# What did you feed your rat today?



## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

I'm new to rats and personally I can use all the help I can get.

I know there is a thread about homemade diets and lots of questions about what to feed your rats. I thought it would be a good idea to post what your rats have eaten each day (or however often you feel like posting). I thought it would be a good place for new rat owners to get information on what to feed and for people to offer advice on what to feed and what not to feed based on what they see.

I will start.

I should note first that I started feeding a homemade mix. My homemade mix contains rolled oats, Cheerios, puffed rice, raisins, dried black currents, pumpkin seeds, soy nuts, sunflower seeds and tri-colour pasta (I used SueBee's Grain Mix as a guide)

*My rats are not a fan of the tri-colour pasta. Any suggestions on what I could substitute that with?

Just an example of what I have been feeding a couple times over the past few weeks. Fresh food varies based on what I have available. I also feed small amounts. I have a small bowl that I fill up each night with fresh veggies.-

Homemade mix
Oxbow
Sunthing Special Critter Cube
Fresh tomato
Fresh raspberry
Each rat got an almond as a treat

Homemade mix
Oxbow
Cooked basmati rice
Steamed broccoli
A small amount of crushed egg shell
Banana

Homemade mix
Oxbow
Cooked wild rice
Small amount of cooked chicken breast
Small amount of stir fry (mixed veggies, olive oil, herbs for seasoning... sauce was not given to the ratties!)

Homemade mix
Sunthing Special Critter Cubes
Small amount of cooked chicken breast
Salad greens (spinach and other mixed greens... no iceburg lettuce)
Peach (thawed)

Homemade mix
Sunthing Special Critter Cubes
Thawed brocolli
Fresh cucumber
Salad greens
Blueberries


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## Ashley29 (Sep 27, 2012)

What a great idea!  And by the way, you could substitute the tri-colored pasta for whole grain pasta? They might like that. Also if you're worried about them not getting enough carbs, maybe a snack of a little piece of whole wheat bread if the pasta doesn't fly?

I follow Suebee's guide very very loosely, I'm working with what I can find and using my best judgement.

50% Natural Balance Vegetarian Dogfood
50% Grain Mix

Grain Mix:
- Unsalted, shelled sunflower seeds (For birds)
- Whole grain puffed brown rice
- Total Cereal (A small amount in the mix, typically 3-5 flakes in the food dish)
- Dried Oats
- Puffed Wheat Cereal
- Tri-Colored swirly pasta

Snacks and Treats:
- Lots of cheerios
- Raw broccoli
- Blueberries (Trying to get them to eat it, usually they don't)

I also just bought yogurt and I'm going to let them try a little banana. I'm also going to start treating them with a dubia roach once or twice a week to replace the protein found in soynuts that would typically be in the Suebee diet.

I'm new to my little girls, I've had them for under a week. But they seem to be happy with what I'm doing so far.


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## Stubbylove (Sep 5, 2012)

My ratties don't like the blue berries either!! I have tried both fresh and frozen!! I know that they r very important in their diet! Is there any suggestions on how to get them to eat it or if there is a substitute that they might like better? 


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

My current dry mix is a basic adult maintenance mix that can be beefed up for youngsters, but requires some "watering down" for seniors and special needs rats.

Barley, wheats, oats, spelt, rye, millet, buckwheat, groats, quinoa, rice, cous cous, puffed grains, sesame seed, flax seed, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, cashew nuts, whole wheat pastas, split peas, cranberries... The list goes on! Most ingredients have several different sub-ingredients in varying degrees of processing. Each ingredient has a purpose.

For my guys, I take the main mix and add a handful of rose hips, maize, various dried veggies, milk thistle, fennel seed, garlic flakes, parsley, oregano, basil, peppermint... I'm sure I'm missing things. They get fed only enough to last them so that they have a 4-6 hour period in the evening where they do not have access to food. This is usually about a tablespoon of mix per rat.

I'll likely be mixing the herbs together to offer separately on a free-fed basis, but I'm still working on that.

The staples of my "rat salad" that they get every night includes kale, spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mixed veggies, beans, blueberries, and mixed berries. That is stored in the freezer and whatever special fruits or vegetables I have in the fridge that week are tossed in the bowl before serving for variety.

Fresh proteins include eggs, oysters, liver, and sardines given sparingly. The liver is usually given in the form of a biscuit baked with supplements that I'm still working on. They also almost always have a bone of some sort in the cage for calcium, yummy marrow, and general chewing fun.

