What do domestic rodents eat?

Nowadays, many people give birth to rodents as pets: hamsters, rats, chipmunks, mice, jerboas. Of course, the owners want their pets to be healthy, vigorous and live a long time. To do this, feed them good quality food. Special feed for rodents should be granular, with a set of certain mineral and other useful substances. Now these can be bought not only in a pet store, but also in any supermarket.

For example, consider the nutrition of guinea pigs. Compared to other domestic animals, guinea pigs do not produce their own vitamin C.Therefore, they need good quality food containing fiber, to which this vitamin has been added. It is introduced into the diet as a liquid or in a crushed form.

A solution of vitamin C is prepared as follows: it is necessary to dilute ascorbic acid in fresh water. The dose should be given to the guinea pig twice a day, the required amount at a time is 100 mg. But there is one caveat: the oxidation and destruction of vitamin C occurs rather quickly. Therefore, the product must be used within 3 months from the date of manufacture.

Guinea pigs can also get vitamin C from fresh green vegetables.

Household rodents are very fond of nuts and seeds. They can be given, but the portions should be small. From the diet for the day, such delicacies should be a maximum of 10%. You have to be careful. They are low in calcium and high in fat, and although pets will really like such food, it will not bring much benefit.

From time to time, you can add fruit to the diet, but not much. Orange, yellow, green vegetables are considered acceptable food for rodents. These products, too, should not be abused by feeding them to pets: vegetables should be no more than 10% of the daily diet.

Only occasionally can pets be treated to nuts or seeds. To provide them with enough fiber, hay should be offered to rodents.

There can be no food without water. Therefore, your pet rodents should be provided with access to fresh water throughout the day. It is worth changing it to a fresh one every day. Besides, it is important to regularly rinse the bottle or bowl where it is. If using a drinker, use a special brush to clean it. It is very important to do this, since pathogenic bacteria multiply there.

There are many varieties of chewy toys on the market that are designed for domestic rodents. Sometimes people buy wood sticks for their pets so that the incisors do not grow so quickly. It is worth discussing this issue with a veterinarian, he will tell you which toys are best for your rodent. It is important to understand that the wrong decision would be to feed with sunflower seeds and nuts from the market.

For food for domestic rodents, see the next video.