As rattie health questions come in, they will be posted below. Kim is looking forward to finding the time to answer these important questions. If you have a question, feel free to contact us, and we will get you an answer as soon as time permits.
Would you like to know more about our ratties’ vegan diets? Read an interview with Kim Sheridan on the subject by clicking here.
Question:
My older boys seem to want to fight with my new boy – and I’m so worried about putting them together. So it makes have a rat rescue centre quite difficult – what if there are fights? Does Kim experience fights with the rats? Also, would love to know how to toilet train them – which she said was important. My boys are pretty good about picking corners – but also love to pee on the couch – which isn’t so great.
I would also love to know the correct diet to feed them to ensure long healthy lives. My Reggie started to feel his age when he hit 2 and I gave him some medication – glucasamine & condroitin and Vitamin B – it really seemed to help – but I’m concerned that its not the best thing to do.
My other boys have now turned 2 and an animal communicator said that their blood is quite thick – and i’m wondering how to thin it naturally.
Answer: TBA
Question:
One of my ratties has been diagnosed with cancer in the liver, spleen and 1 lung – and possibly the blood system – and I was really hoping Kim might be able to give me some advise on a good diet to help him.
It happened very quickly – we just noticed in the last 2 weeks that he had become a bit energy-less. And then we noticed he was having trouble breathing. The vet took x-rays today and confirmed what we were dreading. He is now on cortisone – with nothing else the vet can do.
I have recently put our rats on a vegan diet and tried to follow Kim’s advise from the interview she gave on the Natural Rat site. I really just want to give him the best diet possible – and to help my other 3 rats.
This is what I have been giving them – maybe Kim could let me know if it looks good and if there is anything I should remove or add.
Daily – breakfast and supper
Broccoli
carrots
peas
– cooked and mixed with flaxseed oil and a little spirulina
also reggie rat pellets – maybe 4 or 5 pieces
throughout the day
grapes
papaya
pear
banana
carrot & pear juice
occasionally
rice cake with a little almond nut butter
egg noodles
I have also started giving them a little chicken because the vet and another nutritionist advised me to do so and I’m not that clued up on the vegan diet to know what a good substitute would be. I also tried quinoa but was told that it might be too high in carbs and draining them of energy – but I know Kim’s rats do very well on this.
I just thought maybe one of Kim’s rats might’ve needed a special diet to boost them in times of illness.
Thank you so much!
Answer:
Unfortunately, cortisone actually CAUSES cancer, but if it is keeping your little one comfortable and out of pain, I’ll have to say it’s worth it. A better anti-inflammatory, which has anti-cancer properties, is turmeric.*
It is important to be sure all rattie food is organic. This is not only true for the fresh fruits and veggies, but for the rat pellets and rice cakes as well. If these are not organic, they could be genetically modified. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) should be avoided!
Rats should not be given too much flaxseed oil, if any, because they do not have gallbladders and can’t process oil very well. I suggest whole flaxseeds instead, but just a little sprinkling. The almond butter is probably too high in fat, and the egg noodles should be eliminated altogether. You can replace the noodles with organic oats.
Organic quinoa is great, as long as the rats don’t fill up on it in lieu of fruits, veggies, and green superfoods.
Chicken is carcinogenic. Superior (anti-cancer) proteins are: Green Mush™, Elixir of the Lake, Chlorella, and Spirulina.* You can feed them nutritional yeast flakes and spirulina while obtaining the additional products.
Other helpful supplements for fighting cancer are IP6 and Cantron.*
Wishing the little guy strength and comfort. Thank you for being such a caring rattie mama!
Question:
I have a big boy – an albino – who is 15 months old. We rescued him at 9 months from a pet shop where he’d been kept in an aquarium just big enough to fit him in. He had to suffer children banging on the glass and also being fed pizza, samoosas, cheese and stew! …but he is the most characterful rat ever. I want to get a friend for him because he doesn’t get along with my other boys. If I were to get a girl, who is it best to neuter? Him or her? Which is the least harmful option?
Answer:
The age of the female should help dictate this. I would not recommend spaying an older female. Spaying younger females can have preventative benefits when it comes to mammary tumors, but spaying has negligible benefits once females are full grown. If the female is young and spry, then one surgery early in her life will likely prevent multiple tumor surgeries later in life, so it makes sense. This is not so for older females. Spaying is a much more serious surgery than neutering, and it involves more pain and a longer recovery time.*
Neutering is quick and relatively easy, as long as it is done by a vet who is very experienced at neutering rats. Rats are not just miniature versions of dogs or cats! They have an inguinal canal that needs to be tied off in a very specific way. Otherwise hernias can result. I would never trust just any vet to do a rat spay or neuter surgery. Please use only experience RAT vets!*
Question:
A friend of ours has 3 rats and she says one seems to have a “cold” and sniffles. Would you know what to give the little rat for this that might help to clear it up?
Answer:
Mycoplasma and other respiratory issues are extremely common in rats. Definitely take the rat to a vet – preferably a holistic one – for proper diagnosis and treatment. Mycoplasma can get very serious really fast if left untreated. A vegan diet would also be helpful. If the rat does have mycoplasma, Nopal Cactus, garlic, and other natural antibiotics are recommended.* Please do encourage your friend to take the little one to see a holistic vet!
Question:
I was wondering where I cold read about the Sheridan’s and other’s experiences with hind leg paralysis and Green Mush. i.e. Was there full function return and how long were the animals paralyzed before using Green Mush? Different species?
I am trying to help a couple of people who are dealing with paralysis, and I believe one of the animals is seriously nutritionally depleted.
Answer:
[This temporary answer is sourced from correspondence with Kim. She has not found the actual testimonial mentioned below, or the time to respond personally. Please stay tuned for a more complete answer. Wishing you and your companions optimum health!
— Ashley, Kim’s assistant]
We do not have anything currently available that details in length the effects of Green Mush™ on hind leg paralysis. Kim does have a testimonial that she is working on finding. This testimonial details the full recovery of a Sheltie who began taking Green Mush™.
Rats commonly develop hind leg paralysis. In fact, in Animals and the Afterlife, Kim mentions that June experienced hind leg paralysis at the end of her life. This was during the earliest phases of Green Mush™ development, when Kim was still experimenting with the formula. Since that time, up to just a few months ago (see below), they’ve had virtually no cases of hind leg paralysis in the hundreds of rats they’ve had. That is very, very unusual!
The recent case of hind leg paralysis in one of Kim’s rats involved a lack of full spectrum sunlight. The rats were in an temporary enclosure where sunshades and tinting covered the skylights. After much research, and an “Ah ha!” moment, Kim figured out that Daphne was experiencing problems with her legs due to a lack of sunlight. When Daphne was back in the light, after less than a few days, she made a full recovery. Daphne’s full spectrum light exposure was through open windows, doors, and skylights.* Glass almost always has some degree of UV protection that limits full spectrum light. If you are interested in research on full spectrum light exposure, John Ott is a good resource.
Lastly, hind leg paralysis or not, Green Mush™ is THE product to use for nutritional depletion! It provides so much of what animal and human bodies need — vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes, photonutrients, probiotics that balance intestinal flora, and more! Green Mush™ supports the immune system generally and aids in detoxification* — something very important in our toxic world. I could go on and on, but I will stop by saying that I [Ashley] give my 17 month old son Green Mush™ regularly. Saying Green Mush™ is “human grade” hardly does it justice; it is a vegan product that is entirely food based and beyond organic.
Please check back in to read testimonials and find out more about Green Mush™ and hind leg paralysis.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
