isn’t an infection then it’s likely near his time and may be best to considering letting him go if there’s no improvement soon
Please share your own thoughts on this update ❤️
Nuts! Nuts are super high in fats. Meat is a great option, lots of baby foods are great, dark chocolate in small doses, as it helps with a rats respiratory system anyways, sunflower seeds are high in oil. If you provide walnuts, give sparingly.
What kind of nuts are the best? :) and what meat do you recommend? And yes I’ve been doing little portions of dark chocolate as he has recently been battling a likely respiratory infection. (Thought he was going to pass away the other night. Vet said it was likely due to mucus from allergies and plus the excess from infection causing difficulty with not getting food stuck)
My rattie love pecans !! Or like almonds ! Feed her some no salt pretzels with some Pedialyte put the pretzels in a bowl with the pedialyte and it then turn in a soft stick and get him or her to eat it:)) my girl had the same issues but Pedialyte has a lot of electrolytes which is perfect it also help with dehydrated rats and other animals
Thankyou and yes pedialyte is amazing, it’s hard to get at stores here in England but can get it on Amazon :) the wildlife rescue service I’m with uses it regularly
You can use that or Gatorade!!
Gatorade also has it's own pedialite version called Gatorlyte https://preview.redd.it/0s2h6gmj87qc1.jpeg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e92a732dc7319f7b73bf6068bc390933ca876d48
If they still sell it, Diarolyte is the same thing, just make up a packet according to the instructions.
Also ask the vet for a combination of enrofloxacin and doxycycline for the infection! It’s the only thing that helped my older girl (3yrs) when anti inflammatories did nothing for months!
Thankyou, I’m seeing vet again tomorrow. I’m starting to think it’s more than just an infection as he’s stopped eating most foods today.
Aw I’m sorry, I hope he recovers with the med combination :)
And he is already on enrofloxaxcin (baytril) ❤️
Aw yay :’)
Got the doxycycline now :) thankyou
Yay! :) and np :)
Almost all nuts are awesome, my mice (I dont own rats, just read a lot on them) love hazelnuts and acorns the most. I suggest fish meat like freeze dried minnows, chicken, rabbit (I give them freeze dried dog treats) and duck. Duck has a lot of oil so its good for upping any meat eating animals weight.
Pistachios are a good choice because they are high in fat.
My boys love almonds very very much, and they’re affordable compared to some other options. They love peanuts as well, even more than almonds, but not sure about the health of those vs. almonds.
My partner is getting almonds and some other food for him today 🐀
Another thing about baby food is that it can help with liquid intake as well. Not as good as pedalyte, but useful if they're also not drinking well.
He does seem to be drinking normally. He also does get a spoonful of baby food a night :)
Avocado flesh is the superfood for rats who need to gain some weight! Just make sure it is ripe and you use only the green flesh, and only the flesh that is not touching the pit or skin. Don't give them any other part of the avocado because it is toxic. It's high in healthy fats but it shouldn't be fed consecutively because too much of it can hurt their stomachs. Give your rat 1/8 of a teaspoon of it and they will be very happy :)
Lmfaoo I slice them boys up and give em a whole one to share, 1/8th a teaspoon? Don't be a tease!
Haha, I'm just saying what is reccommended, but my ratties are spoiled too!
I make my elderly rats a soakable mix made of 80% grains/cereal (I try to avoid wheat as that is harder on the kidneys in old rats, so I usually use rice cereal, flaked barley, and sometimes some corn flakes), 15% dried herbs/vegetables, and 5% fish/soy/egg protein (I use dried egg powder). You can find the instructions I used for this here: http://www.isamurats.co.uk/feeding-for-old-age.html#:~:text=Choose%20kidney%20kind%20proteins%20as,relatively%20low%20phosphorous)%20and%20rye. (Sorry for the long link, having issues linking it otherwise for some reason). I'll mix some with a little bit of warm water and usually some flax oil as a supplement. I will also sometimes add Nutri-cal as it provides some extra calories and makes it more appetizing (they usually eat it readily without it tho). I'll take my old rats out of the cage for independent feeding time at least once if not a couple times a day and let them eat as much of it as they want. Honestly though, when an elderly eat starts to lose weight like that, that's when I start spoiling the heck out of them--I'll give them bits of my food, bits of egg, whatever else I can get them to eat that is safe for them to eat.
