If you have come here in search of assistance within helping your rat(s) lose weight, I just want to start by saying one thing. Thank you.
Too many set aside their physical health and figure that they are simply living a happy life, and neglect that it should also be a healthy one. Thank you for helping your rattie(s), thank you for being diligent. If you are here because you are curious or seeking education, I hope this helps!
Helping rats lose weight can seem like a challenge, but it is extremely beneficial for them. Carrying excess weight on an already tiny body is extremely hard on them, it’s vital we monitor this and examine our care/feeding habits when weight gets out of hand.
How to tell if your rat is overweight
Rats that are overweight will ‘come out’ in the middle, as shown in the photo below (She is NOT injured, we painted! haha!). Notice how her middle widens, I immediately got on her weight loss plan when I noticed this. The list of things below helped her immensely as well.
Here is a video to help you!
If your rat is overweight, here is another in depth video you will want to watch.
Things to consider
One should consider what, how much, and how often, they are feeding. For healthy adult rats, protein content within food should be relatively low, 14-18% (I would say 20% max but even that can push it) crude protein is a good range to stay in. A fat content of around 4-6% is a good range to sit, always check a crude analysis on the back of a bag before purchasing for the first time.
How one feeds is also important. Scatter feeding is far better than a bowl, as is feeding from a foraging toy.
Scatter feeding
Scatter feeding as opposed to bowl feeding is not only much more enriching, but encourages physical health and fitness as they use not only their minds, but their body and muscles to search and forage for their food. This makes them work for it, rather than walk up to a bowl and shove five pieces in their mouth.
Measuring
One should also consider measuring, the amount of food a rat needs can vary depending on age and current health status. Healthy adults can receive about 15-20 grams, however I strictly feed 12 grams to rats that are struggling with weight. This has proven to provide them with enough food and energy for the day, while allowing them to not over eat. This seems like a small amount, but rats are small, their stomachs even more so. Providing unlimited feed increases the risk of the development of mammary and pituitary tumours, measuring is vital for their health.
Feeding fresh foods
One should also be measuring fresh foods, this is the easiest thing to over feed and over look within a pet rat diet. Rats shouldn’t have more than 20% of their diet consist of fresh foods. They should also receive a portion roughly the size of their head if you were to feed on a daily schedule. It’s much easier to feed about one to two tablespoons twice a week. Then they also aren’t waiting for that fresh food everyday and ignoring their dry feed. Feeding fresh foods off 'Kabobs' and other forms of more enriching and natural foraging toys make fresh foods very fun, and also provides them with stimulation. Not only this, but it helps with weight loss, as again they are not approaching a bowl, but using muscles to pull the food to them and balance while snacking.
Activities to help them lose weight
An active cage layout
Removing ramps and levels from the cage prohibits lazy tendencies. Replacing these things with branches, ropes, nets, perches, bins, scarf hangers, wine racks, and much more can help change their lifestyle for the better. Not only is it more enriching and natural for them (we don’t see platforms in the wild, they use their muscles and balance to scale and climb!), but it is also going to help them be more fit. As they use their minds, as well as their muscles, to move around the cage and assist in physical health and fitness. The cage is where they spend most of their time, don’t make everything so easy! Rats are smart, agile animals.
Play during free roam
Playing with a cat wand, chasing a feather or tissue, running around in a large area, and even just playing with their ratty friends can provide great exercise! Make the space enriching, active, and fun!
Fat rats are obviously heavily food motivated most of the time, therefore working with foods during free roam (and in the cage such as scatter feeding) to get them active can really help. Pea diving/fishing and foraging in a dig box (I like to focus on variety, often a box of shredded paper or a form of substrate with dry snacks, and a soil dig box of damp coco coir for them to naturally dig for herbs and seeds) can be very beneficial as they use their muscles to forage for their favourite snacks.
Wheels
Not all rats will use a wheel, it’s most common for rats to use them when introduced at a young age, so this will not be the best move for all! Just know that rats who enjoy wheels can get very fit when being provided one. Bucks need a 16 inch wheel, regular sized does needing 14 inches. However, young rats, small females, and dwarf rats can all safely use 12 inches. As long as your rat’s spine doesn’t bend, they are fine.
*Note: Wheel tail is not a condition caused by the use of wheels, it is simply genetic. Wheels are perfectly fine for rats when they are fully plastic or metal (no mesh/grip wheels), and when they are the right size.
Stairs
For rats that may not like/use wheels, the stairs can really benefit! Even if you need to use a bit of a snack as motivation, place them at the bottom of a flight of stairs and have them leap up one by one. This is an obvious form of exercise, a practice also commonly done by humans for the same reasons.
These things have proven to help rats lose weight, and get them living a healthier and more physically fit lifestyle. The rat in the cover photo is the same rat (and the same hammock!) in this photo here. In a matter of a short few weeks, her and her even larger sister reached a slim and fit body condition that helped them immensely.
They have now been adopted, off to live the rest of their healthy lives in their true forever home. It brings me great joy to take such large strides, physically and emotionally, with these animals in such a short time. They truly are the most wonderful little creatures. I wish you luck within assisting your rat(s) and any future rats in their weight loss journey!