Rat Munchies: Healthy Treats for Pet Rats
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Do you have a pet rat? Thinking about getting one? Know someone who has one? Either way, in any sense, rats will enjoy many different treats and foods, but as always, there are some better than others.
First off treats should never encompass more than 10% of a rat's diet because most treats are fatty, which can cause health concerns if the number of treats fed to a rat is extremely excessive.
And, never feed your rat chocolate, caffeine, or dairy.
You want to stick to healthier treats like dried fruits, plain yogurt, fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, and yogurt treats.
You always want to watch how much and how often you give rats certain treats. As, seeds are fatty for rats, and fresh produce can cause diarrhea. Yogurt, fresh or dried, can, also, affect a rat's stomach causes diarrhea.
My favorite place to find rat treats, is at the grocery store. In the baby food isle and in the organic food section. In both sections you can find organically dried fruits, usually in mixtures such as cranberries and apples.
Petstores supply decent treats for rats. Kaytee makes ‘Healthy Bits,' crunchy treat balls composed of seeds, nuts, millet, and oats. Kaytee, also, creats a line of ‘Healthy Toppings' in flavors such as papaya, banana, and carrots, Yogurt treats such as Kaytee's ‘Yogurt Dips' and Nutriphase's ‘Yogurt Drops' can be fed to rats sparingly.
On occasion, I will buy plain yogurt for my girls. Putting just a tablespoon or so in bowl and letting them have at it. It's truly a treat for them, as they seldom get any.
Fresh fruits and veggies:
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Prunes
Plums
Melon
Apples
Applesauce
Bananas
Grapes
Celery
Broccoli
Squash
Cucumber
Zucchini
Carrots
Sweet Potatoes
Peas
Beans
Dried fruits and vegetables:
Carrots
Papaya
Blueberries
Raspberries
Mango
Cherries
Apple
Tomatoes
Pineapple
Raisins
Banana chips
Sweet potato
- Horse Chestnut
- Laurel leaves
- Oak leaves
- Onions
- Privet
- Rabbit Mix (containing antibiotic ingredients)
- Ragwort
- Raw Kidney Beans
- Scarlet Pimpernel
- Speedwell
- Sweets
- Toadflax
- Toffee
Avoid the Following Foods
- Bindweed
- Bluebells
- Bulbs
- Buttercups
- Chocolate
- Clematis
- Crocus
- Deadly Nightshade
- Elder
- Evergreen Plants
- Garlic
- Hemlock
- Henbane
Rat Info
- Rats VS Mice
When deciding upon a pet rodent, make the proper decision between rats and mice. Make sure to know the true differences. - Games and Toys for Your Rat
Find fun games for you and your pet rat(s). - Signs of Illness in Pet Rats
Make sure that you are aware of the signs of illness in your pet rat(s). - Housing Pet Rats
Finding the perfect cage is a must for pet rats. Make sure you know what you're looking for in a cage and accessories - Homemade Rat Diets
Make a healthy, homemade rat diet for your favorit pet. Find out about proper nutrition. What you can and can't feed your rats. - Homemade Rat Recipes
Find out more fun and yummy recipes that you can make for your pet rat(s). - Homemade Rat Treats
Make yummy homemade treats for your beloved pet rat(s). - How to Train Pet Rats
Tips for training your pet rat.
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rats can eat dairy. they shouldn't eat too much cheese or milk or ice cream because they are high in fat, but a tiny bit can be a yummy treat every once in a while. Also, yogurt is dairy, so please be sure to keep that in consideration when you say rats should not be fed dairy.
I found this page trying to figure out if it's safe for rats to have milk. This page that you put up says it isn't, but most others say it is. Why do you think that rats shouldn't drink milk or eat dairy products?
da rat luvr, I agree mostly with Breezy, but you do know that you can't get rats from pet stores right?
@Tara - I wouldn't suggest peanut butter as it is very thick and tends to be oily, both of which are bad for rats. Maybe in small quantities.
@Da Rat Luvr - You'd have to talk to a doctor about him being allergic, and as for the basement, you'd need to consider factors such as temperature, humidity, light, etc.
@Cozz - Rats have different preferences just like humans. Grapes are round and can be hard to bite into, try cutting them or breaking them for the rats. Your rats may just not like them. Also, some types of grapes are more acidic then others. I do not believe it is the color.
@Shawn - Blueberries should not be a regular part of his diet as they are fattier then rat food/blocks and are a treat, he may lose interest if they are available for too long.
