Introduction: Homemade Pet Rat Food
The first thing to do before you attempt to make homemade rat food is research what is good for your rats and what is not good for them. They can and will eat just about anything humans eat, but not all human food is healthy for your pet rats. I have made a basic list of healthy rat foods and a list of foods to avoid feeding your rats.
Rat Food List:
Most fruits (such as apples, bananas, blueberries, grapes, raspberries, peaches, kiwi)
Most vegetables (such as broccoli, carrots, cucumber, green beans, peas, corn, pumpkin)
Most grains (such as oats, barley, corn starch, rice, grits, raw pasta, raw rice, plain rice cakes, plain dry oatmeal)
Most nuts and seeds UNSALTED (such as walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds)
Some meats (chicken is best)
Natural plain cereals with less that 5% sugar and sodium (such as Total, Cheerios, Rice Krispies)
Plain Yogurt (with less than 5% sugar)
Chicken bones with minimal fat
A WORD OF CAUTION: too many berries and green veggies give rats soft poops.
DO NOT FEED RATS LIST:
NO citrus
NO raw onion
NO green potatoes
NO celery
NO iceberg lettuce
NO radish
NO collards
NO turnip
NO uncooked beans
NO uncooked peanuts
NO raw sweet potatoes
NO apple seeds
NO avocado
NO beets
Step 1: Rat Recipes
To provide the correct nutrition for your pet rats, feed them one bowl of dry food mix and one bowl of rat salad (or combine the 2 in a larger bowl). You may also choose to add other healthy rat appropriate foods as well. Your rat will appreciate the variety!
Dry food mix:
1 part plain Total cereal
1 part Cheerios (or off brand)
1 part Rice Krispies (or off brand)
1 part Oats
1 part Flax Seed
1 part Barley
1 part Dry Pasta (I use Wacky Mac Veggie Spirals and Orzo)
1 part Dry Rice
Banana Chips
Pumpkin Seeds
Unsalted Mixed Nuts
Rat Salad:
3 parts Kale
1 part Spinach
1 part Parsley
1 part Fresh or Frozen Mixed Veggies
1 part Fresh or Frozen Broccoli
1 part Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
1 part Fresh or Frozen Other Fruits
Rat Yogurt Treat:
2 parts Plain Yogurt
1 part Blueberries and/or Other Fruit
Step 2: Tips to Make Your Life Easier...
1. You can dry fresh kale, spinach, and parsley in advanced for longer storage and prevents wasted food.
2. Buying frozen veggies and fruits prevents wasted food. Your rats won't mind their food being cold.
3. Make large batches of food and store for easy daily use.
Step 3: Links to Useful Sites
Sites with great information on rat diets:
http://www.ratsnacksnstuff.com/
http://www.ratfanclub.org/diet.html
http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html
Other Rat Sites:
