# Best treats/food for trust training/taming rats? :0



## Skynub (Jun 28, 2017)

I've been doing a lot of research on rat taming + I was just wondering which food y'all personally had success with? My rats will already take hard treats like baby cereal from me without issue. I had read that baby food is a good choice (using liquid food to keep them by you while they eat) but I'm worried about their stomachs getting upset from it  I'm definitely an over protective rat mom + I'd rather not cause them any discomfort if I don't have to. Honestly, I'd be alright if my rats are never so close to me as to sit on my shoulder or anything. My main goal with trust training is just for ease of transport (as well as reducing stress) to + and from the vet + I would also LOVE to give them free time outside of their cage. They seem to be very happy as is; their cage is large and they get along well so it's not as if they need to establish a relationship with me (as much as I'd love that haha). Have any of y'all had success with baby food? What brands + flavors are best for ratties? (I would definitely prefer healthier options!) What amount should I feed them so that it doesn't upset their stomachs? Should I take breaks for a few days after training with the baby food so that it doesn't upset them? I saw others using almond butter as another "liquid" option; would that be a healthier option? Is almond butter actually okay for them to eat? I know it's not quite as sticky as peanut butter but would it not have the same effect? :0


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## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

Meat baby food is the absolute BEST taming treat (and training - my girls will move mountains for it!) out there! 

But really, just about any food that you can eat without issue, your rats can eat without issue (albeit in smaller quantities). I've given my girls everything from eggs (boiled and scrambled), bread, carrots, strawberries, apples, bananas, cooked beans, ice cream (chocolate flavor is their favorite), chocolate chips, toast, waffles, and, well, you probably get the picture  The key, as always, is moderation. I'll often give my girls a bite of my dinner, but nothing bigger than a pawful or two. Feeding a good quality lab block that the rats enjoy eating also helps, as then the rats can't pick and choose what to eat.


The other main thing to worry about with rats is not giving thick sticky foods (such as peanut butter), as since rats have no gag reflex, they can easily choke on these. I know you touched on this at the end, but even with almond butter I'd probably dilute it with some water. I've never fed my rats almond butter, but they've eaten raw almonds and go crazy for them! Like other nuts, almonds aren't exactly the healthiest treat, so I'd stick to only giving it a few times a week at most.


As for the meat baby food, I've feed sick rats literally a jar a day to keep their strength up with no issue. However, if your rats aren't used to eating it, giving to much at once can cause them to get an upset stomach and have soft poops. I've also found that if you give to much protein for an extended amount of time, the rat can develop skin issues, causing itchiness and scabs. But a few fingerlicks a day or even a fourth of a spoonful a day isn't going to harm them. Once my rats are a bit older, I'll usually cut down how much meat baby food I give, and use it as a special training treat 2-3 times a week. If I'm training something particularly frustrating with them, a dab of meat baby food goes a long way in motivating them to think and concentrate.


My rats don't particularly enjoy veggie or fruit baby food's, and would much rather eat the raw veggie/fruit itself. The only baby food that's not meat flavored that they really enjoy is sweet potatoes. I've also had success feeding my rats applesauce, but if you do so its best to look for one with no added sugar. And feeding too much applesauce can definitely cause watery stool, as I found out when one of my first rats munched her way through an entire GoGo squeeze 




I'd honestly raise your expectations for what relationship you'll have with your rats. What you get out of rats is really the effort you put into them and what you expect to get out of it, so if you set expectations low, that's what you'll get. Even my shyest rats have loved to run all over my body, and sitting on my shoulders has been almost unanimously loved as well. My older girls all like physical contact to some degree, and they actually beg to be picked up whenever I (or someone else) passes the cage. I even had a super cuddly girl who would roll over for belly rubs and beg for cuddles and skritches daily!


Free-range is going to be SO much easier if you train your rats to come to a certain sound, and that's something super easy to train. Basically, make a certain sound before giving them a treat. Do this every time you give a treat, and soon they'll rush out of their houses and run to the cage door when they hear it! Once you start free-ranging, you'll have to work on come a bit more, but its generally pretty easy to train. Once one rat learns it, the others will often copy them, and soon you'll have all of your rats stampeding towards you for a treat when you call them!

Rats are smart little critters, and the way to their hearts is definitely through their stomachs! I'm sure with some time and delicious treats, your ratties will be begging to come out in no time.


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

I'd recommend trying the baby food, I haven't had digestive upsets with it myself. Lots of people swear by meat baby food but for some reason I've had luck with veggie or fruit baby foods, no idea why! ??? Maybe I buy the worst flavor of meat baby food lol. I also use plain yogurt... applesauce... all sorts of things work. Those things shouldn't upset their stomachs in treat sized portions. I haven't used almond butter with rats but when I used to get almond butter it was almost as thick as my peanut butter so I don't know if it'd be any less of a hazard, I guess the consistency could vary between brands though. I think baby food is a better safer choice though. It's formulated for infants so baby food is pretty gentle on the digestive tract. For other treats my rats love oats and rice krispies, and they completely spazz out at the sound of the peanut jar because apparently they really love their peanuts (though I give them sparingly).


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## Skynub (Jun 28, 2017)

Shadow <3;2412921 said:


> Meat baby food is the absolute BEST taming treat (and training - my girls will move mountains for it!) out there!
> 
> But really, just about any food that you can eat without issue, your rats can eat without issue (albeit in smaller quantities). I've given my girls everything from eggs (boiled and scrambled), bread, carrots, strawberries, apples, bananas, cooked beans, ice cream (chocolate flavor is their favorite), chocolate chips, toast, waffles, and, well, you probably get the picture  The key, as always, is moderation. I'll often give my girls a bite of my dinner, but nothing bigger than a pawful or two. Feeding a good quality lab block that the rats enjoy eating also helps, as then the rats can't pick and choose what to eat.
> 
> ...


Wow, thank you for such an in depth answer! :> Yeah, I've read the same about meat baby food; but was always a bit worried about their stomachs getting upset! I've cooked up scrambled eggs for my rats before + given them boiled chicken (to my surprise they actually preferred the eggs haha). I'm usually not super paranoid about feeding them new things but for some reason once I suspect it could upset their bellies I go wild with worry haha// My rats are fed Harlan Teklad lab blocks + sometimes will get Oxbow either if I'm running low or as just a separate choice of food-- Also yes I knew about that they didn't have a gag reflex and that was why I was questioning the choice of almond butter in the first place haha;; I saw it on a rat video on youtube + she said that she would smear almond butter on her hand and let her rats lick it off so that they would get used to her hand as well as learn what to and what not to bite. I wanted to make sure to get a second opinion on it before I let my babies have it; I'll stay away from it I think haha// I didn't mean to sound so pessimistic with my expectations! I really do intend to work hard with + for them + would really love to have a great relationship with them!! :> I promise you I am literally unstoppable when it comes to my pets + I will do everything in my power and beyond to have these ladies be the most spoiled girls on the (metaphorical) block haha// I think I accidentally trained them the "come" command haha I usually shake their treat container to get their attention. I'll purchase some baby food soon and get to work! >:')


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## Skynub (Jun 28, 2017)

Coffeebean said:


> I'd recommend trying the baby food, I haven't had digestive upsets with it myself. Lots of people swear by meat baby food but for some reason I've had luck with veggie or fruit baby foods, no idea why!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah I had tried to feed my rats boiled chicken before and they actually didn't seem to take to it so I was kinda suspicious about how praised meat baby food was haha I think for my girls I'm gonna try sweet potato first? They go crazy for the sweet potato flavored baby cereal I give to them so I'm hoping they'd like it as baby food too haha


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

Skynub said:


> Yeah I had tried to feed my rats boiled chicken before and they actually didn't seem to take to it so I was kinda suspicious about how praised meat baby food was haha I think for my girls I'm gonna try sweet potato first? They go crazy for the sweet potato flavored baby cereal I give to them so I'm hoping they'd like it as baby food too haha


Mine really liked "Sweet Potatoes and Corn", I think it was Gerber brand.


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## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

My rats practically dive head first into Bolognese baby food. And custard flavoured baby food.


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## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

I've been buying so much baby food lately because I have one very underweight elderly rat and it makes up most of her diet. Every 2-3 days I go to the store to stock up on her favourite flavours.

I have about 3 older women (presumably mothers) give me strange looks while I'm in the baby aisle. They probably think I'm a teen mum or something. Mind you I'm 20 but I always get told I look 15-16. People are so judging lmao.


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