Can I feed these things to my rats for their main diet?

Question

I'm new to the rat world and was wondering if this would be a good rat diet:

1) Living World Hamster Extrusion (The store doesn't carry any type of food for rats accept the seed mixes which I hate. This is the only blocks type food.)

2) Low fat, low protein dog food (A good brand like, Natures Recipe.)

3) Fruits and Veggies everyday

I am unable to order on line so don't even suggest that. Is this ok to feed them or is bad? I don't want to make my own mix so that's out of the question. So would this be good?

Answer 1

No. Hamster food is for hamsters and is horrible for rats. Making Suebee's mix is insanely easy. I was worried about it too at first but it's very simple to make.

I have a write up on Suebee's mix and the best high quality, low protein and fat dog foods to use as the staple: http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratfe...

The most important parts of the mix are the Total (for the vitamins and minerals) and the staple dog food.

Answer 2

I may be wrong, but I have heard that hamster food should not be fed to rats due to it containing far too much fat. I found the information here:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bclee/rat...

which I think is a really good site giving you an overview of what to feed your rats.

Hope this helps

Answer 3

For dog food, I actually use Blue Buffalo's senior diet. It is 18% protein, but my rats have done great on it. ((Nature's Recipe senior food is 19%))

Lab blocks made for hamsters isn't recommended, but if that's all that is available, then I suppose it's better than nothing.

Fruits & veggies daily is fine, as long as you keep it ''rat-sized'' and research the good/bad fruits & veggies.

Answer 4

Hamster food is fine for rats, the only problem with it is that the rats might not like it, some rats prefer bigger bites, Do not feed them dog food, in the long run it will kill them, there is way too much protein in dog food for rats, at the pet store I worked at they fed the rats dog food to bulk them up because they mainly went for feeders, you can give them fresh fruits and vegetables occasionally, but it may give them diarrhea, did you try to ask the pet store if they could special order in rat food for you, if you ask them try to ask them to get square meal for you, it is everything that a rat would need crushed up and compacted into cubes.

ok main point is its called dog food not rat food, so that means that it does not require everything a rat would need, hamster food is much closer to their requirment than dog food, I don't understand why not just check out another pet store there has to be another one somewhere close to you, I have 3 rats of my own and worked at a local pat store where I handled and took care or rats as well. I feed them hamster food, and the ingredients are the same as the rat food just cheaper, and they are doing just great, they are very healthy no over weight, just a typicl rat, and their coat is actually soft like a baby rat's fur, instead of coarse. Im just trying to help you out no need to get huffy.

No i just checked the ingredients and everything is the same the ony differene is that for the hamster food is that it says crushed blah blah blah, I would not feed my pets anything horrible and they eat nothing but the best food, they eat better than me

hamster food and rat food have the same gauranteed anlysis, so please tell me why it is horrible, they are rats the eat anything, wild ones live in garbage and you are trying to say that hamster food is horrible for them? I am not understanding this situation.

This person can not obtain rat food so I am simply trying to tell him that hamster food is his next best bet, not dog food.

Answer 5

You should feed your rat Lab Blocks and fruits&veggies

according to many Rat reference books, Lab Blocks should make up 80% of their diet, and fruits and veggies 20%.

Although loose food, food that has seeds and veggies mixed up together, appeals more to the rat, it is bad because a rat could simply eat only the things he or she likes.