safe foods for rats

[peb9]

my daughter has recently purchased a rat and i was wondering which food treats are suitable and unsuitable...... any replies greatly appriciated :)

[anneasquith]

a rat no , why ?

[Eve]

Rats are fantastic pets. Raw carrot is a good one, something for them to exercise their teeth on as well.

[peb9]

lol..... you tell me!! apparently they make good pets

[peb9]

i tried it wi carrot and it showed no interest.... in sayin that it was the first day i got it, might tryi it again see if it turns its nose up this time lol

[peb9]

pmsfl butch ;)

[Eve]

Maybe just settling. Dog biscuits can also be good for teeth and snacking.

They are very sociable animals so make sure they have company, are somewhere where people are about and they can be talked to etc...

They also need lots of exercise and are incredibly agile (and good jumpers!), when I had mine I had 3 large cages then a smaller one all interlinked to give him lots of space to leap about, rope to climb up and swing off etc...

A sandpit can be good fun for them too. I had one for my hamsters using bird sand as they love to dig and there is a natural urge to dig for food so I'd hide treats in it. Great exercise for them too.

[joeluke]

Warfarin?

[boxtops]

now then JL.... this IS a pet rat....!

[joeluke]

The words 'rat' and 'pet' should never be used in the same sentence

[Answerprancer]

Avoid chocolate like the plague (pardon the pun), lettuce and milk.
Hamster mix supplimented with the occasional bit of broccoli, apple, non salted nuts and the occasional ratty treat (bits of digestive biscuit etc) some green stuff, but don't overdo it because it gives them the splats.
I've kept rats on and off for about 30 years.
Another tip - don't feed them between the bars of the cage because it makes them bitey to anything that goes near the cage eg. human fingers.

[jomifl]

rat food ...they sell it in almost any shop. They do like walnuts though

[rov1200]

Needs lots of exercise. Let it out into the garden every day.

[Answerprancer]

Don't let it go in the garden because it will almost certainly disappear.

[B00]

Is chocolate a no no?

Mine used to love malteazers. He used to sit on my shoulder, rolling one round in his paws nibbling all the chocolate off, was one of the cutest things id ever seen.

[Answerprancer]

Yes - chocolate is bad for them, they can't digest it properly.

[B00]

Oh dear, didn't know that :-(

Well, he did only get them as an odd treat- that's my defence!!

[ChuckFickens]

Pretty much all adult mammals and rodents are lactose intolerant and as such should never be given dairy products.