@Kaela - It's all based on preference. Females tend to be a bit more emotional/volatile/reactive, probably due to hormones. They are also more likely to fight with other females. Males have rather large balls for such small animals, and some people do not like this. They tend to be a bit more friendly though. My little rat Breezy(a dumbo dwarf rat, apparently pedigree or something) is a guy, and so have almost all of my rats been, but that's just my personal preference. The females tend to take longer to adjust to me/my house and they tend to build up worse grudges or opinions that last longer then the males do. Females do tend to be a bit more playful, at least they did to me.
My question is are females better or are males?
I just got a pet rat after hamsters and he's so much fun and he really likes blueberrys could that be a normal part of his diet?
I was also wondering if you knew any ways to pursued my parents if my brother isn't allergic to rats because some people in the family won't come if we get rats could we bring it into the basement for a short amount of time and not let them know about it?
Hi! I have two boy rats I bought from a pet shop. My last lot of rats came from this pet shop and they lived long happy lives that was 3 years ago. I got my two boys and within 3 days try were snuffling with a snotty nose yet no discharge and sneezing. Took them to the vet now they have liquid antibiotics which I inject into bread and give it a fine coat of peanut butter (no choking) they are doing alot better. :) and they are crazy for broccoli after tonights play session I rewarded them with a piece each. I clean my rats cage daily and they have (like my Indian ringneck Jake) a decent small amount of rat food and a supply of fresh veg like tomatoes, broccoli cauliflower apples grapes celery carrots capsicum green beans and corn. Although they never touch the grapes... Is that weird? They used to lick the green ones and Munch into them but here there are only seeded green ones so we bought red seedless instead. Is it the colour?
So I've been trying to get my parents to let me get a rat and I've been doing TONS of research looked at rats at petco and petsmart and I've found a good rat food and I know good rat treats I know what toys and what bedding to put in their cage and know how to litter box train them but my brother is allergic to dogs and cats what's the chance he'll be allergic to rats?
We just got two males rats! Is a peanut butter a safe treat for them? We're thinking about putting a small amount on cherrios or some plain ceral?? Thanks
Can I give my rat sunflower seeds if they are unsalted?
ur ideas have really helped i used the pet treats and now she does tricks!!!
There's nothing wrong with feeding a rat chocolate as long as it's only a very small amount. In fact a little bit can have health benefits. 2 of my rats had a recurring respiratory problem, but after feeding them one small chocolate drop a day (the kind you decorate cakes with) they've were much better and they didn't get fat.
Garlic is also fine in small amounts and has health benefits (if they'll eat them, I've not had a rat that will touch the stuff!)
Sweet potato is on the list of good foods here, but people should note that raw sweet potato is not good for rats.
There are also a few common foods that have been missed out on the 'avoid' list, like raw red cabbage, raw brussel sprouts, green bananas and rhubarb. Peanut butter is also best avoided as there is a risk of a rat choking on it.
Hi,
I read on various websites that garlic can be good for rats...is this not true? Is there a form in which they can eat it?
Hi :)
I had pet rats as a teenager, an I got 3 boys 18 months ago to join my little family. I have 2 kids 5yr an 3yrs an they love our fur babies. One of the boys Eric passed on at the beginning of last year. An last week troy just snapped for some reason. He started bitting an drawing blood. He wouldn't let me put my hand in to feed or get his brother gandolf out. I ended up having to have him put down :( after he attacked my 3yr old when he tried to feed them a treat "to make troy happy" both of them love both my kids so I'm not sure what made him turn an neither did the vet. Any ideas?
I also have a female Lilly who is 8 months old they have had babies together last year an I kept a girl Hannah to keep Lilly company. But now not sure what to do about gandolf, do I get him a friend as he is now on his own an never been on his own or do I leave him on his own due to being 18months old an not wanting to stress him out??
Any ideas or thoughts would be great thanks :)
Just wondering if it is ok to give my rats grapefruit? I've looked on so many sites and it is NOT on the forbidden list but it's also not on the OK list.
Thank you
I notice that you don't recommend the use of bindweed for rats. I've read that bindweed (capsules) is supposed to be a much more powerful anti-angiogensis treatment for tumors than shark cartilage when used with other natural remedies to shrink tumors. Given that rats get tumors regularly, can you not use the properly prepared components of bindweed extract capsules for rats? I understand the natural plant has dangerous alkaloids, but that one refined pharmaceutically, are okay. Please confirm, if you can, as I'm considering trying the bindweed extract, with Coriolus, to try and shrink my rat's small benign tumor.
hey whitney my two lil rats love salmon, is it okay to let them have it? they go mad for it :)
thank you so much whitney
i got a rat fr cristmas and i have been trying to give him as much attention as possible. yesterday i foun a who to train a rat book and i tried t find treats he liked. he refuesed apples, cucumber, carrots, celery, and bananas! do you have any sugesstions? thank you for ur time!