I'm working on a good mix of sprouts that are also given daily, usually in the morning.

Special weekend treat is a spoonful of wheat germ mixed into a spoonful of Greek yogurt.


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## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

Awesome!

I am in the process of trying to get some chicken bones from my girls as a calcium source. I don't eat meat. The boyfriend only eats boneless chicken. His friend is a butcher though and he just asked if we can get some bones through him.

Are the herbs you use dry or fresh? I have heard of people adding herbs to food but it was never specified if it was fresh or dry.

I was also wondering if liver dog treats would work as a source of protein. I often come across home-made varieties in pet stores that claim to be organic and have minimal ingredients. I did see some peanut butter dog treats at the bulk store that was made of simple, recognizable ingredients. I picked a few up but have not tried it yet.


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## MistyRohrer (Sep 28, 2012)

I am very very new to rats, They like grapes so far that we found, Still searching on what to give them, This is a good post and great forum that I like..... Now when you give them brown (white) rice, Does it need to be cooked or raw? And can they have frozen veggies and fruits?

Thanks, Misty


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## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

I am not sure about the rice. So far I have been feeding them cooked and the puffed rice cereal. They will eat both.

Frozen veggies and fruits are great. I thaw them out and cut them up before giving them to the girls. I think some people feed them frozen in the summer time to keep them cool.
I also read on here that rats don't care about texture. So you can freeze pretty much anything they will eat and serve it to them thawed. I had a bunch of salad greens that were starting to go bad. I threw them in the freezer and then take it out as I need it. I, of course, will never thaw it out and eat it because it is a wet and mushy. The rats don't seem to care either way.


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## Hero-wuff (Sep 27, 2012)

My rats get complete rat nuggets which have more or less everything they need nutrition wise.
I know that's boring for them though so they also get almost anything i'm eating at the time (Providing they like it or it's not too sugary)
They get fruit and salad and corn flakes for treats.

They also get their own little sundays dinner which consists of carrots, peas, mashed potato, turnip, parsnips(They love those), Broccoi, colly flower and whichever meat we are having.

:3


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

trematode said:


> Awesome!
> 
> I am in the process of trying to get some chicken bones from my girls as a calcium source. I don't eat meat. The boyfriend only eats boneless chicken. His friend is a butcher though and he just asked if we can get some bones through him.
> 
> ...


Any sort of bones are great.

I use both dry and fresh herbs. Dry herbs go in their dry mix and fresh herbs get fed with their nightly fresh meals.

Liver dog treats don't really have much liver in them. They're more... liver-flavored than anything. You want to go pretty pure with your protein sources. Oysters are excellent.

I have the recipe for my "rat salad" on my website, which can be clicked through to on my signature.


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## unlikelyfather (Sep 11, 2012)

I would, personally, be very wary of chicken bones. Growing up I was always taught never to let a dog have a chicken bone because, as they're hollow and light, they can be broken easily and splinter. Splintered bones could jab in the throat and injure animals. I assume that even though rats are quite clever there may still be a risk there. Especially knowing that rats can exert pressure with their teeth enough to chew through almost anything...

I really wouldn't test it. I'd just give them a stronger variety of bone off the bat, or scoop a bit of marrow out from the chicken bone and hide it in something firm that wouldn't splinter. That's me, personally. I'm kind of a nervous guy when it comes to health.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

unlikelyfather said:


> I would, personally, be very wary of chicken bones. Growing up I was always taught never to let a dog have a chicken bone because, as they're hollow and light, they can be broken easily and splinter. Splintered bones could jab in the throat and injure animals. I assume that even though rats are quite clever there may still be a risk there. Especially knowing that rats can exert pressure with their teeth enough to chew through almost anything...
> 
> I really wouldn't test it. I'd just give them a stronger variety of bone off the bat, or scoop a bit of marrow out from the chicken bone and hide it in something firm that wouldn't splinter. That's me, personally. I'm kind of a nervous guy when it comes to health.


The way that rats and dogs chew are completely different. The splintering associated with poultry bones isn't an issue with rats. I completely understand if some people still aren't comfortable, but the truth is that the danger just isn't there. Do what you are comfy with, though.


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## rattyandseekersmum (Sep 29, 2012)

silly question, but im new to rats. bones, are they cooked or uncooked?


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

You can do either because it doesn't matter. Whatever you've got is just fine!


