TWENTY B
Very Well-Known Member
*Twenty B searches the cupboards for some nutmeg.
Fruit and Veg for Rats
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cwtiger
Active Member
I fed my mice the same stuff as I fed my rats. They haven't left anything behind. I also throw a handful of wild bird seed in with them from time to time. They love to chew on and play in grass not cut with the mower but just picked by hand.
Jungletrans
Very Well-Known Member
With that list l'm suprised they arnt extinct . Some of it is over the top , not feeding things because they " might contain mould ". And why cant rats trip like everyone else .
Dipcdame
Very Well-Known Member
I used to give my two pet rats frozen peas in a bit of water on hot days, they loved bobbing for peas!
syeph8
Very Well-Known Member
why did i not know this? i give mine nutmeg in their coffee every morning! (who would give nutmeg to a rat?)
on another note, i dont believe i have ever seen periwinkle or myrtle or know what they are for that matter, but im gonna mix them with some nutmeg and measure their effects on humans (fingers crossed)
You are, of course, correct. Rats are nature's ultimate scavenging generalist feeder, so it stands to reason that they can eat just about anything. Pet rat people can be... let's just say... 'overcautious' (though you could justifiably use stronger words). Rat enthusiasts are an astoundingly passionate bunch, but this brings in emotion, and emotion is a great tool in blinding you from seeing things rationally. Their passionate desire to care for their rats brings in a large amount of paranoia (admittedly, reptile people sometimes suffer from a similar but generally milder affliction). Off the top of my head I can't think of anything people can eat but rats can't. Sure, you wouldn't want to feed your rat a bowl full of nutmeg, but then again, only an escaped mental patient would want to, and the rat wouldn't eat it anyway. If rats were stupid enough to eat poisonous things they would normally encounter in the wild they would be extinct. It's quite bizarre to see a list containing random things like peanuts and millet (a grain which could be used as a staple) next to poisonous weeds no one would ever consider to be food for a rat or human. When did spinach become toxic?
I'll try not to feed my rats too much salmiakki just in case they get slightly too much salt.
That list is awesome, isn't it? :lol: It has been circulating around rat communities for years. I'm pretty sure it was originally written as a practical joke (well, I know it wasn't, but it would make more sense that way). When it includes some of the most obscure plants around, it gives the impression of being comprehensive, but it misses plenty of obvious problems and includes potential staples :lol:
For the record, I am pretty conservative with what I give my rats. They get a bit of carrot, woodies, sometimes eggs, meat and rarely rice or other grains, as well as their staples. Our pet rats get chocolate cake and a few other stupid treats :lol: Most of our kitchen scraps (which probably contain all sorts of "deadly poisons" go to the chooks. I'm amazed we haven't died from eating the concentrated poison in the eggs.
Kristy_07
Very Well-Known Member
Disagree. Reptile-owner paranoia is similarly intense
Of course, rats are super hardy animals that can eat almost anything in the wild. They are the second most successful scavenger/plague-animal in the entire world, after the human race
But, as pets, there are some things that are wise to steer clear from. Rhubarb and spinach are two of the big ones. Rhubarb will kill most rodents, from mice to rabbits. Too much citrus isn't great for them either, but since the Vit C is really great for their condition, I think a bit on Ribena in their water is a much better option than giving them oranges everyday. Too much pumpkin will give them the trots - not pleasant for the animals, or the cage-cleaner. Too much dairy is pretty bad, too, and meat as a protein source makes them smell A LOT stronger (including a staple diet of just dog food)(the dairy makes them smell, too). Hard stuff like carrot, corn, even wood soaked in veggie stock will naturally wear their teeth down, which is important, too.
While they can survive on plenty of other foods, it's nice to know you're feeding your kids' pets a diet that's healthy for them. I used to stick with pellets and bird mix as a staple, and give healthy mixed veggies every or every other day.
Love the "bobbing for peas" game
Good luck!
Disagree. Reptile-owner paranoia is similarly intense
Of course, rats are super hardy animals that can eat almost anything in the wild. They are the second most successful scavenger/plague-animal in the entire world, after the human race
But, as pets, there are some things that are wise to steer clear from. Rhubarb and spinach are two of the big ones. Rhubarb will kill most rodents, from mice to rabbits. Too much citrus isn't great for them either, but since the Vit C is really great for their condition, I think a bit on Ribena in their water is a much better option than giving them oranges everyday. Too much pumpkin will give them the trots - not pleasant for the animals, or the cage-cleaner. Too much dairy is pretty bad, too, and meat as a protein source makes them smell A LOT stronger (including a staple diet of just dog food)(the dairy makes them smell, too). Hard stuff like carrot, corn, even wood soaked in veggie stock will naturally wear their teeth down, which is important, too.
