:: Diet ::
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:: Staple Diet ::
The staple diet of rats should be interesting and diverse enough to stimulate healthy feeding as well as nutritionally balanced to cater for the rats' needs at their particular stage in life. Contrary to popular belief among non-rat owners, rats very much require a nutritionally balanced diet and will not be happy just eating table scraps and bread. Their development and long term health depends upon their diet (among other factors) and therefore it is important to pay close attention to what you are feeding them.
Most rat owners feed a dry staple diet consisting at the very least of a pre-fabricated rat/rabbit grain mix, although there are a few suggested diets that are based on molasses where owners create the mix from composite ingredients. Some owners will feed complete diets such as lab blocks or "nuggets" which cater for the usual nutritional requirements of adult rats, but we believe that rats feed better when given the opportunity to enjoy different textures and flavours within their diet, so we do not recommend feeding these alone.
Currently, our adult rats enjoy the following staple diet:
60% Alpha Herbal Deluxe rabbit grain mix
10% Uncooked pasta
10% Burns Lamb and Rice dog kibble
20% Breakfast cereals, usually corn flakes and "Shreddies"
Garlic powder (we add 2 scoops to a 25 litre tub of mix)
Seaweed powder (we add 4 scoops to a 25 litre tub of mix)
We suggest that this is the diet that owners of our rats should follow, although there are alternatives to the specific brands we use:
Rabbit mix - we have also used Harrison's Banana Bunny Brunch with no problems, the rats really enjoy the banana pieces! Any alternative with a very similar nutritional analysis is suitable, although look out for those with grass pellets or alfalfa in - rats will not eat these, so they will always be wasted and may cause the diet to be less balanced. Specifically formulated rat food can be used instead of rabbit food, although the dog kibble part of the diet should be removed and replaced with rat mix also in order to maintain the correct balance of nutrition. Burgess Suparat is the best commercial mix for rats, although rat "nuggets" or lab blocks can also be used. With any grain mix, avoid any that contain seeds, nuts, alfalfa/grass and excessive colourings.
Pasta - egg noodles can be used instead of pasta, or even rice. We have found that pasta is the most enjoyed and also cost-effective out of all the options.
Dog kibble - James Wellbeloved and Autarky are recommended by many rat owners. We have also used Nutro in the past, but found that even the lightest formulation still lead to overweight rats - since changing to Burns this has dramatically reduced. We have also used Alpha Lite dog kibble, but found that after a while the rats would tend not to eat them for some reason. We recommend owners to use a dog kibble that consists of a good source of meat, natural ingredients where possible, no additives or articial colourings with a protein analysis of around 14%. Avoid corn-based foods, as these contain high levels of nitrates and amines which can increase risks of cancer.
Cereals - rolled oats and other natural cereals can be used, but rats do tend to leave a lot of these in general. Breakfast cereals are much preferred but are made largely to suit human taste buds so can contain a lot of salt/sugar in various forms so care is advised when selecting. Currently we do not recommend using bran-based cereals as excessive fibre can put too much of a strain on rats' kidneys, but the jury is still out on this issue.
Garlic powder - we add this to the dry mix as there are many documented benefits to garlic in the diet, including increased immunity, protection from parasites, reduced arthritis and antibiotic properties. Garlic can be used as a supplement instead if preferred.
Seaweed powder - this is added to the dry mix to promote good coat growth and pigmentation, although seaweed powder also maintains healthy metabolism and is a good source of iron and iodine. Seaweed powder can also be used as a supplement if preferred.
Note that we believe very firmly that the staple diet for rats should contain foods from both animal and vegetable sources. In the wild, rats will choose to consume dead animals and catch pray even when other sources of food are freely available and much easier to gather, because rats require animal proteins and other nutrients that are most abundant in animal sources. We do not believe that imposing an owner's vegetarian or even vegan diet on their animals is an acceptable practice.
:: Supplements ::
Fresh foods can be used as good sources of vitamins, trace minerals, and in some cases also have special properties that are not available in processed foods. Supplementary foods are also good for stimulating appetite in sick rats, as well as a solution for boredom, remembering that rats are highly intelligent and require mental stimulation for their well-being.
Good fresh foods to feed roughly once a week are:
Curly kale, spring greens, pak choi or broccoli - great for most vitamins and minerals
Other vegetables such as carrot, peas, sweetcorn, celery, cucumber etc.
Apples, pears, bananas, plums, melon, berries or other fresh fruit
Citrus foods are worth avoiding as the skins can be dangerous to the kidneys of male rats. Raw potato or beans should also be avoided as they also contain undesirable compounds.
Every once in a while, rats will enjoy other foods as treats:
Healthy table scraps
Porridge
Cooked eggs
Fish
Cooked meat
In general, anything that is suitable for consumption by humans is alright as a treat for rats every once in a while to alleviate repetitivity or boredom.
:: Kitten/Nursing Doe Supplements ::
In order to promote healthy development in kittens and growing adults it is important to alter their diet to suit their change in requirements. Growing requires more energy as well as more protein, so this must be catered for in the diet of young rats. Nursing does also require the same diet, as this allows them to develop a more nutritionally rich milk to feed kittens with. Pregnant does should not be fed an altered diet, as this can lead to abnormally large kittens that cause problems during birth.
Nursing does and kittens under six weeks old are always offered:
Protein-rich food - such as eggfood (EMP/Cede/Orlux mixed with lactol, SA37 and boiled water), porridge made with lactol, sardines/pilchards, cooked meat, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, bread soaked in lactol.
Vitamin/mineral-rich food - usually either curly kale, spring greens, pak choi or broccoli
Between 6 weeks old and 12 weeks old, these supplements are reduced to about twice weekly servings, and from 12 weeks until around 5 months old they are further reduced to weekly servings. Bear in mind that this is totally dependant on the rate of growth of the rats being fed - some lines may develop much quicker therefore need more supplementing earlier on but stopping much sooner, whereas others may develop slower requiring a more constant supply of these foods until a later age. Needless to say, supplementing in order to help normal growth continues until the point where rats are deemed to be fully grown.
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