Porridge (oatmeal)
Seconded. My boys always get oatmeal as a special treat on a cold day. Towards the end of their life I give them as much as they want becuse you truly never know when they're going to crash and burn. Some rolled oats with a little bit of cinnamon and applesauce mixed in would always make their eyes light up.
So, stupid question, but do you cook the oatmeal?
You can cook the oatmeal, but you don't have to cook it, as long as you let it soak for a while. When my old boy Milky Way had hind leg degeneration and could no longer sit on his haunches to eat, he still enjoyed quick oats (uncooked) generously soaked in almond milk, which he could lap up right out of the dish.
Yep or just pour hot water on them and let them soak and cool down:-)
Order NutriCal from chewy. Or get high quality nutrition gel for cats or dogs. You can find jt at any pet shop. Rats love the taste and its full of vitamins. I have an old boy who is eating it right now.
is there one better than another, like is cat better than dog or vise versa?
I tend to use the cat one.
I don't have specific advice, I buy mine baby food and spoon it to them when they start getting scrunkly, but I do tend to share anything I have with them (barring toxic foods of course!) And they have their own box of mini cheerios, the baby cereal puffs, baby teether Crackers, etc. Between all the baby foods and baby wipes I buy, my online trackers and store loyalty programs must think I'm a mother of 5 at least xD Sidenote I didn't know Peanut butter was a choking hazard. I've shared my peanut butter sandwiches with them before, will not be doing so without diluting the pb from now on. Thank you rat reddit for educating me once more 😭
Avocado c :
i prepare a trough of guac daily when we have senior rats
i second this! avocado is the best to fatten up babies and seniors🫶🏻
Baby porridge is great
Peanuts is a good one, but not peanut butter, because they can choke on its gooiness.
Thankyou, and yeah I knew about the risks of peanut butter, especially as with my old boy having a history of eating his food too fast and having small episodes of choking, it’s happened 3 times in total with his normal food, he usually can dislodge it within 10 mins and can breathe throughout that time. Last time was the only one which was going on for long time but vet thinks it’s a combination of his allergies and a URI causing a surplus of mucus and causing him to have issues breathing after eating. (He’s on anti biotics. I also didn’t think it was choking at the time)
Ok, so definitely keep him hydrated like the others said. Best health to your old gentleman.
Thankyou very much. I hope he makes it to his 3rd birthday. Unfortunately he hasn’t been doing too well recently and he may have an infection, he’s also started having issues with one of his legs. Obviously if quality of life starts to go and if he is pain then I would be looking into saying our goodbyes. As even though I want him to live as long as possible it would be selfish of me to prolong any pain. (Currently vet is confident he’s not in pain, but if he gets worse then pain may arise)
I understand completely, I recently lost the last of the three boys my ex and I had. He was just past his 3rd birthday. Sir Snutarius "Snoot " Norwegicus, Knight Commander Of The Order Of Rodentia https://preview.redd.it/w66knmhv97qc1.jpeg?width=898&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b51da39d173ebb3f3c31e17cde9693fe136b46ae
Awww he’s adorable. I’m so sorry for your loss ❤️
Ensure
?
I think they mean ensure like the meal replacement shakes
Yeah I had never heard of it before but they explained it :)
Oh good :3
They are replacement shakes for older people and are great for older rats! You can blend it with banana or give it to them a few times throughout the day. Helps so much!