Humans might give them a run for their money, but rats still win. I can think of plenty of things which rats happily devour which humans... couldn't/wouldn't. Good point about dairy, it's not good for rats (or many humans for that matter). Fruit or soft vegetables aren't great for rats - they can eat them, but they aren't naturally large parts of rat diets. Root vegetables like carrots are great. I can't say I have ever tried spinach, but if it's deadly to rats, call me astonished then call it an understatement. Humans don't go well on raw rhubarb either, and while it would be a bit silly to offer it to rats, I wouldn't think they would touch it (if they do eat it and it is deadly to them, you might be able to put Ratsak (TM) out of business and become a very rich individual by selling pelletised rhubarb, although I strongly suspect it either to be less deadly than you say or less palatable.
I have never used dog food as I just don't like the idea of using something so processed and modified which is made for another type of animal (I'm sure it's fine, but hey, call me conservative or even paranoid), but when I give them real meat it doesn't noticably change their smell (then again, their staple diet of rodent pellets contains meat anyway).
Rats make their own vitamin C and don't benefit from having it added to their diet
This has been proven in many laboratory studies, the first being around 100 years ago. Interestingly, in the first half of last century, supplementing with additional vitamin C was trialled to improve fertility in rats which were healthy but not reproducing. This failed (and just went to help demonstrate how unimportant dietary vitamin C is to rats) but lettuce improved fertility, which is these days said to be deadly or at least harmful to rats. Why green leafy vegetables are supposed to be so harmful to rats is beyond me.
Kristy_07
Very Well-Known Member
Humans might give them a run for their money, but rats still win.
Rats make their own vitamin C and don't benefit from having it added to their diet
Hey, Sdaji. I still reckon humans are the bigger pest on the planet. Rats would not be nearly so successful without human urbanisation to feed off, whereas human can colonise almost any environment, establish their own food source, and destroy the environment in the meantime
I didn't know that about the Vit C! I always thought my females were in heaps better condition when breeding when they had a bit of ribena in their water.... Not leafy green vegetables that are harmful - just spinach
syeph8
Very Well-Known Member
im just going to put out there and say its not that comprehensive. yes it does mention periwinkle and kohlrabi which indicates theyve delved into obscurity. but where is warfarin on this list? surely warfarin would be pretty tops on the list of "do not feed to rats"
Hey, Sdaji. I still reckon humans are the bigger pest on the planet. Rats would not be nearly so successful without human urbanisation to feed off, whereas human can colonise almost any environment, establish their own food source, and destroy the environment in the meantime
I didn't know that about the Vit C! I always thought my females were in heaps better condition when breeding when they had a bit of ribena in their water.... Not leafy green vegetables that are harmful - just spinach
Oh, humans are arguably a larger pest than humans, I meant rats were a better scavenger/generalist feeder. We do a pretty comprehensive job of modifying our inhabited distribution, don't we?
There's nearly a century of laboratory data which says rats don't benefit from dietary vitamin C, so if there's any benefit from Ribena it's from the sugar, some other goody in there, or, it's imagined
What's in spinach which is so deadly to rats? Rat people often say lettuce is deady/poisonous to them as well.
syeph8: Yeah, that's my point, it's very clearly not anywhere near being 1% of a comprehensive list, which makes most of the inclusions very puzzling, and extremely misleading (if you include something like peanuts, there is the implication that you *really* need to avoid peanuts, because it is in the same list which also includes things which no one in their right mind would ever even consider using). If it's just a few random things it doesn't really have any value (though that boat sailed when they put peanuts etc etc on it, which serve effectively as a "don't take this list seriously because it is clearly extremely wrong" message
).cwtiger
Active Member
Yes rats in the wild will eat almost anything. The thing is though that wild rats learn and are taught by their parents what they can and can't it plus it is also breed into them. When we domesticate an animal this trait is bred out of them. So they need to rely on us as responsible owners to make sure we don't feed them the foods that aren't good for them. I haven't heard of lettuce being poisonous I have heard if you feed to much it can cause them to have the runs as I have also been told that fresh fruit and veges make them smell. Well I clean my rats out once a week and no one that comes and visits knows I even have the amount of rats and mice that I have.
Serpentess
Very Well-Known Member
What my rats love is a little bit of yogurt (greek is best, but not their favourite), baby food (mushed fruits) and some fruit juice (spoon fed on the rare occasion).
My ratties also love frozen peas and corn on a hot summers day. Put them in an ice-cream container full of water and they go fishing for them. Keeps them cool and gives em a treat/healthy snack.
