Know the Proper Diet for your Ratties
Diet is a very important factor in the care of all animals. Here we will talk about some of the better rat diets we have come across. Most pet store rat foods are nutritionally inappropriate. Many are nothing more than repackaged hamster food, which certainly isn't fit for rats. Not only this but many commercial pet foods have unhealthy preservatives, dyes, and fillers added. Here we will talk about the top commercial diets that we've come across (most of which still aren't very good mind you), a specialized lab block, and a homemade diet made from simple things you can find at your grocery store.
Note: Information on these diets was found online.
Note: Information on these diets was found online.
Commercial Diets
Mazuri Rat And Mouse Diet:
This food is put out, obviously, by Mazuri. Mazuri seems to put out some pretty good/decent diets for some animals and some really crappy ones for others (I know that their chinchilla diet is said to be a very good diet). This diet consists of lab blocks.
Guaranteed Analysis:
Ingredients:
Dehulled soybean meal, ground corn, ground wheat, wheat middlings, soybean oil, cane molasses, fish meal, ground oats, porcine meat meal, dehydrated alfalfa meal, dried beet pulp, wheat germ, brewers dried yeast, calcium carbonate, salt, dried whey, dicalcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium propionate (a preservative), ground soybean hulls, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (vitamin K), animal fat preserved with BHA, choline chloride, corn gluten meal, dried yucca shidigera extract, DL-methionine, cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), vitamin A acetate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, d-alpha tocopheryl acetate (natural source vitamin E), thiamin mononitrate, folic acid, nicotinic acid, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), manganous oxide, zinc oxide, ferrous carbonate, copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate.
Note: We know for sure PetSmart has this diet. Mazuri lab blocks are considered the best of the lab block type commercial diets. That said Mazuri contains a lot of dried corn (not recommended for it's tendency to harbor dangerous molds and fungal toxins as well as being difficult to digest, while a little bit of fresh corn is fine to feed occasionally), fish meal (fish type not specified, some fish contain more mercury than others & see Regal Rat for the possibility of Ethoxyquin being included in fish meals), alfalfa (not easily digested by rats), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Synthetic Vitamin K), and animal fat preserved with BHA (animal fat type not specified and it is preserved with BHA which is suspected of being a carcinogenic). The protein percentage is also extremely high at 23%. Studies have shown that rats do best and stay healthiest at lower protein percentages. Even 18% percent protein is usually only used for pregnant and nursing moms or babies. We don't recommend this diet.
Please note that there are also three "Rodent Breeder" diets and a "Rodent Pellet" diet put out by Mazuri. Some of the other diets have more suitable protein percentages. These other diets are not found in PetSmart and their ingredients are still very subpar. We do not recommend any of Mazuri's rat/rodent diets.
This food is put out, obviously, by Mazuri. Mazuri seems to put out some pretty good/decent diets for some animals and some really crappy ones for others (I know that their chinchilla diet is said to be a very good diet). This diet consists of lab blocks.
Guaranteed Analysis:
- Crude Protein not less than 23.0%
- Crude Fat not less than 6.5%
- Crude Fiber not more than 4.0% Ash not more than 8.0%
Ingredients:
Dehulled soybean meal, ground corn, ground wheat, wheat middlings, soybean oil, cane molasses, fish meal, ground oats, porcine meat meal, dehydrated alfalfa meal, dried beet pulp, wheat germ, brewers dried yeast, calcium carbonate, salt, dried whey, dicalcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium propionate (a preservative), ground soybean hulls, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (vitamin K), animal fat preserved with BHA, choline chloride, corn gluten meal, dried yucca shidigera extract, DL-methionine, cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), vitamin A acetate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, d-alpha tocopheryl acetate (natural source vitamin E), thiamin mononitrate, folic acid, nicotinic acid, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), manganous oxide, zinc oxide, ferrous carbonate, copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate.
Note: We know for sure PetSmart has this diet. Mazuri lab blocks are considered the best of the lab block type commercial diets. That said Mazuri contains a lot of dried corn (not recommended for it's tendency to harbor dangerous molds and fungal toxins as well as being difficult to digest, while a little bit of fresh corn is fine to feed occasionally), fish meal (fish type not specified, some fish contain more mercury than others & see Regal Rat for the possibility of Ethoxyquin being included in fish meals), alfalfa (not easily digested by rats), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Synthetic Vitamin K), and animal fat preserved with BHA (animal fat type not specified and it is preserved with BHA which is suspected of being a carcinogenic). The protein percentage is also extremely high at 23%. Studies have shown that rats do best and stay healthiest at lower protein percentages. Even 18% percent protein is usually only used for pregnant and nursing moms or babies. We don't recommend this diet.
Please note that there are also three "Rodent Breeder" diets and a "Rodent Pellet" diet put out by Mazuri. Some of the other diets have more suitable protein percentages. These other diets are not found in PetSmart and their ingredients are still very subpar. We do not recommend any of Mazuri's rat/rodent diets.
Homemade Diet
Ingredients
dry rolled oats, puffed wheat cereal, puffed rice cereal, Total Cereal, roasted unsalted soy nuts, dried fruits, dry pasta, sunflower seeds (unsalted), granola,
Note: This mix is very easy to make, tends to last long, and more often than not is cheaper in the long run. Innova Senior dog food and Wellness Super5Mix® Healthy Weight dog food are the most commonly used dog foods in the mix. It is important to remember the "lite/weight management" and "senior" versions of these dog foods to ensure one is not feeding too much protein (please note that the newer Innova Senior Plus as well as Innova Large Breed Senior are both far too high in protein and fat to be used in this diet. The older Innova Senior is still marketed even though it is not listed on Innova's website.) That said, Suebee herself has stated that this diet in conjunction with dog food is not really complete and is only offered as an option for those who don't have access to Harlan Teklad (though some feed the grain mix in conjunction with the lab block) and wish to avoid commercial foods which often contain chemical preservatives, dyes, and inappropriate ingredients.
Like with most rat diets there is some controversy. There have been some complaints of the diet causing overweight rats. People have also pointed out that as omnivores (much like us) the dog food used in the diet may contain too much animal protein to be feeding to rats. Some have begun to use vegetarian dog food (created for dogs highly allergic to meat proteins) instead and we feel this is fine so long as meat protein is still given occasionally in the form of a little bit of non-vegetarian dog food or cooked meat. There are some concerns about whether the Total Cereal is providing too much of some vitamins and minerals and not enough of others (while rat nutritional needs are similar to a humans there are some vitamins and minerals that rats need more of than us). Another thing to point out is that the Total Cereal used in the diet to provide important vitamins and minerals is also preserved with BHT. BHT is banned from human use in many countries but still permissible in the US. It has been cited as possibly being carcinogenic.
Some people will tweak this diet a bit and form their own version of it, either because they can't find all of the ingredients or because they have their own ideas on what should be in it for it to be a complete and healthy diet.
After doing some research and looking around I've compiled a few of what I believe to be the best high quality dog foods to use in conjunction with this mix (including some vegetarian dog foods). All are the "lite/weight management", "senior", or "vegetarian" versions. We contacted the companies and got as much information as we could on the protein and fat percentages (the minimum and maximum values) and the foods will be listed in order of how suitable they are based on those percentages (please note that even in the most suitable dog food listed the percentages are still higher than what is recommended for adult, non-breeding rats).
Amount to Feed
There is some debate on how much to feed rats. Some people will free feed whatever diet they choose, while others will restrict food and feed only a certain amount a day or certain amounts of different things at different points in a day. The downside to free feeding is that rats seem prone to becoming overweight due to overeating. On the other hand, some say free feeding is best because of the rats fast metabolism and that they should just receive plenty of out of cage time and exercise. It is generally up to the rat owner to decide which they feel is best for their own rats.
dry rolled oats, puffed wheat cereal, puffed rice cereal, Total Cereal, roasted unsalted soy nuts, dried fruits, dry pasta, sunflower seeds (unsalted), granola,
Note: This mix is very easy to make, tends to last long, and more often than not is cheaper in the long run. Innova Senior dog food and Wellness Super5Mix® Healthy Weight dog food are the most commonly used dog foods in the mix. It is important to remember the "lite/weight management" and "senior" versions of these dog foods to ensure one is not feeding too much protein (please note that the newer Innova Senior Plus as well as Innova Large Breed Senior are both far too high in protein and fat to be used in this diet. The older Innova Senior is still marketed even though it is not listed on Innova's website.) That said, Suebee herself has stated that this diet in conjunction with dog food is not really complete and is only offered as an option for those who don't have access to Harlan Teklad (though some feed the grain mix in conjunction with the lab block) and wish to avoid commercial foods which often contain chemical preservatives, dyes, and inappropriate ingredients.