I read somewhere that if one is sick, the others will attack it, starve it, or kill it, is that true?
Whitney05, I just reicently brought home my little boy Casanova, and about 4 days later my boyfriends daughter got her little boy Stormy. Casanova and Stormy are close in age, but I think Casanova is older. Casanova keeps "bullying" Stormy. They don't bunk together, though they are in the same cage, he won't share the water bottle. When I feed them fresh veggies, Casanova hordes it all away from Stormy. I don't want Stormy to get sick, be starved, or be bullied by Casanova. What do you suggest? Also what kind of food do you suggest for them daily? I'm using Sunscruption vita prima currently and I don't think they like it much at all. Also I got them a ball to play in, but they just sit there once they're in it. How can I get them to run in it? Thanks!
Hey Maddie? I tought mine with the smallest peices of turkey. he knows how to turn off the lights now.
I just bought a pet rat and I'm trying to teach him tricks but he wont eat any of his treats so he wont train. I've tried yogurt chips from my hamster, fruit, cheese, anything. I've even tried potato chips, and he just wont eat them.
I got 2 female rats about 6 months ago when they were 2 months old. One of them is very tame and loves being held, petted, sits on my shoulders and runs back to be by my side. But her sister is the complete opposite. She doesn't like being near me, when I hold her she practically flys across the room to get away and is really fidgetty when I hold her. I can never hold her more than about a minute. I'm always nice to her and let her know I'm going to pick her up before I do and talk to her nicely. I've never been mean to her. I try to spend time with her as much as I do her sister but it's hard to when she acts like that. What can I do to make her less scared of me?
I heard that polar fleece is great for bedding. Do you know where i could get some and how much it costs
I heard that feeding your rat cheerios for a treat is good, is this true?
Does anyone know how to get a junk food fed rat to eat what's good for him.
Help! I was eating a slice of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and he was on my bed and i looked away for a second ad he was eating a piece and when i tried to take it away he ran under my pillow and ATE IT! Is he going to be ok?
I have a dumbo eared rat who is still a baby... Her name is Izzy Pop....I was so glad to find this list as up until now she has only gotten rat food. I am sure that she will be much happier now that I know she can have fresh fruits and vegies....
I have 2 male rats and i has been sneezing alot so i took him to the vet and the vet said that he's fine but i just want to double check.
I like to give my rat chopped carrots and he really likes them but I dont know how much i should give him daily do you know?
Hey, I was wondering if rats can eat fresh kiwi without the seeds? I gave my female Abby a little piece and she really liked it but I don't want her to have to much if she can't.
how about peppermints
Bit late, but awhile ago, nicole asked about her rat swinging it's tail when she picked it up. Rats who have lost some of their sense of balance due to an old ear infection will do this.
Hi all, I have just come across your forum and thought I would say I have 19 rats in total and they are fed a mixture of rat and hamster food and every other day, they have a variety of fresh food. Cucumber seems to be the preferred favourite at the moment, with bread, digestive biscuits, plain popcorn, and peas all coming a close second :)
A large number of my rats have come from people who needed to find a new home for their rat(s) or adopted from rescue centres. I have found that the majority of rats prefer to have a least one other friend and the best way to socialise them that I have found, is too carry them around on your shoulder and also letting them run around on the sofa and all over you. Do this a number of times and then do a full cage clean, but put a piece of bedding from each cage into the clean cage before putting both rats in, the new one first.
FYI... rats turn yellow as they age. it's not necessarily a dirty cage. remember, they have no gallbladder so its thought that the bile that goes directly into the small intestine may be reabsorbed and turn the coat yellow.
do rats like car trips cos wen i get one its three owers till i am home so yer.
ohh and is it better to have to boy rats or to girl rats or one of each.
cos once me and my brother had to and thay were boys and one starvd the uther one so yer.
thanks.
do you no how much rats cost.
me and my sister are going to get a rat soon and dont no what to feed them or not feed them.
so could you tell me some stuff they love and what they could die ova.
