# Nutritional Info on Insects to feed to your ratties (and yourself too)!



## Persian_boy (Mar 16, 2014)

Hey Everyone!

So I was scouring the web for information on what types of bugs out there can be fed to rats (since there was a time before they became domesticated). Naturally, I've read enough of the threads on here about giving insects as treats, and feeding only organically raised, non-wild insects to rats to reduce the risk of parasites. But then I saw so many insects grown for reptiles and wondered what insect had the LOWEST amount of protein that I could give to my rat. Now, these are not necessarily scientific sources, but they are cool in that they provide basic nutritional information on various "edible insects" that humans commonly eat. 
Here are just a couple links to nutrition info that I found useful/ as a reassurance:

Planet Scott 
Edibug.wordpress
fitday
Iowa State.edu
birdfood warehouse

I've heard many people feed their ratties crickets and/or meal worms from time to time. I like that the cost is really cheap and I can store the live insects for weeks at a time. But I was always wondering what insect out there (that was safe to eat) also had the lowest protein value. There is surprisingly not a whole lot of information on insect nutrition- even for the reptile owners community. So if any of you guys wanted to venture out and give you guy/girl a live yummy treat (Rufus goes absolutely bonkers for a live cricket- even likes to chase it!), consider some of the links. Feel free to add any links/thoughts as well.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

I've not fed live (my hubby is not a fan of insects and would kill me lol) but i've fed a lot dried in my rat mix. The main issue with insects is they can harbour a lot of dodgy stuff in there gut if they are wild. Farmed insects or those you grow yourself are much safer. In terms of protien content found a fair bit out using this site ( http://shop.naturesgrub.co.uk/epage...hops/es114020_shop/Categories/Dried_Mealworms ) my aim at the time was higher protien to fat ratio as i use them in my mix as the protien content, i generally found sea bugs were beter for this and especially love dried shrimp (also high in copper). You can probably get indicitve protien and fat values from that site for the dried insect types, a live insect would just be a hydrated version so it should give you a good idea.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

I like the Nature's Medley from one of the bird suppliers. http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/product_naturesmedley.php

It's shrimp, crickets, silkworms and mealworms. They also have a guaranteed analysis on the nutrition of the product, so you know what you are getting.



> *Guarantee Analysis:
> Crude Protein Min. 50.1%
> Crude Fat Min. 14.30%
> Crude Fiber Max. 5.50%
> Moisture Max. 11.20%*


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## Persian_boy (Mar 16, 2014)

Thank you cagedbirdsinging! I like the shrimp inclusion! 

And Isamurat, I couldn't agree with you more about the wild insect thing. (lol your hubby) I usually will buy a bag at petco, breed them at home, let the parent generation die off and then start fresh with the first "pure" generation.  A lot of work, but now I grow my own crickets and don't have to buy them anymore.


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