I Am So FRAKIN Confussed!!!!!! (Rat Diet)?

Question

I have no idea what to feed my rats!! Right now I'm feeding them Suebee's with Nutro Lite Dog Food but some say that Suebee's is bad, some say lab blocks, some say Harlan Teklad, some say Regal Rat, some say store bought mixes and some say homemade and some say cat food!!!!! What do I do? I really don't know what to feed them!! Suggestions? If something needs to be ordered online thats fine.

Answer 1

I feed mine kaytee lab rat blocks as it is very nourishing for them. Occasional seed is okay for them, but should not be a full diet.

By the way, it is good to give rats a little dog food, however it should only be as a treat and not part of their diet. I would definitely suggest Puppy Milkbones which you can get at most pet stores. It is great for them and they are small, so you can give each rat one whole bone.

Here are some sites with great information:

http://ratguide.com/care/nutrition/diet....

http://www.dapper.com.au/articles.htm#di... (scroll 1/3 of the page down to get some great treats to give them, but you don't have to be as crazy as this person, also has some great info on rats and rat care)

http://www.ratfanclub.org/diet.html

http://www.afrma.org/bc_ratdiet.htm (great nutrition requirements for rats)

http://www.petratscanada.com/ratcare.htm (scroll down about 2/5 of the page, however the entire page is great)

I hope I have helped you and good luck with your babies!!!!! :-D

Answer 2

No, DO NOT use cat food or dog food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Other than that, what your feeding them sounds fine.

Answer 3

http://www.ratztails.co.uk/diet1.php

http://www.ratztails.co.uk/diet2.php

http://www.ratztails.co.uk/dietdont.php

http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/...

http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/...

Or join either Ratz Tails forum, or FR's.

Kate xx

Answer 4

If you can get it, Harlan Teklad is the best. Mine are on the Soy formula.

Regal Rat, Kaytee, and some other pet store brands actually contain ingredients that can be harmful to rats, as well as things like alfalfa that rats cannot digest.

Mixed rat diets in stores can also contain corn, which has been known to harbor fungus or mold due to changes in climate during shipping.

As a treat, you can also feed Goodlife Recipe dog treats.

Answer 5

I've done my research into rat nutrition. Regal Rat is the highest quality diet you will find right now. It has the highest quality ingredients. Harlan Teklad is the highest quality lab block type diet you can get (but not the best quality diet overall, it contains rather sub bar ingredients such as corn). Suebee's isn't bad, it just isn't nutritionally complete without  a lot of variety and fresh foods (again, Nutro is fine but it isn't the best dog food you could be using as the staple). Cat food is way, way, too high in protein and fat to be fed to rats, whoever told you that is wrong.

Did you read my diet page?: http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratfe...

Edit: goldensrock, Kaytee is the worst brand you could be feeding. They use low quality ingredients and dangerous preservatives (ethoxyquin).

Answer 6

I would guess it all depends on what you want to do with your rat.  I suppose homemade food might be best if you were trying to show him in contests or whatever, but if all else fails, rest assured that store bought mixes will provide the nutrients your rat needs for basic activity.