I've got a lovely baby rat called Ianto (pronounced Yan-toh) and I'm trying to get him onto little sunday dinners (about twice a week). They consist of broccoli (I've heard that it helps to prevent cancer in rats?), carrots, mashed potato (all of my rats have loved mash! yum!)and Colliflower. I used to give little dinners like these to my two rats (sadly passed away last year) and I think it prolonged their life because they lived till they were 4 years old. Is that a really really old age for rats? Has anyone had a rat that was at least 4 years?
He has an orange colored salt wheel thing in his tank with him. But I have never really seen him touch it. I wiped him down with a baby wipe and the pink color was starting to come off, but when it was coming off it was sort of an orangish pink color at that point. Could I give him a bath? Could it just be maybe urine or something? I clean his tank 3-4 times a week due to the smell, so he has regular clean bedding.
Whitney, I just pulled Tupac out of his tank and I noticed that his fur is starting to turn pink on his back. What could be causing this?? I'm really worried about him. He has a regular diet, he eats his rat food and he had one little thing of yogurt and part of a rice krispies treat. He eats peanuts on occasion. Please let me know if you have any ideas on why he would be turning pink.
Thank you so much Whitney...I really appreciate the advice and help. I will be sure to try and socialize with Tupac more. I do try to hold him at least twice a day. So thanks so much.
Thank you for the advice about the Rice Krispies Treat. But I also wanted to say, I didn't get him from a pet store, I got him from someone on Craigslist, and she had to find him a new home because she was irresponsible (her own words). Could that be another reason why he is freaking out when I hold him? Could it be that they just didn't handle him very often while he was in their care?
Hi there, I recently got a little man named Tupac. I am thinking that he might be a dumbo because he has extra skin at the moment. But anyway I was wondering if it was safe to give Tupac small pieces of a Rice Krispies Treat. I haven't given any to him yet, I decided to do a search to see if it was safe and I came across your forum. He is an awesome companion and he gets along great with my two and half year old son. I just wanted to be able to give him a treat for being such a good boy, and also to see if it might calm him down a little. As he is having a problem with being held. He doesn't bite, he just freaks out and scratches as if he is falling off a building or something, even when we are just sitting on the floor or the bed and he will be in my lap, he will start to scratch away at my hands. But yeah, any suggestions on how I can help him adjust to being held? And are Rice Krispies Treats safe for him. Also I was told that he is under a year, but I noticed that his teeth are really orangeish color, and he also has HUGE baknockers. I haven't had a chance to take him to my vet yet. Doing that on Friday.
No other signs and ive heard it a couple times since my last post, she is still very active and eats n drinks regularly, she is very playful they both are! Just as a precaution though i went ahead and made them both a vet appt for tomorrow afternoon...hopefully everything is well, only had them for about a week n im already very attached! One other thing, both rats sleep on their levels in their cage and not in their bedding or hammock is this normal?
i just heard a small sneez about 10 min ago, is this a sign of a resp. infection? Should i take her or both of them to the vet??
I recently got 2 female rats and one of the has started sneezing, i had been using total comfort bedding for about 3days, when i noticed the sneezing i immediately switched to carefresh and i havent heard her sneeze at all. Should i still be worried n take her to the vet???
i have a rat, shes a girl and whenever i pick her up she tends to swing her tail in a windmill motion, is that normal?? an aggression sign... i really dont know. if you know please reply :)
Ok thank you so much!
Ok thank you. Im also wondering what harlan teklad number lab block I should use - 2014 or 2016? I have them on 2016 right now and they are starting to get a little bit chubby but I'm not really sure (I'm new at this). Do you have any suggestions?
Hi. I have two male rats that are about 4 months old and they LOVE little bits of whole wheat bread. Is that ok to feed them every once and a while?
Ha, I finally found a treat that my rat Chloe would actually take from my hand. She is digging apples. Thank you. =D
thanks alot...my mom was wonder if we could give our rat carrots like i give to my rabbit so i went looking and now i can bye for my rabbit and my rat at the same time...haha thats awsome...
yeah ther animal treat 1s dunt knw if is proper chocolate but ther made for rats mice and gerbils etc
i have always givin my rats special chocolate drops ,ther fine no health problems at all,many other sites, people, pet shops etc have recomended these chocolate drops so tbh i think ther ok for them as a treat :)
i try to give my rats a treat but they run away what shoud i do?
where can you buy the rat munchies
please give us some ideas
Is it okay to give my rats dry cheerios...a lot? :] They go crazy over them. I also tried those homemade rat treats you gave recipes for... the Dried Fruit Balls (i think that was you haha) they are in the oven right now.
