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welcome | facts | choosing | feeding | looking after | care | links | leaflets In their natural habitat rats will scavenge for their food and will eat almost anything. Rats are omnivores and need protein to keep them in good condition. Click on a link below to find out more about what Rats eat:
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Rats need feeding once a day, every day. A good quality, heavy, earthenware food bowl is essential to keep the food dry and clean, and prevent the rat from tipping the food on to the floor of the cage. Their bowls must be cleaned after every use. Rats need a good quality rat mix that does not contain nuts or seeds as these can cause spots and skin problems. Too much green food will cause diarrhoea. If you feed your rat human food, remember to avoid foods that are high in calories, sugary or contain too much fat. To find out more about high quality, nutritionally complete Rat food, click here (add link to corporate site – products Feed the recommended daily amount for your rat, to avoid over-feeding, selective feeding or obesity. You must check where your rat hoards food and remove any old and stale food from those areas. Rats’ teeth grow continuously so they need to gnaw hard material to prevent them from becoming overgrown. Special wood gnaws can be purchased from pet shops to encourage gnawing; also apple wood, seed sticks (add link to corporate site – treats), crunchy biscuits, dog biscuits or Specialist Treats (add link to corporate site – treats) are ideal.
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Treats are so called because that’s just what they should be – a “treat”. If fed correctly they are not detrimental to a rat and they will love them. However, treats are designed to be an extremely small element of the animal’s diet, and overfeeding may lead to health problems such as obesity, dental problems and heart disease. Some natural treats you can give your rat include cooked chicken, scrambled or boiled egg, carrot, broccoli, cabbage, beans, parsley, banana, grapes, swede, peas and apple. A number of specially made Rat treats are also available from your local pet shop.
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If you are changing your rat’s food, you must introduce it gradually into your rat’s diet. Mix about one quarter of the new food with three quarters of the old food on the first day and then gradually increase the new food and decrease the old food over a 10-day period. This should make sure that your rat has no tummy upsets.
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You should try to ensure that your rat eats all his food from a very young age by carefully calculating the daily requirement. However, if you notice that your rat tends to leave some of the ingredients in coarse mixes, reduce the amount you give him until he is eating all of it. Then slowly increase the amount again to the recommended daily allowance.
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Ensure there is fresh drinking water available at all times. The best way to provide fresh drinking water is to use a gravity-fed water bottle, attached to the front of the cage. Use one of the large ballpoint bottles to prevent dripping and ensure a constant supply is available. Water bowls are not suitable as they are easily tipped over and can get contaminated.
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