Can you give rats beef jerky?

[Peter Williams]

It may sound like a stupid question but I'm curious, can you? The ingredients of this particular brand are:

Beef, water, honey, sugar, salt, brown sugar, maltodextrin, smoke flavour powder, tomato powder, chili pepper powder, spice, apple cider vinegar, monosodium glutamate, citric acid, sodium erythorbate, sodium tripolyphosphate, onion powder, disodium inosinate, caramel colour, sodium nitrate, smoke.

Holy crap we eat that? But really the only thing I'm concerned about is the citric acid, but its pretty far down the list, what do you guys think?

[juddb]

Honeslty rats will eat anything you offer. But i dont think i personally would offer beef jerky to mine, but i will be first to admit i spoil the hell out of my rats with left overs. But beef jerky i dont think i would offer to them.

[Freakie_frog]

Dark Chocolate(a very small amount like one little square a month)
Or crickets (aka rat crack... you just don't know till you do it))

[juddb]

Dark Chocolate(a very small amount like one little square a month)
Or crickets (aka rat crack... you just don't know till you do it))

:eek: crickets do they freak out and start jumping around or something?

[Peter Williams]

crickets eh? Well I got plenty of those

[WingedWolfPsion]

I think you can give rats glue, half-rotten potatoes, green pastrami, or anything else remotely edible, and they will eat it.
SHOULD you? No, not really.
Same with the beef jerky.

Feed them healthy things. If it's not a healthy food for a human, it's not a healthy food for a rat, either (with few exceptions).

The primary concern in beef jerky is the high level of salt. The nitrites come in second as a concern. The sugar isn't necessary for them either.
Commercial beef jerky is junk food...don't feed your rats junk food.

As for chocolate, it's poisonous to dogs and cats. Theobromine can kill them. Dark chocolate is particularly dangerous. I have no idea whether rats react to it more like us, or more like them, but I wouldn't take the chance.

[Ginevive]

Junk food..? It is definately a better choice for you at the convenience store, than a bag of chips! Granted, it is salty..

[catawhat75]

Dark Chocolate(a very small amount like one little square a month)
Or crickets (aka rat crack... you just don't know till you do it))

LOL I think I will try that next time I pick up crickets. Question is, how do I keep the crickets from jumping out of the tubs?

[frankykeno]

From what I've read, chocolate is fine for rats if given in small quantities only once in awhile (probably the way we humans should be eating it to come to think of it LOL). I wouln't pass out commerical beef jerky to my rats due to all the stuff in it but I make my own homemade jerky and I think that would be fine as a treat for them occasionally.