Like with most rat diets there is some controversy. There have been some complaints of the diet causing overweight rats. People have also pointed out that as omnivores (much like us) the dog food used in the diet may contain too much animal protein to be feeding to rats. Some have begun to use vegetarian dog food (created for dogs highly allergic to meat proteins) instead and we feel this is fine so long as meat protein is still given occasionally in the form of a little bit of non-vegetarian dog food or cooked meat. There are some concerns about whether the Total Cereal is providing too much of some vitamins and minerals and not enough of others (while rat nutritional needs are similar to a humans there are some vitamins and minerals that rats need more of than us). Another thing to point out is that the Total Cereal used in the diet to provide important vitamins and minerals is also preserved with BHT. BHT is banned from human use in many countries but still permissible in the US. It has been cited as possibly being carcinogenic.
Some people will tweak this diet a bit and form their own version of it, either because they can't find all of the ingredients or because they have their own ideas on what should be in it for it to be a complete and healthy diet.
After doing some research and looking around I've compiled a few of what I believe to be the best high quality dog foods to use in conjunction with this mix (including some vegetarian dog foods). All are the "lite/weight management", "senior", or "vegetarian" versions. We contacted the companies and got as much information as we could on the protein and fat percentages (the minimum and maximum values) and the foods will be listed in order of how suitable they are based on those percentages (please note that even in the most suitable dog food listed the percentages are still higher than what is recommended for adult, non-breeding rats).
Amount to Feed
There is some debate on how much to feed rats. Some people will free feed whatever diet they choose, while others will restrict food and feed only a certain amount a day or certain amounts of different things at different points in a day. The downside to free feeding is that rats seem prone to becoming overweight due to overeating. On the other hand, some say free feeding is best because of the rats fast metabolism and that they should just receive plenty of out of cage time and exercise. It is generally up to the rat owner to decide which they feel is best for their own rats.
Fruits & Veggies
Fresh foods in the form of fruits and vegetables are a very important part of any diet you choose for your rats. Vegetables should generally be given daily while fruits might be limited to a few times a week since they are high in sugar. Both can have a lot of nutrients like vitamins and minerals to add to a diet. Some good vegetables to feed would be fresh alfalfa, asparagus, romaine lettuce (not iceberg!), peas, corn (occasionally), squash (butternut, acorn, orangetti, spaghetti), broccoli, kale, carrots, bok choy, parsley, bell peppers (red, yellow, orange), sweet potato (cooked, not raw!), cilantro, and dandelion greens. Some good fruits to feed would be blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, bananas, apples, and pears. It's generally best to go with organic fruits and veggies so as to avoid pesticides.
Water
Fresh water is something that should always be available to your rats. A fresh bottle of water should be given daily and care should be taken to keep the water bottle clean so that bacteria does not grow in it (in other words, clean it frequently!).
Tap water is generally not recommended because of it's impurities (fluoride and chlorine, which are added to tap water often, are no good for peoplelet alone our rats!) A water filter will remove most impurities but will not remove fluoride from the water. Bottled water works well but the brand should be chosen carefully as some is nothing more than bottled tap water. I personally find bottled spring water to be the best choice. Always look into the brand and company and ask them questions if you're concerned. Determine whether fluoride or any other substances are added to the water by human means. There is also the option of distilled water but there is still a lot of controversy over whether this is the healthiest choice or actually detrimental to health.
There is some debate over whether a bottle or bowl is best for providing water. On one hand, some feel it's unnatural for rats to drink from a bottle and that it may be uncomfortable for them. On another, bowls often spill (wet bedding is no good) or become dirty fast and need to be cleaned and refilled very frequently. It's basically a matter of preference to the owner at this point. Some people even provide both so the rats have a choice. Whatever you do, make sure your rats always have fresh, clean, drinking water.
