Worried about my rat

Question
I wrote earlier this week asking about my new rat Baley who was breathing a little funny. It seems to be mostly better now, but he isn't really eating right. He seems like he's really hungry, but then I give him a pellet of food and he takes it and puts it down. He's nibbled me a couple times and I am worried about him. Yesterday I put food in his bowl, and he emptied it, but i found a good portion of the pellets scattered around the cage. He's drinking normally, and I'm just worried about him. Is there anything I can do?

Answer
Perhaps its the food.

What kind of food is this? Brand name? Main ingredients? If the pellets are green and made of alfalfa or timoth hay, there's your problem! Rats can't digest hay, so they won't even try to eat it. Instead, offer him something like a homemade mix. It's usually cheaper and much, much healthier. Look up "Suebee's Rat Mix" for a good recipe -- I use knock offs/store brands of everything listed and usually toss in some fun stuff for flavor, just to give it variety.

Try that, and see how it does.

Good luck!