Fruit and Veg for Rats

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TigerCoastal

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Hey all we have just bought some rats for our kids and am just wondering if there is any fruit and veg that is better to feed to rats? and is there any that we should stay away from?
 
yeah the first thing that they got when we got home was carrot and apple, and the kids were eating watermelon last night and when they were finished they fed a little bit to the rats and they seemed to enjoy that, they were hand feeding on the first night home
 
isn't avacado toxic to most animals?
My rats get whole corn's and carrots
Sometimes apple or peaches that are to soft.
 
Each week when we do the food shopping for us we move any leftover fruit and veg to the rat and mouse bin . Also slightly stale bread , buscuits , cake etc . Leftover food scraps from our meals , they will eat anything . This is on top of the rat pellets , wild bird seed and working horse mix . The little buggers eat better than l do .
 
I feed mine pretty much everything except for cabbage and beetroot leaves. The get the cereal that has gone stale. They love the left over hard taco shells. I make up a mix of oats left over cereal biscuits and taco shells that have gone stale they love it. Mine really love corn, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, celery on top of their pellets and mix.
 
thanks for that, avocardo isnt a problem as no one in the house eats it, and ill stay away from cabbage and beetroot leaves. Is there anything else that can cause problems for them? With 4 kids they are going to get fresh fruit multiple times a day but it will mostly be apples, banana's, Carrots, oranges and mandarines, and once a week grapes or some form of mellon.
 
mine love potatoes! Whenever i come back from our place at goomburra I always stop at Aratula and pick up about 20kg of potatoes and they dont last long at all!

I also feed them pumpkin and they chow through that. I buy lots and cut it up and then freeze it and then feed them a big frozen chunk and they chew on it for a long time. The only thing iwth pumpkin is that it can make their fur go orange when the crawl around it, im sure some people have wondered why the rats they get from have orange bellys when they defrost them....
 
Forgot to add thanks for jogging my memory David. They also love pumpkin seeds as in the fresh ones. I can't think of anything else that you can't feed will post if I do. They also like small amounts of cooked pasta or rice. And make sure they have lots of water mine drink alot.
 
fresh corn, has got to be right up there, especially in the mornings...cheers solar 17 [baden
 
I found that my mice are not keen at all on any hard stuff such as carrots and also fresh fruit. They prefer soft lettuce leaves, corn, etc.. Is bird mix (mixed seeds) good for them?
 
potato's, pumkin,carrots,corn, scraps, stale breed,beetroot,beans,pea's,celery,dry pasta,apple,pear... anything except onion,meat.. but always pellets are on offer..
 
Here's a list of unsafe food for rats i've pinched from the fanciers forum. Posted by Dimruthien.

Alfalfa - contains canavanine which can cause hypersensitivity illness
Avocado - skin and pips are toxic
Alcohol - toxic
Beans - Lima and Kidney in particular, but I'd avoid all uncooked beans. In an uncooked state they contain cyanide
Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Kohlrabi - All can cause thyroid problems (goitre)
Canola (and canola products) - comes from rapeseed, which is toxic
Carbonated beverages - Way too sugary, even diet sodas contain artificial sugars
Cottonseed Oil - it is suspected to cause illness, but as yet is unproved. I'd probably avoid it anyway!
Comfrey - can cause bladder tumours
Fruit Tree Leaves - toxic, and can cause a range of illnesses and symptoms
Fruit pips - contain cyanide
Green Potatoes - toxic
Medicinal Herbs - can be toxic, and can cause allergies
Licorice, Salmiakki - can cause high blood pressure, salmiakki has too much salt
Margarine - can be toxic, and also often contains canola
Millet - contains cyanide
Morning Glory - is a hallucinogen
Nightshades - toxic. the nightshade family also includes potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant. it's a good idea not to feed rats leaves, just in case!
Nutmeg - is a hallucinogen
Orange rind - carcinogen, particularly in males
Peanuts - can contain mould
Peanut Butter - choking hazard, sometimes contains rapeseed oil
Periwinkle/Myrtle - is a hallucinogen
Rhubarb - toxic
Spinach - toxic
Sweet Potato/Kumara - can often have some degree of fungal growth, it is fine peeled and cooked
Artificial Sweeteners - are mostly toxic but it is safe to use Stevia and honey
Wild Insects - can carry parasites, bacteria, etc. much safer for your rats to buy insects at the pet store (or breed your own)
 
We feed our mice and rats wild bird seed mixed with muesli, cat/dog biscuits, dry pasta and any leftover dry cereal like weetbix, cheerios or cornflakes.

Plus we give them dinner leftovers.
 
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