rat food

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I'm curious doesn't a lot of mix food go to waste even with the use of a crock dish? I have a visual of a rat digging in the dish and throwing food everywhere.

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Yes they do, but it doesn't seem to waste as much if you use a crock.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

I also keep a covered old plastic icecream container in the fridge. Into that goes all sorts of dinner leftovers and the rats get a few scoops of that twice a week. It's an awful mess to look at but boy the rats eat it up! Saves on wasting food...rats are the ultimate recyclers. They also love wing night around here. Bones are a huge favorite in the colony. The leftover cheesy potato/ham casserole was a bit hit the other night. LOL

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This sounds like a very good idea. My only question is: would the sugar, salt, seasoning, etc... affect the health of the rats and mice?

If not, could save some money on the rodent foods...:rolleye2: My wife is complaining they eat better than myself already. lol

It can affect their health but not much, rats have been eating out of dumpsters and human food piles for hundreds of years. I always fed and always will feed my rats lab block - I love the Mazuri brand. I also feed some table scraps along with dry dog and cat food and a bulk gerbil mix. The lab block cuts down on waste and adding the occassional mix and table scrap adds variety where they just dig right in instead of stuffing and then stashing. I bred fancy rats (dumbos, primarily blues, blondes and blacks) and lab block was great for price, storage, nutrition, and reduced the need for chew blocks/chew sticks for their teeth.

To edit: Otherwise, aside from packaged foods I second the recipes listed as long as you have a chew stick for them.

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Originally Posted by amon

This sounds like a very good idea. My only question is: would the sugar, salt, seasoning, etc... affect the health of the rats and mice?

If not, could save some money on the rodent foods...:rolleye2: My wife is complaining they eat better than myself already. lol

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Here's a great link for what "human" foods are okay for rats and what aren't.

http://www.ratnutrition.com/suppleme...forbiddenfoods

These kitchen scraps I feed the rats are usually offered only twice a week. It makes up more of a supplimentary or "treat" type food for them and saves me tossing perfectly good scraps into my garbage can.

Today for instance the rats are going to get leftover pork chops bones from dinner the other night, some leftover pasta, some ends of of a bread loaf, etc. They also get their standard dry mix of course.

When I'm feeding rats I aim for a well fleshed animal, not fat, just solid and carrying a healthy body weight. Especially with pet rats you can easily overdo the treats and human foods and end up with a really fat rat. Fat rats aren't healthy and don't make good feeders/breeders for snakes either. They tend to die younger than they need to die and especially if it's a pet rat, you want your furry buddy around as long as possible.