Nowadays, many people start 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 with good quality food. Special rodent feeds should be granulated, with a set of certain mineral and other beneficial substances. Now those can be bought not only in the pet store, but also in any supermarket.
Vitamins
For example, consider feeding guinea pigs. Compared to other animals that live at home, guinea pigs do not produce their own vitamin C.Therefore, they need a good quality dietary fiber containing this vitamin. It is introduced into the diet in the form of liquid or crushed.
A solution of vitamin C is prepared as follows: it is necessary to dilute ascorbic acid in fresh water. The guinea pig should be given a dose twice a day, the required amount at a time is 100 mg. But there is one nuance: the oxidation and destruction of vitamin C occurs quite quickly. Therefore, the product must be used up to 3 months from the date of manufacture.
As well as vitamin C, guinea pigs can be obtained from fresh green vegetables.
If rodents eat fully, then there is no need for additional vitamins. To use poor-quality food and combine it with vitamins is not the best option.
Treats
Domestic rodents are very fond of nuts and seeds. They can be given, but the portions should be small. From the daily ration, such treats should be a maximum of 10%. Should be careful. There is little calcium and a lot of fat in them, and even though such food will be very popular with pets, it will not bring much benefit.
Every day you can give your pets vegetables. They must be fresh and pre-cleaned.
From time to time, you can add to the diet of fruit, but a little. Acceptable food for rodents are vegetables of orange, yellow, green hue. These products also can not be abused, feeding them pets: vegetables should be no more than 10% of the daily diet.
Your rodents should have a menu like this: 90% of the diet consists of food, up to 10% - fruits, vegetables.
Only sometimes pets can be treated to nuts or seeds. To provide them with sufficient fiber, rodents should be offered hay.
Water
Food without water can not be. Therefore, your household rodents should be provided with access to fresh water throughout the day. Change it to the fresh worth every day. Besides, it is important to regularly rinse the bottle or bowl where it is located. In case of using the drinker, use a special brush to clean it. It is very important to do this, because the bacteria are breeding there.
Nuances
There are many varieties of chewing toys on the market that are intended for domestic rodents. Sometimes people buy wood sticks to their pets so that the incisors do not grow so quickly. To discuss this issue is with the vet, he will tell you which toys are best for your rodent. It is important to understand that the wrong decision would be feeding seeds of sunflower seeds and nuts from the market.
If your pet is dear to you, and you are worried about its health and life, then it is better to buy specialized food intended specifically for domestic rodents.
About food for domestic rodents, see the following video.