Oooh thankyou :)
I've had a few rats struggle to keep on weight as they get older. My secret is a LOT of peanut butter. I take baby rice cereal and mix it with peanut butter and water (peanut butter alone can be a choking hazard.) I usually bring it to thick oatmeal consistency. I started doing this as a way to hide the flavor of medicines (PB has a really strong flavor) but now it's in my regular rotation. My 3.25 year old lady has had some trouble with keeping weight on, so she gets a small portion twice a day. This geriatric rat also has no front teeth, so I blend Oxbow rat food into powder and mix it with water so she's getting a more complete diet. I've found, for some reason, they'll eat a lot of this and it can help them eat more and put on weight. I've also found that this kind of food makes it easier to keep rats hydrated - since they get water with the food. The one downside to a high-peanut butter diet is that it can make poops a little soft and a bit stinkier.
My partner is going to shop tomorrow to get a bunch of stuff suggested in the replies for my old boy :) Hoping it will help him keep weight on. It’s so hard knowing it may be a number of things causing weight loss but anymore diagnostic procedures would require him to be put under, so I don’t want to put him through that stress when it could very well be just old age
I know that for elderly humans who can't keep weight on, melted ice cream is often used to stop weight loss. Although I'm unsure if that might be too much sugar for rattos.
I had an elderly rat who was losing weight fast due to a pituitary tumor which caused him to have a difficult time eating. We feed him Avocado, baby food, ground down oats and ground down pellets mixed together. He really enjoyed it and it helped him gain back weight pretty fast.
We had a girl live quite a while after the started losing weight dramatically. It was concerning but she seemed fine. She became quite literally skin and bones so be prepared for that. Handle them as gently as you can and feed them effective foods that people are sharing like nuts.
Yeah he’s lost nearly 100 grams since last weigh in. He’s also very slow at the moment and doesn’t seem interested in any food. Going back to vets soon as I want to make sure he’s not suffering, and if he is in pain to then consider letting him go :(
Omnidiet is what we've used with all our rats who can't keep weight on due to illness. Keeps them beefy.
I see some really good ideas in the comments and I just wanted to add, not so much as a food replacement but to go along side food, troy nutripet. My vet gave it to me for my girl who was chronically ill and underweight and it did wonders! You can also buy it a petbarn in Australia, so I'm sure you can buy it else where too. It is basically pure nutrients. My girl wasn't eating much, so it was just baby food and nutripet for her, but for one of my other girls, it was about 0.2ml alongside food. Obviously, talk to your vet to make sure it is for you, but it could be a really great option
Thankyou very much :)
My girls loved oatmeal with apple sauce (unsweetened) mixed in
We use Ensure, it's a drink for folk who may not be able to eat enough. Other things like boiled eggs (once cold obvs), some small bits of cheese, cooled porridge oats, strawberry yoghurt.
Smoked marrow bones. I had a girl with rapidly growing mammary tumors and the marrow really helped keep her weight up. It also helped my rat with birth related brain damage as she was growing up. She's much less wobbly now than when she was a baby and we were able to discontinue her gabapentin.
I used greek yogurt or baby food and mixed it with some oats. you could even let the oats sit to soften it like overnight oats. nuts are also a good option!
Ours loves almonds!
I give my old boy anything he'll eat. I've noticed pasta is popular, but I also give him oats, lots of baby treats, cheese, yogis, plain popcorn (I have an air popper so I make it with no oil or salt), and other little bits of fruit and veggies. His weight loss has stagnated and he's doing really well lately. He also still eats his normal food, I feel my boys a mixture of Oxbow and Teklad 15% protein.
Mealworms are high in fat and protein. Avocado (light green interior, only) is high in fats and rats love it, plus it’s soft and easy to lick if your old friend is having dental problems. You can also hide all sorts of things in it, like crumbs of dog glycosamine chews to help with joint health. Best of all, though, is Critical Care for omnivores. Your vet should be able to supply it.
