Safe Foods For Rats: The Ultimate List
There is a large variety of safe foods for rats, but there are some that should be avoided. Giving small quantities of different foods is a great way to offer enrichment to their day. If our table scraps are rat safe, we often will give pieces of them to the rats or even freeze some for later. It saves on waste and gives the rats something healthy and fun. Here is a basic guide on how we feed our rats, from prepared rat food to table scraps, and a list of foods to watch out for.
The Most Important Food: Core Diet
The basis of your rats’ diets should always be a quality rat block. We feed our rats Mazuri Rat Food. We buy from Chewy.com It comes in nice size chunks that sit on top of the rats’ enclosures to avoid waste and keep their enclosures clean. They have constant access to this food as it contains the balanced diet they need to stay healthy.
That being said, adding other healthy foods can be a fantastic way to enrich your rat’s day! We give our rats lots of scraps from our own cooking and meals. There are a lot of great choices, and some to stay away from. Don’t worry, we’ll break it down for you!
READ: Bringing New Rats Home: Tips For A Smooth Transition
Safety First: Foods to Avoid
- Anything high in sugar or fat is generally not healthy for your rat. Too much sugar can cause obesity and tooth decay, and excessive fat intake can cause tumors. Anything with caffeine in it is also dangerous.
- Carbonated Beverages: Rats cannot burp!
- Chocolate/Candy: The sugar and fat content is not healthy for rats.
- Orange Juice – Can cause kidney cancer
- Salty Processed Foods
- Many fruits and veggies are safe, but here are some that aren’t.
- Mango – Can cause kidney cancer!
- Oranges – Citrus is harmful to male rats. We avoid it completely to be safe.
- Avocado Skins/Pits
- RAW Sweet Potato (Cooked is fine!)
- Green Potatoes
- Miscellaneous foods to avoid:
- Raw Beans
- Peanuts
- Poppy Seeds
- RAW Tofu – contains unsafe bacteria
- Sticky Foods like peanut butter – Rats can choke!
Safe Foods For Rats: Eat Up!
Now for the fun part! We’ll start with some of our favorite foods to feed our rats, and then finish off with a list of other healthy options.
Broccoli
We eat a lot of broccoli at our house. Whenever I cook it for the family, I chop off the stems that would normally get thrown away and give them to the rats. They love them and they’re super healthy. They can also eat the leaves and the florets. Our rats love when we have broccoli for dinner!
Apples
Apples are another staple in our family’s diet. We go through A LOT of apples. My kids like theirs cut up, and as you imagine, they don’t always get as much apple as they could when slicing. I like to grab those cores and slice off the excess apple bits and give them to the rats. Just be careful not to include any seeds — they are toxic!
Bell Peppers
Much like the apples, my kids LOVE bell peppers. They’re sweet and juicy and super healthy. I don’t let any little pieces go to waste because the rats love to eat them up! Orange is their favorite, but they’ll also eat the yellow, red, and green ones.
Bananas
Bananas are cheap and delicious. We pretty much always have some on hand. Just be careful not to overdo it as they are sugary and can cause stomach upset in excess.
Berries
We grow our own strawberries because I couldn’t keep up with how many my kids were eating. Now we share with the rats! Blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries are all great! Just be warned, they are a bit messy so don’t be alarmed if your blueberries turn everything purple!
Seedless Grapes
Bad for dogs, good for rats. Feel free to let them enjoy!
Melons
Juicy watermelon and sweet honeydew are always summer favorites, and rats love them too!
Yogurt
We make our own yogurt here so I like to pull a little off for the rats before I add any sugar or flavoring. They go nuts for it! If you’re buying storebought, just be sure to get plain low-fat yogurt to minimize the fat and sugar content.
Canned Meat
My kids love chicken quesadillas, so they’re always opening cans of chicken and not finishing them. I give the extra to our pregnant and nursing rats. It avoids waste and keeps our rats healthy!
More Rat-Safe Food Options
As promised, I’ll finish off with a list of some other options as everyone’s normal diet looks a little different. These are all safe and healthy options of foods for your rats.
Fruits
- Plums
- Pineapple
- Papaya
- Peaches (NOT the pit)
- Kiwi
- Cherries
- Pear
- Pomegranate
Vegetables
- Tomatoes
- Carrots
- Corn
- Cucumber
- Green Beans
- Kale
- Butternut Squash (Cooked)
- Pumpkin
- Asparagus
- Cauliflower
- Peas (Frozen peas in a little bowl of water can encourage your rats to “fish”)
Herbs
- Mint
- Basil
- Cilantro
- Parsley
Miscellaneous Safe Foods
- Dog Biscuits
- Rice
- Cereal (Be careful of sugar content here)
- Meats
- Eggs
- Sunflower Seeds
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Pistachios
- Pecans
- Walnuts *in small quantities
- Flax Seeds
- Sesame Seeds
- Chia Seeds
- Hemp Seeds
- Oats
There are so many safe foods for rats! Giving a variety of foods in addition to your everyday rat block can be a great way to add fun and enrichment to your rats’ day! It’s always fun to watch them try something new to see if they like it, and if you are using your leftover food scraps, it prevents food waste!
Happy eating!
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