| The average life expectancy for a rat is three years, | | | | absorption, and a few other things. If you wish you |
| with the record longest living rat reportedly dying at | | | | can read more about this at The American Cancer |
| the ripe old age of 7, according to the Guinness Book | | | | Society website: best part is that you can find cheap |
| of World Records. The oldest rat I have ever had | | | | Inositol at your local vitamin store. You see, a lot of |
| was a male named Rodney who died at the age of | | | | humans believe that IP6 can help them just as it |
| 6.This brings up the cry from rattie lovers: why must | | | | helps rats, so it's readily available.According to a vet I |
| they die so soon?I've struggled with this question for | | | | interviewed who was familiar with the research, just |
| almost three decades of rat ownership.Your rat's life | | | | dissolve one-eighth of a teaspoon per 16 ounces of |
| expectancy comes from a combination of exercise, | | | | water into the drinking water of your rats.Your rats |
| proper nutrition, and, most of all, genetics.The good | | | | will probably like the taste (my own ratties prefer it |
| news, however, is that there is something you can | | | | to regular water), since it tastes sweet.Also, if the |
| do above and beyond all of that to boost your pet | | | | water bottle is exposed to light, cover it with |
| rat's life expectancy, using secrets discovered very | | | | aluminum foil since Inositol is sensitive to light.Finally, if |
| recently by medical researchers. You see, a lot of the | | | | you do use Inositol with your pet rats, I recommend |
| studies aimed at boosting longevity in humans are | | | | supplementing their diet from time to time with iron, |
| done on rats, so it's a good idea to keep up with | | | | as IP6 can slow your rattie's absorption of that |
| what is being done.A recent huge breakthrough was | | | | mineral.As always, be sure to double check |
| the discovery that rats given a supplement called | | | | everything with your veterinarian and check the |
| Inositol (chemical name Inositol hexaphosphate or | | | | studies I linked to for yourself, but clearly this is |
| IP6) had almost double the normal life expectancy as | | | | important news for us pet rat lovers who would do |
| rats in a control group and almost never got | | | | anything to boost the life expectancy of our little |
| cancer!Inosital comes from high fiber foods such as | | | | ratties. I've only just started my own pet rats on |
| brown rice, wheat bran and sesame seeds. The net | | | | Inositol a couple months ago, but I'm observing initial |
| result for your rattie is fewer cancerous tumors and | | | | signs of increased health that look promisingColin |
| a higher degree of overall health, since the study | | | | Patterson is author of Pet Rats: How to Easily Train |
| found that it aids your rattie's body in its metabolism | | | | and Care For Your Ratties... |
| for healthier bone marrow, liver functioning, calcium | | | | |