# Can rats eat



## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

Starfruit? I picked some up the other day and they're just now ripe.


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## jooleeah (Sep 3, 2010)

i know that its not good for rats to have citrus, and im pretty sure starfruit is citrus but i actually have no idea.


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

jooleeah said:


> i know that its not good for rats to have citrus, and im pretty sure starfruit is citrus but i actually have no idea.


Pretty sure it's males that can't have citrus, I've got all girls :x anyone else know?


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

Now why would males not be able to have citrus? I gotta know...


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## lalalauren (Jul 3, 2013)

Don't know the science behind it, but citrus causes cancer in male rats but actually prevents cancer in females. 

Not sure on the star fruit though, as I've got all males so avoid citrus!


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

Ehh, I offered a little piece to Lilly, she smelled it and gave me the "what am I supposed to do with that?" look and waddled off in search of better snacks. Mainly Pop's Cereal.


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## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

I have read citrus fruits like oranges can cause kidney damage in male rats. So just to be safe I wouldnt feed them citrus fruits.


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## Leraine (Feb 21, 2014)

I read that only male rats cannot have citrus, but that it is fine for female rats. This is because only male rats have a protein in their kidneys that female rats do not have, and there is a substance in citrus (and mangos) that will react with this male-only protein. 

Taken from http://www.ratfanclub.org/diet.html

"citrus juice—forbidden for male rats only, d-limonene in the skin oil, which gets into the orange juice during squeezing, can cause kidney damage and kidney cancer due to a protein that only male rats have in their kidneys. Pieces of the orange fruit are okay if you wash the orange-skin oil off of it after peeling it.
mango—forbidden for male rats only, because it contains d-limonene. See above."


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## Leraine (Feb 21, 2014)

I read that only male rats cannot have citrus, but that it is fine for female rats. This is because only male rats have a protein in their kidneys that female rats do not have, and there is a substance in citrus (and mangos) that will react with this male-only protein

Taken from: http://www.ratfanclub.org/diet.html

"citrus juice—forbidden for male rats only, d-limonene in the skin oil, which gets into the orange juice during squeezing, can cause kidney damage and kidney cancer due to a protein that only male rats have in their kidneys.  Pieces of the orange fruit are okay if you wash the orange-skin oil off of it after peeling it.
mango—forbidden for male rats only, because it contains d-limonene. See above."


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