Pet Rat people, what rat food do you feed yours?

[mom2jedi]

My new baby Feebee, likes her treats and such but isn't too fond of the rat food I purchased when I got her. Same food they were feeding her at the store, Kaytee Rat & Mouse. She seems to prefer the little blocks and digs through all the seeds to find them. I always used this brand when I had rats before and never encountered this. She loves treats and seems happy and healthy otherwise. I always considered the rat food that was just rodent blocks to be missing something, like it wasn't complete. I'm now beginning to wonder if I should look into getting those for her instead.

Any thoughts would be appreciated, and of course pictures would be great too! I love looking at ratties! Here's Feebee:

For some reason my camera won't connect to my computer so these pictures are a few weeks old.

 

[IcarusSomnio]

Honestly, I fed mine dog food (yes, many breeders feed their rats this and no, it won't kill them

) and gave them a natural grain mix on the side. Fruits, veggies, and cereal as treats. I had some pretty plump, healthy, and happy ratties. They especially liked to steal the nuggets from each other

Rats are 'opportunity eaters', I disagree that they should be fed ONLY fruits, vegetables, and grains. They are quite happy with some meat (like in dog food). I would give mine cooked bits of bacon or whatever meat I happened to be cooking on occasion, they always argued over it.

You'll want to look into getting another rat of the same gender. Rats are pack animals and should not be kept alone

They can get quite stressed and lonely if your not around and holding/playing with them 24/7.


Man, now I miss my ratties again!

I'd like to keep dumbo rats again in the long run, they are just SO cute, it's not even funny.

 

[mom2jedi]

Never thought of dog food. She gets bits of scrambled egg whenever we make some. She loves that. She also loves cheerios so she gets a few of those a day. I am getting her a friend, just waiting for a blue to become available. When I went to the breeder all they had left were blue boys, so I have a few more weeks to wait for the next round of blue girls.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Oxbow makes a good food for them now, don't they? I looked up the link. It's Regal Rat. http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products/type/detail?object=1547

I like a lot of their products for bunnies and guinea pigs. I think this is considered a good food by rat owners. They weren't making this back when I had pet rats. Before this, a couple of the lab blocks were one of the better base diets. There are also mixes you can put together as a healthy treat, but I don't have any links handy.

 

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

mazuri lab blocks, is all they have to eat, but I always gave alot more than that

I would get your rat a wire cage, and out of the fish tank, and get it a same sex buddy! mine LOVED to fish for frozen peas in a small bowl of water

 

[theoldchick]

Purina Rat Chow. The most important thing is to not allow your rat to become obese.

 

[Sumatra503]

I always used the Mazuri rat blocks for my mice and rats. I also supplemented in some rabbit pellets for extra protien and sunflower seeds as treats. Millet sprays make excellant treats as well and also give them something to do.

All of my rats were solitary rats and they lived for years. My paired rats never seemed to live as long. They also fought and stressed each other out. Your rat should be just fine by itself.

 

[TigerLilly]

Quote:
Me, too, as well as some wild bird seed every now & then.

 

[Sumatra503]

I also use the dove and quail mix when I add seed to the mix. It contains a large variety of fairly low calorie seeds.

Toast and popcorn are also a favorite.

 

[NewHopePoultry]

I make my own mix.

My mix includes:
Base:
*Parrot food (minis the red peppers)
*lab blocks (Harlan Teklad (2014 for adult males and 2018 for everyone else)
*Whole wheat flakes
*Rye flakes
*Barley flakes
*Sunflower seeds (unsalted, untoasted)
*Chinese pumpkin seeds (unsalted, untoasted)
*Dog food
*Dry pasta

Changed daily:
*Spinach
*Kale
*Carrots
*Tomato
*Cauliflower
*Turnips
*Corn (cooked)
*Peas
*Green beans
*Millet
*Blackberries
*Blueberries
*Raspberries
*Strawberries
*Banana
*Watermelon
*Plain popcorn