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## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

Bumping this thread:Along with Oxbow and their homemade mix, my girls have had

Roasted speghetti squash and skin
Fresh basil, cilantro and parsleyCold quinoa salad (cooked quinoa, fresh veggies, fresh herbs in a simple dressing... it contained a bit of sugar so they got only a little bit)
Turkey bones from thanksgiving
Cauliflower and broccoli leaves and stem
Cooked sweet potato

I just picked up some sardines to feed them on occasion. I am going to attempt to freeze them.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

This isn't all they get but a typical over view since a lot of things change from day to day

My guys typically get mixed vegetables in the morning

The afternoon usually fresh fruits and vegetables, and when we have it Cilantro and Parsley. Maybe some cereal and bits of home made bread (They have yet to decide if they like it or not) Along with sunflower seeds and nuts.

Around dinner I'll give them bits of what we're eating sometimes, like if we're having Stir fry they'll get a bit of the stir fry vegetable mix and pasta. If it's Barbacoa night they get a lot of cilantro. If it's salad night they get anything from a boiled egg, to bits of mushrooms and spinach and beans. They used to get carrots and celery daily but we haven't been able to do this lately.

At night it depends. Typically it's mixed berries with other foods that change daily. My guys don't like grains all that much. Other nights it will be some greek yogurt.

Yesterday and it's going to become a main part of their diet I gave them some Sardines. Soda thought they were gross but Storm LOVED them. He kept licking his paws, my hands, and anything else that has touched it after he ate his and Soda's piece, he even ate the bones. They also seem to love beets, I find it funny cause it turns their pee pink. 

My diet is not complete yet, and I'm hoping to get some Oxbox soon to help out, mainly because Storm has thyroid issues. We have to make sure he gets enough Iodine or else he will get moody and start loosing his fur. We're getting the Oxbox soon (If things go correct later this week) that since we're changing stuff around to make sure that they aren't lacking any nutrients in till we get things settled down. That's why he typically gets yogurt everyday and is getting the Sardines now. He also gets a drop or two of Iodine in his water bottle every other day. He's getting better luckily, his fur is slowly coming back and he is getting less grouchy. 

Other stuff that they love are Raisins, Apples, Bananas, All berries, Grapes, and Banana Peppers (Especially if it's stuffed with Bananas or Yogurt), there are a lot more stuff they get that I can't name off the top of my head right now.

Also you probably shouldn't do this except for special occasions, but my guys Love pumpkin bread, they've had it twice so far, I think they deserve it, it's the holiday week and they haven't had many treats lately


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## Run Computers (Oct 14, 2012)

This morning they got cucumber, carrot and a small bowl of frozen blueberries. All treats to supplement the regular food. Oh, and after a bit of couch play time, they each got a yogurt treat.


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## junior_j (Jan 24, 2008)

If you want your rats to have blueberries but cant get them to eat any via raw/fresh then mash some up with yogurt! A lot more yogurt than blueberry usually Hugo gets so excited with the yogurt he eats the blueberries without taking much note! However if I dip a fresh blueberry in a yogurt he just licks the yogurt off lol. 

He gets Rat nuggets..

Sunflower seeds
Chicken 
chicken bones
eggs either scrambled , boiled (with shell) 
Fruit wise his fave at the moment is apple , banana , water melon (great in the summer when its really juicey and cold)
Fish
cornflake/cheerios/puffed rice
Dried/cooked pasta
a roast dinner once a week which contains a small roast potatoe cut up , chicken and bone , what ever veg , tiniest bit of gravy little bit of yorkshire pudding.
Toast - buttered or with marmite seems to be his favourite but he isn't too fussy.
Today for for the first time as a huge treat he has the tiniest bit of cheese stuffed pizza crust. 


When he is poorly or not himself or I notice he is being fussy with food and not eating much he gets 

Ready break 
baby food
yogurt
mashed up chicken
skinless apple
yogurt drops!


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## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

I changed up my homemade mix with stuff I found from the Bulk Barn: rye flakes, spelt flakes, oatmeal with almonds (no sugar added), sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, vegetable pasta, pecans, dried cherries (no sugar added), dried star fruit and melon (no sugar added), Cheerios and puffed rice. The grains and cereals make up the bulk of it, then the fruits, then the nuts. They did not have soybeans this time around :/ The only thing they do not seem to like is the cherries. They either store it or leave it in their bowl.


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