Snacks/Treats

[CoolioTiffany]

What are some snacks or treats rats like to eat?

I got a male today and will be getting a female very soon so I was just wondering what small snacks or treats they like to chew on.

I heard they like to eat Cheerios, so I might try that. Any fruits or vegetables they can eat? Seeds?

I see some eat sunflower seeds sometimes, but I'm not sure if I should get those raw sunflower seeds from Home Depot or get the cooked salted ones from the store.

[KRK Exotics]

I feed mine treats of apples, bannanas, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, peanuts, raw pasta and dog biscuits.

The treats they get the most are peanuts and sunflower seeds. Usually a hand full per tub at cleaning time. I buy the big bags from the feed store ment for parrots.

[CoolioTiffany]

I feed mine treats of apples, bannanas, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, peanuts, raw pasta and dog biscuits.

The treats they get the most are peanuts and sunflower seeds. Usually a hand full per tub at cleaning time. I buy the big bags from the feed store ment for parrots.

So I can just slice up an apple right now and give him a slice? And same thing with the banana? I was thinking about having a banana right now actually, so I could share it with him I guess

[bamf64]

i feed my pet girls red grapes and cheerios for treats. feed ALL treats spearingly though because that can cause sickness. if you really want to have some fun with them put cheerios through a string and hang it in their cage so they can try and get it down

[bamf64]

I feed mine treats of apples, bannanas, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, peanuts, raw pasta and dog biscuits.

The treats they get the most are peanuts and sunflower seeds. Usually a hand full per tub at cleaning time. I buy the big bags from the feed store ment for parrots.

NEVER give peanut butter to rats it can get caught in their throats and suffocate them

[CoolioTiffany]

i feed my pet girls red grapes and cheerios for treats. feed ALL treats spearingly though because that can cause sickness. if you really want to have some fun with them put cheerios through a string and hang it in their cage so they can try and get it down

Do I just get the regular Cheerios or does that even matter?

[4theSNAKElady]

My rats LOVED Ritz bitz pnut butter sandwich crackers, or Nutter Butter bites. (cookie sammiches)

[musicalKeyes]

Mine loved anything crunchy. I'd also throw in a few crickets when I was feeding the frogs, and they'd chase them around and eat them. Mice will too. I'd never fed my rats this, but the mice I have now love plain oats.

[Jeremy78]

Do I just get the regular Cheerios or does that even matter?

Hehe just regular cheerios are good :-). Rats are scavengers so it doesn't really matter.
The treats mine enjoy is carrots. But I usually put any old cerial I have laying around in the hopper for em too.

[Michelle.C]

I own ten pet rats, so I spoil them a little more than someone might a feeder, but maybe I'll be able to give you some ideas. I make a rat mix that consists of cereal that's on sale (usually Kashi, Total, Granola, Cheerios, etc), Unsalted/Cooked Peanuts, Sun Flower Seeds, Tri Colored Pasta Noodles, Wheat Noodles (pretty much any kind of dry noodle), Puffed Rice, Oatmeal, Millet, Harlan Teklad Rodent Blocks, High Quality Dog Food and pretty much anything dry that isn't on the forbidden food list. I spend around $100 and it will supply my 10 rats for a couple of months of high quality food. I just keep adding to the mix and buy one or two things every time I go to the store.

As for treats; I buy the mixed veggie packs ($4) from the store, a large bag of mixed fruit for around $5, Cooked Eggs (occasionally), Chicken Bones (This gives them something to grind their teeth on as well as being a wonderful treat), Yoggies, and pretty much any other scraps (as long as they are fed occasionally) that isn't on the forbidden food list. Also White Cooking Drops are an excellent treat, as the rats adore them, but they are very high in sugar and fat. They are like yoggies.

Also, these are foods NOT to feed to your rat.

* Bitter Almond – Bitter almonds may yield from 6 to 8% of hydrogen cyanide (Wikipedia Article), a deadly substance.
* Blue Cheese – Contains Toxic Mold
* Green Bananas – Inhibits starch digestion
* Green Potato Skin and Eyes – Contains solanine, a toxin
* Licorice – Contains a suspected neurotoxin
* Orange Juice – May contain d-limonene which can cause kidney cancer in male rats
* Poppy Seeds – Can cause neurological damage, or may cause death!
* Raw Artichokes – Inhibits protein digestion
* Raw Bulk Tofu – May contain bacteria (packaged tofu is safe)
* Raw Dry Beans or Peanuts – Contain anti-nutrients, causes red blood cell clumping (note: the peanuts that you buy in stores are almost always roasted so are okay. Frozen beans from veggie mixes are okay because they have been pre-cooked)
* Raw Onion – Can lead to anemia and an upset stomach
* Raw Red Cabbage and Brussel Sprouts – Contains an anti-nutrient that destroys thiamin
* Raw Sweet Potato – Contains cyanide-forming compounds
* Rhubarb – Contains high levels of oxalates which bind up calcium
* Wild Insects – May carry parasites


Foods to be used with caution when feeding to your rat

* Apples – Apples are fine, except for the seeds. Apple seeds contain a cyanide derivative that is deadly.
* Avocados – Avocados are high in fat and are a good treat to feed rats that need to gain weight quickly (make sure the fruit is ripe). However, the pit, rind, skin and leaves of avocados are toxic. The part of the fruit in contact with the pit has a higher concentration of toxins.
* Carbonated Drinks – Rats Can’t Burp!
* Carob – Contains vitamin A, B vitamins, and lots of protein. Contains vitamin A, B vitamins, and lots of protein. Carob pods have been used to treat diarrhea for centuries. Carob should be taken with plenty of water. Too much Carob will produce the opposite effect and cause constipation.
* Chocolate – Contains stimulants that can lead to heart failure or neurological poisoning in high quantities. A very small bit of chocolate is okay and can actually temporarily alleviate respiratory distress.
* Dried Corn – Can have high levels of fungal contaminates which can lead to liver cancer. Make sure to inspect commercial seed mixes with dried corn. A little fresh corn is fine.
* Iceberg Lettuce – Full of water (which can be good), but has no nutritional value
* Peanut Butter – This can cause choking in rats. If you want to give your rats peanut butter, mix it with jam or something liquid to make it less sticky, or spread it in some bread.
* Plums – Good source of potassium, Vitamin A and fibre. The pit of the Plum has cyanogens in it, which are bound molecules of sugar and cyanide. When this bond is broken, the cyanide becomes free and able to act. The cyanogens don’t leak at all into the flesh of the fruit, for some reason, but should it ever occur to you to try fermenting Plum pits, or to break them up and roast them as snack food, it might not be such a great idea.