My ratties also love frozen peas and corn on a hot summers day. Put them in an ice-cream container full of water and they go fishing for them. Keeps them cool and gives em a treat/healthy snack.
avoid cabbage, onion, garlic, chilli and foods high in sugars, colours, fats and unnatural garbage, and never give them anything carbonated like coke. rats can not burp or vomit (one of the reasons poisons work so well on them) so avoid gassy fruit and veges as well as treats and foods. find or even better make a good rat mix staple diet of grains and seeds (sunflower seeds should only be a treat as they are very fatty) and complimented with a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. nothing in excess because rats bellies can be rather temperemental and too much of a lot of foods can cause intestinal issues, cancers, fecal unpleasantries, obesity, respiratory issues and lethargy. my baby girl druscilla is 2 yrs 7 mths old and still very active, (having a vet nurse as a mum is a bonus ) but suffers like most pet shop rats with mycoplasma, an upper respiratory disease. if you have rats or are thinking about keeping them look it up, its treatable but not recorded often as cured, and is usually treated with either one long lifetime of antibiotics or a lot of stints on them, my girl is on vibravet paste (active doxycycline) and sometimes needs extra (baytril and/or metacam) to settle down the irritation and pain. sorry, its 3:52 am, i just came from a busy night at work and i just realised im going on a rant lol
basically, find what works for you and your rat, find yourself a good KNOWN exotics vet (just because the local vet treats rats doesnt mean they know much!) and come up with a diet everyone can live with!
) but suffers like most pet shop rats with mycoplasma, an upper respiratory disease. if you have rats or are thinking about keeping them look it up, its treatable but not recorded often as cured, and is usually treated with either one long lifetime of antibiotics or a lot of stints on them, my girl is on vibravet paste (active doxycycline) and sometimes needs extra (baytril and/or metacam) to settle down the irritation and pain. sorry, its 3:52 am, i just came from a busy night at work and i just realised im going on a rant lol basically, find what works for you and your rat, find yourself a good KNOWN exotics vet (just because the local vet treats rats doesnt mean they know much!) and come up with a diet everyone can live with!
Yes rats in the wild will eat almost anything. The thing is though that wild rats learn and are taught by their parents what they can and can't it plus it is also breed into them. When we domesticate an animal this trait is bred out of them.
^^^^^^^^^
also, wild rats are usually Rattus Rattus, where as our domestic rats are Rattus Norvegicus, and are very different, like crocodiles and alligators i guess you might compare..
^^^^^^^^^
also, wild rats are usually Rattus Rattus, where as our domestic rats are Rattus Norvegicus, and are very different, like crocodiles and alligators i guess you might compare..
I love the difference in advice which comes from people who keep a few rats compared to people who keep a few hundred or thousand :lol:
What are the functional dietary differences between Rattus rattus and R. norvegicus, rio_rat? It was my understanding that they were very similar, with only reasonably subtle dietary differences (one being that unlike the ones we keep, R. rattus does better with a bit of fruit). What difference in diet would you give a Saltwater Crocodile vs an American Alligator? I'd be giving them both whole vertebrates, most likely appropriate-sized chickens or mammals, and in the wild they both eat appropriately-sized vertebrates of any type they can smash their jaws around. Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus are far more closely related than crocodiles and alligators though, they are closely-related members of the same genus, while not even all crocodiles are in the same genus, let alone crocodiles vs alligators, so the comparison isn't equal.
What are the functional dietary differences between Rattus rattus and R. norvegicus, rio_rat? It was my understanding that they were very similar, with only reasonably subtle dietary differences (one being that unlike the ones we keep, R. rattus does better with a bit of fruit). What difference in diet would you give a Saltwater Crocodile vs an American Alligator? I'd be giving them both whole vertebrates, most likely appropriate-sized chickens or mammals, and in the wild they both eat appropriately-sized vertebrates of any type they can smash their jaws around. Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus are far more closely related than crocodiles and alligators though, they are closely-related members of the same genus, while not even all crocodiles are in the same genus, let alone crocodiles vs alligators, so the comparison isn't equal.
Serpentess
Very Well-Known Member
This isn't what I strictly feed my rats, these are just treats that they enjoy and are fun to spoon feed to them or watch them go fishing.
They eat a very staple diet of seeds, alfalfa, wheat grains, oats (I buy them their own bag) and cornflakes (I buy them their own box). They also get the crusty end bread bits, lettuce, carrot and sometimes celery.
Two of my rats are 2 years 3 months and one of them has just turned 2 (her sister recently was euthanised because of a tumor in her nose though).
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