overweight rat?

Question
QUESTION: Hi Sandra,
I'm just wondering if rats can become overweight and if they can is there any need to worry? One of my oldest rats, Junebug (she's about 1 1/2)has been putting a lot of weight on lately. She seems fine just very round. Should I worry or is there anything I need to be doing?
Thanks
Michelle

ANSWER: Hi Michelle

Absolutely they can get too fat if they are eating the wrong diets that are high in fats and proteins.

What is her diet consisting of these days and is she active outside her cage daily?

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QUESTION: Hi Sandra, I feed all my rats the lab block that I buy at the pet store and I've been mixing my own food for about a year or more now. Every day they get my mix and the block. The mix is pretty much the internet "suebee" mix. It's rolled oats, puffed rice and puffed wheat, cereals, soy nuts(which they don't eat), dry pasta, and sunflower seeds. I mix up various cereals to give them variety and sometimes I may add raisins or muesli cereal. I give them a daily treat which may be toast, cheerios, fruit, veggie, yogurt drops, etc.
Regarding exercise I will admit she doesn't get out EVERY day. I do take them out often, either they all roam free on the bathroom floor or they come out with me on the loveseat and explore. Some of her cage mates get out more often because they are always climbing out when I go in to feed them and clean the cage. Junebug is more timid. Also I have a total of 4 rats (including her) in her cage and it's a very large "Martin's cage". I believe it's the 2nd largest you can get. It's about 4 feet tall. Any advice?
Thanks
Michelle

ANSWER: The diet sounds close to mine.  It could very well just be genetic too and if she is more reserved and less active than the other rats, this could be keeping meat on her bones more too.  How much does she weigh?

I have some bucks that are over 800 grams and they are not fat, just big boys.

I have had some chubby girls though but were pretty active and healthy and lived to be 3 years old.

Sometimes rapid weight gain could be a sign of other underlying health problems such as heart disease if you notice it to be more in the abdomen and if it is water retention. Is it more or less just an over all weight gain now that she is older?

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QUESTION: Hi Sandra,
I think it seems to be an all over weight gain. I just weighed her and she's about 520g so compared to your 800g boys she's probably pretty small. I just wanted to be sure.
Thanks
Michelle

Answer
Yeah, she sounds like she is ok.  SHe is just over a pound....err...wait, my math stinks:  I do believe that 450 grams is a pound give or take a few numbers, so she is just a bit over a pound.

My moose boys take two hands to hold.  My girls were always smaller, like yours, around 500 and 580 grams.  One female I had was over 2 lbs too and she was a cow. Thats the one that lived on to be 3 and a half years old! Of course I dont want anyone to think its ok for our rats to be little tubby things, but your girl just sounds like she is,how do they say it...um...pleasingly plump :)