# Taste test: the results are in!



## Nicodimus (Jun 23, 2008)

Disclaimer: I feed my rats lab blocks in addition to the foods in this post so they can maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Been testing out small amounts of treats on Bubble and Bobble to see what they think. So far: 

Lettuce: yum! 
Carrot bits: sniff but not eat
Wheat Thin piece: carry around but never eat
Bit of American cheese: yum! 
Yogurt (strawberry and blueberry) on my finger: sniff but not eat 
Cheerios: yum!
Banana bits: lick but not eat
Wheat bread piece: stash and eat later 
Bit of honey ham: climbing up the inside of the cage begging for more within 20 seconds 

Still want to try a grape, and maybe some frozen peas in a bowl of water. Are my rats from outer space if they don't like yogurt?


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

iceburg lettuce or something greener like romaine?

be real careful with that ham because it is super high in sodium & sugar

that would be something to offer... once in a great while

fresh cooked chicken or even the leg bone with a bit of meat stuck to it is a better choice but again... only once in a long while

try them on some peas they should gobble those down once they realize they are good to eat

the yogurt will catch on & they will start begging for that once they take the plunge & try it

was the carrot raw? Mine prefer the thawed frozen bits that comes on the mixed frozen veggies of peas & carrots or peas, carrots & corn


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## Nicodimus (Jun 23, 2008)

Romaine, and yeah raw carrot.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

romaine is good iceburg is well... nothing & a complete waste to offer to rats or humans for that matter


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

oh. btw... mine go nuts for cheerios


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## JulesMichy (Apr 8, 2007)

Rats don't take to new foods right away. Things they might have showed interest in but not tasted might turn out to be favorites later on.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

Jules is right. Rats also mainly prefer foods their mother was fed, when they're still young especially, so that may have a part to play in this.


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## geebus (Jun 23, 2008)

dry dog food


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

Do what?


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## geebus (Jun 23, 2008)

yrt dry dog food, they love it!


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

oh

not the best staple diet for a rat unless it's low in protein, I have dry dog food in my SueBee's and it's actually one of their least favorite bits.


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## geebus (Jun 23, 2008)

Did i say staple diet????? NO!


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

Treats... now remember that my rats are weirdo's who don't like typical rat things! Carrots yum as long as they aren't cooked. Chicken, turkey, basically any meat they turn up their noses at! Cheerios, only if it's the whole grain kind then they go nuts for it. Cheese, only if it's mozzarella and even then they would rather something else. Now soups, they love!! Veggie soup they go nuts for and drink the broth with their little hands (just make sure it's cool for them). They LOVE LOVE LOVE peas, spinach leaves, yogurt any kind, Eva goes nuts for Fruit loops. My son gave her one last week now every time he eats some she is at the side of the cage begging. Soy milk they love as well as bananas, apples (just the skin they don't like the rest), peanut butter (very very thin amount so thin you can see through it on a cracker), ritz crackers, and Goo will go nuts for soy nuts. He picks them out of the Suebee's mix and stashes them so I stopped putting them in there and feed them to the rats as treats instead. He won't let anyone else step food even near his stash of them.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

geebus said:


> Did i say staple diet????? NO!


I didn't say you did.


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

Nicodimus, that was a fun read.  Very detailed...surprised about the carrots, that's one of my rats' favs.

Guys, I must have freak rats, because off the top of my head I cannot think of one single thing they don't eat within an hour. Obviously they have their favorites (I don't eat pork, but I could definitely see mine loving some ham) and eat those first, but...I dunno.

I just gave the girls some sushi, and they flipped over it...lol, particularly the eel.

**LoL, I just asked Brad when he walked into the room, "Hey, is there anything our rats don't like?" He just replied, "_Nope_" and kept on walking. :wink:


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

no no... my rats like everything too.


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

LoL, good. I was beginning to think that my rats' had plebian tastes. :wink:


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## geebus (Jun 23, 2008)

You can buy rat cube foods, says you dont have to feed them anything else
then, sounds easy.


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

I think that's what Nicodimus feeds, if you mean lab blocks. He was just talking about what rats like as treats. 

A human can have a complete diet without pie...but I'm not one to turn down pie.


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## rrats (Oct 14, 2007)

whenever i gave my rat somthing she would take it just like that


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## dragonegg (Oct 2, 2007)

ledzepgirl16 said:


> .
> 
> I just gave the girls some sushi, and they flipped over it...lol, particularly the eel.


I'd flipp over for some sushi myself--eel's my favorite! :wink: 

I sometimes think my rats are spoiled rotten, because things they used to like they now only eat when there's nothing else around, like cheerios and lab blocks. 

Recently, I tried avocado, since I need to fatten one of them up. It was a huge hit with most of them, but some didn't like it at all. 

I haven't had a rat yet who didn't love peas. And I only have one who doesn't care for sunflower seeds. They all go wild for soy yoghurt. Apples and carrots are hit and miss with mine, and banana is only a huge mess. :lol:


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

Bananas are awesome if you have your own food dehydrator!! No mess to clean up and no added sugar like what's in the ones they sell in stores. O yeah forgot my rats favorite treats!! I juice ALOT and I toss in some veggies, a bit of fruit and freeze ice cube trays full of this juice. My rats go nuts over them!!!


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## geebus (Jun 23, 2008)

ledzepgirl16 said:


> A human can have a complete diet without pie...but I'm not one to turn down pie.



Well, when you put it that way sure, i guess some treats are ok..

I did feed some salt and vinegar chips to my old rat a couple of time
i liked the salt.. maybe ill need a salt lick so they get heaps of salt.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

They don't need a salt lick.

My rats love everything I eat x3


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## geebus (Jun 23, 2008)

KayRatz said:


> They don't need a salt lick.
> 
> My rats love everything I eat x3



Why no salt lick?

How about yogurt?


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Rats don't need a salt lick, simple as that. They'll probably just piddle on it.


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## geebus (Jun 23, 2008)

Forensic said:


> Rats don't need a salt lick, simple as that. They'll probably just piddle on it.


Fair enough i guess, ive just seen them in the petstores for rodents in general..

Guess pet stores are wrong often hey


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Understatement of the day........


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

True, true.

I don't know if some rodents need a salt lick (none are coming to mind), but rats do _not_. And associates in many pet stores would be as likely as not to tell you lots of wrong info, either to get you to buy something, or because they honestly don't know any better.

A chip every now and then would probably be ok though. :wink: And a bit of yogurt is ok as well, but it does have sugar (if it's flavored) and lactose. Just go (very) easy on things that are high in sugar/salt.


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## BoyzRcrazy (Feb 18, 2008)

The only things my Mohfu won't eat are snap peas and beef baby food (tried to mix his Metacam with a touch of baby food). Makura eats anything he is offered. They are not picky.

They really like the occasional Nutro Ultra Adult Dog Biscuit. I hope they aren't too high in protein: 20% --- Any thoughts???

Otherwise, they eat Mazuri blocks, etc.


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

I also haven't found a thing my girls don't eat. They love it all!

Another fav veggie is black olives! My girls go NUTS! They each get a half when I make myself a salad, and I have to hand each of them their own right away, or else they'll be all over each other trying to steal!


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