Tap water is generally not recommended because of it's impurities (fluoride and chlorine, which are added to tap water often, are no good for peoplelet alone our rats!) A water filter will remove most impurities but will not remove fluoride from the water. Bottled water works well but the brand should be chosen carefully as some is nothing more than bottled tap water. I personally find bottled spring water to be the best choice. Always look into the brand and company and ask them questions if you're concerned. Determine whether fluoride or any other substances are added to the water by human means. There is also the option of distilled water but there is still a lot of controversy over whether this is the healthiest choice or actually detrimental to health.
There is some debate over whether a bottle or bowl is best for providing water. On one hand, some feel it's unnatural for rats to drink from a bottle and that it may be uncomfortable for them. On another, bowls often spill (wet bedding is no good) or become dirty fast and need to be cleaned and refilled very frequently. It's basically a matter of preference to the owner at this point. Some people even provide both so the rats have a choice. Whatever you do, make sure your rats always have fresh, clean, drinking water.
Good Treats, Chews, and Supplementation's
Some great healthy treats and supplementation's to your rats diet would be wheat grass, eggs (put them in the blender with the shell and then scramble them, the shell is a great source of calcium), cooked meat and fish, unsalted sunflower seeds, unsalted pumpkin seeds, unsalted flax seeds (or flax seed oil on something like bread or drizzled on veggies), small pieces of bread soaked in olive oil (excellent for skin and coat health), nuts in the shell (sweet almonds [never bitter almonds], walnuts, chestnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans, hazelnuts), store bought insects (meal worms, crickets), and avocado (take only the middle meat furthest from both the pit and the rind as both contain toxins). These all have nutritional benefits but should only be given as an occasional thing/treat as they can be high in fat and protein among other things. Here are some commercial treat and chew ideas (note that none of these really have much in the way of nutritional benefits and some of them are rather high in sugar, protein, and/or fat. They should be given less often than the above mentioned healthy treats.
A good treat that can be found in PetSmart or Petco, and many other pet stores, would be Nylabone Healthy Edibles. Yes, they are for dogs but if you get them in petite size your rats will thank you very much!
Another great treat would be Yogies. Yogies are yogurt drops for small animals put out by the company 8 in 1 (though there are other yogurt treats by other companies). There are kinds for rabbits, ferrets, and rats/gerbils/hamsters. They're all the same but the ones for rats and ferrets are actually rat and ferret sized where as the rabbit ones are huge so I'd recommend getting the rat and ferret sized ones. The rat and ferret sized ones come in four flavors: Cheese, Fruit, Peanut Butter, and Banana Raisin. It says on the back of the container that you can feed up to twelve a day but I would not recommend this as they are quite fattening. You can use their favorite flavor for training! They can be found in most pet stores including PetSmart and Petco.
Yet another wonderful treat would be Toob Snax. Rats go crazy for them! They aren't specifically for rats but your rats will love them too. There is the cheese flavor for gerbils and hamsters, the berry flavor for rabbits and guinea pigs, the banana/raisin flavor for ferrets, and the strawberry/vanilla flavor for ferrets. They come in toothpaste like tubes which you squeeze the flavored paste out of.
And yet another tasty treat would be Greenies. These are another dog chew treat and I've found that rats go crazy over them. They are green (duh), and shaped like toothbrushes. They come in quite a few sizes, your best bet for rats would be Petite (pretty small), Teenie (really small), or Lil' Bits (exactly how it sounds, little tiny pieces of Greenies perfect for small pets). Greenies can be found in many pet stores including PetSmart and Petco.
Conclusion:
These are only some of the better diets available to you and your pet. Please note that while we've tried to break down the "bad" ingredients in the diets we don't recommend (and point out any in the better diets as well) we might not have hit on all of them. We mainly just made sure to at least point out the ones that had the most potential to be harmful to our pets. Always remember to provide fresh fruits and veggies with any diet you choose.
These are only some of the better diets available to you and your pet. Please note that while we've tried to break down the "bad" ingredients in the diets we don't recommend (and point out any in the better diets as well) we might not have hit on all of them. We mainly just made sure to at least point out the ones that had the most potential to be harmful to our pets. Always remember to provide fresh fruits and veggies with any diet you choose.