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What Should You Feed Your Pet Rats

A Look at the Different Kinds of Rat Foods and Treats

By Mary Kirkland, published May 15, 2007
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Rats are omnivores, that is they will eat meat and vegetables. There are several different things you can feed your Pet Rats, but I suggest a seed mix as well as block food. Most pre-packaged seed mix will have some rodent block food already in it. I use Fiesta rat and mouse food.

You will also want to provide fresh vegies every other day, but make sure you remove what's left over at night so it doesn't spoil. Spoiled food can make your rats sick, just as it would make you sick. A good rule of thumb is never to give your pet rat vegetables that you would not eat yourself, so if they don't look good to you, don't feed it to them.

You should also make sure you have a supply of Timothy Hay available for your rat, they will use it as bedding when not eating it. The best part is, it's very healthy for your rats.

Fresh foods and Water

You will need two different food bowls, one for a seed mixture and one for vegetables. Keep the bowls clean by washing them out with warm water every time you add food to it. Some of the food will be eaten, some will be hidden in the cage and some will be left in the bowl. Once a week when you clean the cage you will need to remove all the seed mix they have hidden along with all the bedding and any seeds left in the bowl. Clean out the entire cage and put in new bedding with fresh food.

Water should not be given in a bowl but rather a water bottle. Otherwise the water will get dirty and most likely knocked over. The water bottle should be emptied every day and fresh water added. If you have two rats in a cage you should have a large water bottle as they drink quite often throughout the day and night. You can add vitamin supplements to the water as your rat gets older. Some rats will chew their water bottles if they are places on the inside of the cage, so if you have a water bottle that hangs on the inside of the cage I would recommed getting a water bottle with metal chew guards, so they cannot chew a hole in the water bottle.

Treats

What Should You Feed Your Pet Rats

This is my Rat, Dusty.

Credit: mary Kirkland

Copyright: Mary Kirkland

Takeaways
  • Rats will eat a large variety of foods, including fresh vegetables.
  • A great treat to give your rat is Timothy Hay.
  • Rats love to get treats.
Did You Know?
Rats will hide thier foods and treats in their cage for safe keeping until later.
Comments
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I have two rats cricket and strawberry. I give them avariety of foods.. strawberry likes to eat everything but cricket i noticed doesnt try and eat everything like strawberry.

Posted on 09/10/2008 at 12:09:04 AM

 
I still have 2 rats and even though they are getting older they are still the sweetest little animals. Dusty, my white one likes to snuggle up in my hair and eat yogurt drops.

Posted on 07/20/2008 at 7:07:29 PM

 
you should feed your rat fiesta mice and rat food and fill its food dish when it gets empty with a little bit of food then i put papya toppings in it my rat loves them

Posted on 06/11/2008 at 7:06:25 PM

 
i give my pet rat leftover food from are dinner usuarly like, carrots,rice,apple,pasta,bread,some from roast,potatos. guring the day i give my rat wita weets and solty biskits!! (he likes them)..... if your pet rat is licking your hand and fingers when its laying on you, you need to give him more solty things,because rats don't store solt in there bodys like wee do it just comes out the other end soon after eating it. so you need to keep soplying the solt in there bodys. i hope you liked my info, here from u again soon x0x0x0x cheeky monkey

Posted on 05/19/2008 at 4:05:01 AM

 
my rat Smoky basically eats everything down to steak (which it loves), i enjoy spending time with my loveable rats there one of the best animals you can have there very intelligent

Posted on 05/14/2008 at 10:05:00 AM

 
My wife and I have, over the process of the last four years, kept 7 rats. I have found that there is little you can give a rat that it won't try to eat, including flowers, blankets, towels, socks, feet...but I digress. In all the research my wife and I have done, they warn against avocados, milk chocolate (dark chocolate in TINY amounts is okay, like a chocolate chip every now and then), pretty much all of the foods listed above. By the way, for those of you new to rats, if you have MALE rats, expect them to get fat. They are much like male lions in that respect: unless they're doing one of their assigned group duties, they tend to be lazy, squishy critters. Though it is funny: one of the two Dumbos we owned would steal sips of beer out of my cup. Guess he liked Guinness :).

Posted on 02/13/2008 at 11:02:45 PM

 
I have found my pet rats to be the sweetest and most loving pets I've ever had. I love how much personality they have. Unfortunately, my first rat came from a pet store who told me to feed him only cat food. He lived for about two years, but was very obese, despite my attempts to give him lots of exercise. My rats now get a well-balanced diet, as I want to keep them with me as long as I can. :)

Posted on 01/15/2008 at 6:01:32 AM

 
although avocados make a great treat for your rat you should be wary that the pit,rind,skin and leaves are are toxic.the fruit in contact with the pit also contains amounts of toxins

Posted on 09/05/2007 at 7:09:00 PM

 
Ive found that Heinz baby foods are excellent for sick rats. I have a rat that cant hold his food in his paws (paralysis of the rear legs), so liquid food and hand feeding are the only options. Baby food is messy, but it works!

Posted on 07/20/2007 at 2:07:00 PM

 
Rats should be fed everyday, I usually put a handfull of seed mixture in their bowls everyday with a little bit of fresh vegies every other day. Make sure to take the leftover fresh foods out at the end of the day or they will spoil. If your rat is getting fat, make sure they get enough exercise. An exercise wheel, a ferret leash to take walks, let them out several times a day to run around on the couch.

Posted on 07/05/2007 at 11:07:00 PM

 
Male rats should not be given oranges as there is a chemical in the peel that is toxic to male rats. Also don't feed them orange juice.

Posted on 07/03/2007 at 11:07:00 PM

 
how often should i feed my rats because theyre kinda starting to get fat

Posted on 06/22/2007 at 4:06:00 AM

 
Good article about rats. Check out my article about 10 pound rats http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/259983/10_pound_rats.html

Posted on 06/11/2007 at 10:06:00 AM

 
I enjoyed this article! My husband had a pet rat when he was young and the whole family said it was the best pet they ever had!!

Posted on 06/05/2007 at 11:06:00 AM

 
Yes, I have given them little bits of cheese.

Posted on 05/27/2007 at 8:05:00 PM

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