Is pasta an acceptable treat for rats? Should it be dry or cooked, because I've heard that dry pasta helps with their teeth but I'm afraid of it expanding in their stomachs and them getting sick, or even dying. :(
my rat is very picky and im running out of ideas to give him. he loves carrots and rice krispies. he won't eat any rat food, except a treat like tender moments, its a cat food and he loves it. i have tried fresh vegs and he wont eat them, except carrots.he is like 2 yrs old.
i tried feeding my rats mint and they love it! they were rubbing it on there fur, and then eating it, it made my hooded one turn sortof green!
i have a white rat an a black rat i find that my white rat is getting yellow i dont want to use rat shampoo because im scared il get it in her eyes i got wipes which is close to shampoo i bath them once a week jus wondered if theres any thing else i could use natural wise because wipes and that cant be good for the skin an fur. thanks
Hey can my hairless rat eat these cuz ive heard even though they look alike except their fur they r very different just wondering ur advice is super helpful thanks 4 the food list some of them sound good enough 4 me to eat! thinks :)
you just told that one guy to avoid dairy at all costs, though. including cheese. which is it?
if rats can't eat dairy, why are you feeding them yogurt?
Scooby doo branded plain scooby snacks were suggested by our vet. Our Rats ADORE them and they contain low fat and no soduim so they are a good healthy treat.
Also you can try dry cherios as rats enjoy them too
my girls love prunes ill give them half a prune and they go wild over it they also love the gerber graduates little puffs they are kinda like puffed cheerios with fruit powder on them and they only have like 2/3 of a calorie per puff and you get a whole container of them you can get them near the baby food in the grocery store mine also love a few pieces of unsalted unbuttered popcorn and one of thenbest rewards i give my rats is a good brushing they love go get brushed theres only one of me and only one brush and they push each other out of the way to get brushed a really soft kitten brush is best i think
good luck with your rats!
I want to reward my rats for being good but dont know what to give them!!!!!! What can i give them???????????
It's okay to feed your rat chocolate, just try and avoid it, even though dark cholate helps respitory problems, if they don't choke on it. You have to feed it in small bits so it doesn't crowd the rat's mouth and stop its breathing.
you sureknow a lot about a rat. I got mine 4 easter.wat r there names u gave them
How many rats do you have? I have 8
Cheese isn't good for a rat's digestive system. A little slice of cheese a week as a reward after training a rat, for example would be fine though.
Rats can't eat brocolli!
ok, will do
you where right, as always digger is getting used to the yogurt bites
is it ok to give her tiny tiny bits of cheese??
oh i never thought of that thanks!
Very informational hub, as always, Whitney! I feel like a lot of people have pets (be it rats or dogs or whatever) and don't know what's safe for them to eat and what their pet will LOVE. I hope lots of rat owners see this hub and benefit from it. :)
i am trying to give her yogurt bites from pet co but it is not working either
i tried to give my rat digger [ girl ] a raisin she did not eat it then i tried to give her a little bit of apple suace but that did not work!
my baby is obsessed with pizza, so i usually take off most of the cheese and give her some when we get pizza for dinner. Is that ok for her?
thanks for the food list - very helpful as we have only had our rats for two weeks
your food list was very helpful as i just recently bought a rat and i wasn't sure what to feed her but i do know now thanks to you. i was wondreing if rats can eat herbs for example mint?
Okay , Thankyou !
I did'nt know that rats could eat yogurt , do they like it alot? So I can't give them flavored yogurt? right ,just plain?














erynl33 3 weeks ago
Hi. So I got 2 boys from 2 diff pet stores about a month ago...they clicked and became rly good friends. i was researching sneezing too much and got scared when one sneezed (the wiped his face) and made a slight chattering noise, and i brought him back to the petstore and told them they needed to deal with this and take him to the vet bc they sold me a sick animal. my other boy who is fine was xtra depressed while he was gone for about a week. went to the vet, got SMP TMZ i think its calls. when i got him home he was still doing the same thing...brought him back and told them their prescritpion wasnt working, take him back to the vet. so about 4 days later i got him back, he had a DOXYCILIAN prescription. still seems to be sneezing crazily and now im noticing my other one is sneezing (not as much as my other one) do you think this could be caused by the stresss of being apart back and forth twice? also there is a tiny dot of poly on both their noses, is this normal in small amounts?