# What is your rats favourite treats/ food?



## sugar-&-spice

I have had sugar and spice (petshop brought sisters) about two weeks ago now and have been experimenting with different foods, so far they have had ham(which seems to be readily enjoyed) whole meal pasta, tofu , And bits of sugar free cereal, just looking to see what other people's rattys enjoy so I can give them a little variety on top of their complete specialist rat food


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## Jaguar

Rats have pretty similar nutritional requirements to humans, which is one of the reasons they are so popular for medicine studies. Lots of things that are healthy for humans are healthy for rats. They need a lot of vitamin K, so leafy green veggies such as kale, swiss chard, spinach, and so on are excellent. Broccoli, carrots, peas, bananas, blueberries, cantaloupe, and such are favorites too. They can also have things like small portions of cooked meat, rice, pasta, oatmeal, etc. just avoid feeding them too many foods with a lot of added oils or sugars.


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## BigBen

In addition to the stuff Jaguar mentioned, my rats get very excited when they get a bone to gnaw.

They are also quite taken with raw pasta, and they sound like little manual typewriters when they munch away. They enjoy roasted peanuts in or out of the shell (apparently they should not get unroasted nuts). But the pasta is starch and the peanuts are high in fat, so I don't give them too often.

I read a suggestion to train rats by giving them puffed wheat or puffed rice grains as rewards, and my rats seem to enjoy those very much. They seem to be paying more attention to the treat than to the training, however, LOL!


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## weaverc12

I have 2 rats who LOVE to eat haha, I give them peas, cheerios, and rice crispies.


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## Twister

We have been experimenting with treats and so far apples are just okay, they love yogurt, (esp. strawberry) and last night I was eating an orange and they would NOT stay away from it. They are girls so I assume it's okay?? If it's not can someone let me know asap?!? They really, really loved the orange...but since I wasn't sure I didn't let them have much. That's all we have tried so far...but tonight we are going to try frozen peas!


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## HoneyRose

Mine seem like they will eat just about anything LOL! Like Twisters girls mine love yogurt, then baby oatmeal, I too also give mine bones to gnaw on [ones for dogs] which they enjoy. Then they really love animal crackers...my girls seem to be staying nice and trim, but I still try not to give them too many goodies unless they are fruit/veggies [healthy stuff]! Hard tho as whenever I walk by they run to the bars of their cage begging for treats!


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## sugar-&-spice

lmao mine nosh cheerios big time! i read an article saying cheerios were perfect for training in trust exersises and other stuff i put a shot class ammount in their rat food last night and the night before and i can honestly say when i return to their cage... its all gone.... now you see it now you dnt sorta thing, cant really try animal crackers as they dont sell them in england... will try yoghurt and i will try offering them bone (any specific type of yoghurt? live? greek? natural? )... they do have a mineral block to gnaw on atm but have taken NO interest in it! have tried a little wholemeal pasta... cooked and uncooked....my friend who keeps rats said try digestive biscuits but i am worried about the sugar/fat content? she recently lost one of her girls to cancer....so im a bit jubious as to wether to listen to her as i dont think she is as knowledgeable as she makes out...

apples werent a big hit, we are trying broccali tonight (as it is what i have brought for my own dinner) and possibly a little bit of carrot or peas... 

please keep posting your reccomendations guys they are greatly appreciated 

lauren x


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## BigBen

@Twister: it's the boys who have to worry about oranges, and I _believe _the problem is in the peel and the white underlayer. But check that out before relying on my memory, LOL!

@Sugar & Spice: yes, be careful with the digestive bickies. Your ratties will probably love them, so give only small pieces and that not very often. (Personally, I like Peek Freans the best. You can give me as many as you like, LOL!) My ratties like Lima beans very much, which I don't think anyone's mentioned yet. As for yoghurt, it probably doesn't matter what type. As with people, live culture yoghurt is best. Again, watch the sugar and fat content. Do you have soy yoghurt in the U.K.? Some people like to give that to their ratties, too. You might also try giving them cooked swede, and see if they like it.


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## meekosan

Depending on what I'm having for dinner, I'll give them each a little sample. Other than baby food snacks, the biggest thing they went crazy over was the pizza crust from dinner the other night. I make my pizza at home with whole wheat dough (bought frozen at the market). I can't wait until garden season starts. My uncle grows tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other yummies every year that I make a salad pizza that rocks.


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## 1a1a

Ha ha ha ha, I had a couple of rats who loved paper more than anything.


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## sunshinestar86

My girls LOVE their fishy crackers(cheddar Goldfish)! And they look so darn cute carrying them around the cage. Haha


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## junior_j

My boy Hugo (13months) loves his daily diet of rat nuggets or shutamite diet. He enjoys cucumber but is not crazy for it. He loves yoggies , bones , boiled egg , pasta cooked more than uncooked , carrots(cooked no salt) potatoe (cooked no salt or oil) swede. Every sunday he has a roast dinner lol. 

apple
banana chips (limited as the sugar content isnt great)
Pasta (cooked/uncooked)
cucumber
spinach
blueberries
cheerios
rice crispies
cornflakes
chicken
peas (especially pea fishing)


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## sugar-&-spice

@ meekosan - salad pizza? that sounds awesome! u must give me the recipe! @ big ben yeah we have soy yoghurt in the uk! (i normally buy either natural, greek, or live fat free stuff anyway) its only stuff like lucky charms, saltines, animal crackers, corndogs, twinkies and buffalo wings you cant get here.... (BASICALLY ALL THE GOOD fattening STUFF) i had discovered they do seem to love krisprolls though ! (not sure if they sell those in the us - they are kind of like mini wholemeal bagettues but crunchy like biscuits or crackers..the rats love to drag them around the cage and gnaw on them ha ha you can hear them crunching from the next room!)


