feeders into pet :(

[PJ FF]

So I have had my 2 live rats since Friday but havent had the time to feed them off. I didnt have any rat food so I gave them a dish with water and a dish with oatmeal and crackers since I figured they would be gone soon. Well, over the past couple of days I have been holding them and feeding them out of my hand.... haha. So, I have decieded not to feed them off to my snakes. What is a good type of food for them? I know any pet store has it but is there any particularly good food for them?

[SatanicIntention]

There's a sticky for my rat food mix in this section. You can get everything at HEB or WalMart, or whatever grocery store you might have, except the dog food. Don't skimp on the dog food, get a quality brand. Better it is, the less they eat.

[frankykeno]

Rats are omnivores, just like human beings. In addition to Becky's homemade dry food mix (which is excellent!) you can give them table scraps that are leftovers from your own dinner. Just do NOT let them get fat on them. Fat rats die early, get more cancers, have strokes, etc. Here's a great link for what you can and cannot feed a rat as far as "human" foods.

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

[Flagg]

The best food for rats in my opinion is a good quality lab block. It is designed with all of the nutrients they need, specifically for rats, not for dogs.

Harlan and Mazuri lab blocks are good. Check a local feed store or feeder breeder, most pet stores overcharge WAY too much for lab blocks if they even have them. Avoid Kaytee brand which most pet stores carry.

[frankykeno]

I completely agree that their base food should always include a good quality lab block but my spoiled colony got their dry mix plus the following last night - leftover scraps from steak, some leftover pasta alfredo, bits of crab they picked out of some claws, chicken bones with scraps from our wing night and some lovely pumpernickel bread (I get great multigrain and specialty breads for free from a bakery - the rest is just our dinner scraps from my fridge rat bucket.) It was a good old time in the rat colony last night as everyone dug in and grabbed their favorite treat! I consider it basically free food as it was all destined for the garbage can. The rats enjoy it and I save adding to yet another landfill.

As always though, a reminder, if you feed kitchen scraps please don't feed that too much, just as a treat....fat rats are not healthy rats.