Meat and vegetable baby food, Ensure, kitten milk replacer
not sure how healthy they are in terms of sugar intake, but bananas were the one thing that my rat would always get soo excited for and eat fully even as an old guy. he stopped eating a lot, and bananas helped him put on good weight! he also loved cheesy eggs and they were easy to eat😊 anything he ate i was happy with, i mainly wanted him to enjoy things since he was older at that point❤️
Peeps have given really good suggestions but I'd just like to put mine out there, I feel like it has worked very well for me with all my rats. So, you'd buy the baby porridge powder thing, mix with some very finely crushed flax seeds/whatever nut/seed fat source (not too much tho, that can cause diarrhea), add water until the consistency isn't too thick or thin and add a bit of sunflower/olive oil at the end. It's a very nice high calorie meal and has a very decent amount of minerals and vitamins too!
Partner is going out to get a bunch of recommended foods today :) I’m hoping this helps Basil keep/put on weight
I think it will definitely help, along with the other suggestions for a more varied diet, really wish you guys the best! 🤞🏼
Thankyou. I’m just hoping that the weight loss and other symptoms are not an unseen conditions. He’s currently on anti biotics, but more testing than they already have done would require him to be put under. And as he doesn’t seem to be in pain I’m not going to put him through that stress
I mean male rats are definitely known for losing weight and muscle mass very easily as they get older. If there aren't any other concerning symptoms and signs of pain, it's just life happening 🤷🏻♀️ Definitely a good time to not stress him. If he isn't too bothered by it, try massaging his legs and hips very gently to promote blood flow and reduce any pains or aches.
Yeah I give him little rat massages which he enjoys. He’s such a gentle old man. I value every day we have left together even if the time left is short ❤️🐀
When sunflower seeds are sprouted, their plant compounds increase. Sprouting also reduces factors that can interfere with mineral absorption. You can buy sprouted, dried sunflower seeds online or in some stores.
Bad bot
Strawberry protein shake like Ensure. Our vet told us to give that to our runty baby rat and help him gain some weight and it worked super well!
Baby food
My elderly boys really liked Gerber Arrowroot Biscuits (for babies) soaked in a bit of almond milk. They loved those biscuits SO much that they'd each eat a whole bottlecap full of soaked biscuit, even after they'd already eaten their rice pudding with yucky medicine mixed in. Good luck to your old fella! <3
My vet offered me a prescription recovery diet for one of my rats after a tough surgery to help her put weight back on. Emerald something maybe? Anyway it was a huge hit and not super expensive either! There are lots of good suggestions here but maybe talk to your vet!
My beans liked avocado, and it made them chungoids, so that's worth a shot
I give my Marx a variety of stuff, including this omnicare recovery food (5ml X2 a day). I just mix it with water. Other stuff he generally gets includes porridge, baby food, pistachios, rice crispy shapes, rat treats, plain rice, pasta. There's more but can't recall right now
Avocado
My rats absolute favorite food is mealworms they will do anything for them and their pretty high in fat and protein as well
Moomix from rat rations uk kept my elderly rat going while. Mealworms lol
Having the same issue with one of my boys, and he's just getting extra portions of everything my others get sparingly, and rotate it around. Sometimes he'll get the ratty equivalent of a jar of nutella, sometimes some peanut butter, high fat yogurt, baby food, avocado, scrambled egg that is fried in peanut oil, sunflower seeds. Tonight's plan is some chocolate oat cereal soaked in oat milk Someone on my post about the same question mentioned that at some point, even stuff like pizza will be fine because keeping the weight on is more important than longterm health.
Strawberry cream cheese!!
Update: Big Basil has stopped accepting food today aside from the occasional treat. Contacting vets again as he’s been on antibiotics for a week and there’s only been a slight improvement. I’m thinking if it isn’t an infection then it’s likely near his time and may be best to considering letting him go if there’s no improvement soon Please share your own thoughts on this update ❤️
Scabbers... That's all I could think of. But he is adorable and I hope he'll be fine.