How much are you supposed to feed a pet rat daily?

Question

So I just got two pet rats the other day. They definitely do not like their rat food at all lol. We know that you can feed them other things like fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. They love pea's! Its like a drug to them or something. They also love bran flakes! How often should we feed them these snacks? Are rats only supposed to have a certain amount of food daily?

Answer 1

2 table spoons of its reagular food so since you have 2 do 4 and a half table spoons! and fresh water and fruits and veggies!!!

hahah but i like to spoil mine but really 2 table spoons per each!

Answer 2

Rats are scavengers, which means they will accept all the food you will give them, store it in their nests and only eat it as they want to. Most rats will not overeat to the point of becoming overweight, but if you notice them fattening up, only then should you decrease the amount of food you give to them. Otherwise, you can give whatever amount. I just fill a food bowl up for them each day.

What kind of rat food are you feeding them? Make sure that you are not feeding seed mixes!!! This is THE worst thing they can eat! Rats should not eat seeds regularly. They are not nutritious, and are inedibley fattening. A good food should be labeled for rats, and should be in pellet form. It's best to buy the most expensive food you can afford since the cheaper ones are usually so for a reason.

If you do have good food, I'm sure they don't like it now because they are still new to it. If you just got them, lay off any treats for the first week. Let them get used to their new food first.

Peas are great for them. Bran flakes as well, but try to avoid anything with too much sugar in it. If they are sugarless, you can give them as often as you like. Same with peas, every other day is fine. i only say every other day because they will eventually get tired of them. Try some other veggies as well. You can feed them treats daily, but in smallish amounts.

Answer 3

Umm... pretty sure they snack on however much they can get ahold of. I would say no more than maybe a fist sized portion of total food... although not too much of any one thing.

I know my girl LOVES canned cat food. One time I was in a hurry and left a whole can in her cage. She ate the entire thing and had discolored poo for a day or so... so just moderation is the key!

After that, I use a large (cat) dish for her rodent blocks, and use a hamster dish for treats, we made the rule that she can only have one hamster dish full of treats each day.

....Peas huh..... I'm gonna see what Clover thinks of them...

Answer 4

Yes you should only feed them a decent handfull a day of their main food along with some fresh fruit or veggies.

Bran flakes etc is cool but rats really do need to eat their proper food as it holds all the nutrients and goodness they need. If they are not taking to it try and buy rat nuggets, its the same as the basic rat food but all mixed into one into individual nuggets, you should be able to get these from any large pet store. If not try online.

But keep on feeding them the things they like, try not to under feed or over feed them as they can gain or loose weight very easily. Try to stick to one large handfull of food per day and plenty of fresh drinking water with some fresh treats and as they grow and become adults feed them 2 handfulls a day.

Hope this helps hun! x

Answer 5

as soon as your rat is done eating put so more cause then h**l be full and when hes hungry h**l eat again.