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## Soya

My guys go mad for nuts (of any variety) peas, round lettuce, fresh basil & parsley, sweetcorn (especially on the cob with the leaves attached! Be aware it makes a huge mess though! lol) wholewheat pasta, brown rice & anything soy! Soy yogurt or soy cream I usually give with a little fruit, & soy milk I give them in a little mouse sized bottle  
They will eat pretty much anything though, but they are firm faves


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## sugar-&-spice

They have had some Rachel's live Greek yoghurt for tea tonight with a chicken bone and some Cheerios funniest thing though! I put the chicken bone in and they both went nuts! They both had a bit of a sniff and a nibble then Sugar ended up carrying it down the ladder in her mouth like a dog wih her tail in the air and hiding it in the bedding! Spice was left on the upper level sniffing the floor with a disappointed look on her face! Was the funniest thing I have ever seen! The have been lapping up the yoghurt too! Glad I tried that! They are starting to fill out a bit now though so I'm gonna try more fruit and veg !


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## tabbytoo

My girls get "fruit salad" every night with some cereal (either granola or whole wheat Cheerios). They get really excited when it's dinner time  My oldest one really likes bacon. She can smell it on Saturday mornings and she'll start going C-R-A-Z-Y.

The youngest two haven't been introduced to much, but they do really like cranberries and strawberries.


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## Babs

I bake my own rat treats and they absolutely go crazy for them! I've bought all the brand name treats in the pet store, and my rats always either ignore them or nibble a bit off them then throw them into their litter tray to rot. So one time I got a recipe for dog treats, and decided to cut up the left over bits into bite-size rat treats. Ended up freezing bags of them to keep because they just love them. Here's a picture of some of the doggie bone ones and the bags for the ratties  
View attachment 4034


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## junior_j

Babs they look really good . 

On Hugo's menu tonight is 

Cucumber
Fresh cooked chicken
Spinash
Mashed carrot.

He has a small baby size weaning bowl full. He will eat his least favoruites first. So will eat cucumber , spinach carrot then the chicken lol. He does make me giggle.


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## sugar-&-spice

Awes that's sweet mine just had generic rat food tonight - not sure if they are just growing or filling out since i got them but either way they look bigger! (not in an obese way though) but I amMaking chicken soup from scratch tommorow as we all have the flu in our house! So I will save themSome bits of chicken and veg / cooked potatoe out of that.... And when I make my breakfast of a morning they usually get in on that action too be it a tablespoon of oats or all bran or some yoghurt and fruit


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## meekosan

Since my one girl has been on antibiotics, I been mixing it in some of the baby oatmeal or other jarred baby food. I bought several different flavors and I give a little to everyone. ALL my kiddies love the oatmeal that I've gotten into the habit of making a little every morning with fruit juice like breakfast. I don't put a lot in, just enough of what I think they would eat right then or within an hour. 

Abby seemed to love it mixed with orange juice yesterday morning because it was gone the next time I went past the cage. At night they all get a little bit of the other baby food. 

I try to give them fresh fruits and veggies about twice a week, depending on how much cash I have left. Otherwise they get a little bit of my dinner LOL.


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## giggles_mcbug

My girls LOVE dark chocolate chips. Good for their respiratory systems too.


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## meekosan

sugar-&-spice said:


> @ meekosan - salad pizza? that sounds awesome! u must give me the recipe! @ big ben yeah we have soy yoghurt in the uk! (i normally buy either natural, greek, or live fat free stuff anyway) its only stuff like lucky charms, saltines, animal crackers, corndogs, twinkies and buffalo wings you cant get here.... (BASICALLY ALL THE GOOD fattening STUFF) i had discovered they do seem to love krisprolls though ! (not sure if they sell those in the us - they are kind of like mini wholemeal bagettues but crunchy like biscuits or crackers..the rats love to drag them around the cage and gnaw on them ha ha you can hear them crunching from the next room!)


Well it's simple enough. I just call it salad pizza because of all the veggies. I tend to buy a small bag of baby spinach, and slice up the different colored peppers to make it colorful, and nearly a whole onion. I spread the sauce first (which is really homemade spaghetti sauce), put the spinach over it, the grated whole milk mozzarella cheese (we just don't care much for the skim when it comes to mozz) or fresh slices of mozz that have been pressed between paper towels to draw out the moisture, then the other veggies (sliced peppers, onions, maybe a little fresh sliced french style greenbeans) and sometimes i top it with a little bit of the mixed shredded cheese we use for salads or my quesadillas. Bake and tada! Yums!

I was planning on making dog cookies today but knowing my grandmother is planning on cooking a huge dinner, I have to wait and see. Maybe later tonight and I'll do a bunch of little cookie balls for the rattlings. We'll see.


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