Organic Rat Diets

[Jay_Bunny]

I like the idea of organic diets and I was wanting to have our rats eating organic if its not going to be too much trouble. It will be healthier for them, and healthier for my snakes. So one of the first things I need to know is what should make up a rat's diet. I currently feed them Mazuri Lab Block.

So what should make up a rat's diet. What kind of vitamins should they be getting and in what amounts? Minerals? Grains? Veggies? Everything. I'll will be looking it up online but I wanted to put this here in case any of you knew.

[SatanicIntention]

I make a mostly organic diet for my rats, supplemented with Mazuri 9F and Regal Rat from Oxbow(Oxbow is WONDERFUL!). You need to keep a lab block or other type of complete food available at all times, because there is no way we can replicate everything they need. They are very omnivorous and can eat most things we can.

www.ratguide.com

Look up the Suebee's mix too and you can adjust it to what is available in your area. I use alot of Kashi, different pastas, brown/wild rice, whole grain cereals without any or little sugar(natural sugar is ok, such as the fruit juice in Fruity Cheerios), dried fruit(stay away from citrus), fiber cereals, etc. I also put in whole flax seed, whole toasted pumpkin seeds(shelled and unshelled), and a few other things.

[Jay_Bunny]

Thanks. I'm going to the store tonight since I ran out of Rat Mix.

Originally I was using:

Kashi Puffed Rice
Bran Flakes
Dried Lentils/Peas (rats won't touch these for the most part)
Oats
Tri-Colored Pasta

And also gave them bits of my cereal I eat for breakfast and fresh fruits and veggies.

[Jay_Bunny]

I'm putting together a Rat Diet Menu and I'm planning out what they get everyday for a week and I'll follow that menu. That way I always know what I need to buy and since we already have to buy fruits and veggies for the Gliders, all we have to do is buy a little extra.

[SatanicIntention]

Just a word of advice; more veggies, less fruit. You can get those frozen mixes of vegetables and thaw them out as you need them. They love the soup mixes, especially with the big pieces of corn on the cob. YUM! No uncooked onions though, as well as a few other forbidden veggies. Some can be toxic in even small amounts. The Rat Guide should have it on there.

[Jay_Bunny]

I thought too much corn was bad. I'm going to the store now to pick up the stuff to make the mix and picking up fruits and veggies.

[Jay_Bunny]

Also, are there any organic beddings? I use Southern States Wood Pellet Bedding right now. Really cuts down on smell and is really inexpensive.

[SatanicIntention]

If it's pine based, then no, I'd get rid of it. Pine can really mess with their respiratory tracts. I use aspen from Petsmart. It seems to be the highest quality. You can get it from Tractor Supply and Petco, but they sell the same brand and it's bigger chips and dusty. Petsmart's aspen is fine milled and not dusty. Been using it for years.

Dried corn is bad as it can contain a mold that is toxic(aflatoxins). Cooked corn is great and they love it. I usually steam the corn on the cob, break them into largish chunks and hand it out. They have a blast.

In-Shell nuts are also a favorite and it gives them something to do. Not too many brazil nuts though, they contain alot of selenium which isn't good in overdoses.

[Jay_Bunny]

Mmk. I'll look into using Aspen and getting them some corn on the cob. I know I love it so it'll give me even more of a reason to buy it. Thanks for all the information.