What do rats eat: at home and in the wild? What Do Pet Rats Eat: Rodent Diet

If you have brought this charming rodent into your home, then you are immediately faced with several questions. What conditions do you need to provide for your pet? What does a decorative rat eat? How can I help her stay physically active? Of all these problems, nutrition is the most important. An animal's diet is of paramount importance because it ensures its health and well-being. It’s worth talking about it in more detail, because it’s not for nothing that there is a famous saying among people: “Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are.” This equally applies to varieties of domestic white mice and their relatives.

Product composition

The nutrition of white rats of various breeds is often based on the same principles. Scientists and practicing veterinarians have long known the balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins that is optimal for ornamental rodents. And contrary to popular belief that rats are omnivores, bad eating habits are bad for their health. Therefore, every person who owns a furry animal should know what is allowed for rats and what, on the contrary, is contraindicated. Among others, you need to follow several main rules:

choose foods with the lowest fat content;
avoid animal proteins;
limit your consumption of fish and poultry;
if you still feed your pet meat, then choose boneless pieces and boil them;
but chicken bones are useful for decorative animals as a teeth sharpener;
among cereal crops, give preference to wheat, millet, oats, barley and corn;
pets need vitamins (pieces of tangerine or apple);
specialized food with minerals that help grind down constantly growing teeth.

To properly feed decorative white rats at home, you need to know not only the list of permitted products, but also strict prohibitions.

Prohibited Products

There is a fairly large list of foods that should never be fed to a decorative rat. Although most fans of this species believe that their pets are able to eat almost anything without much harm to their health. You will hear more than once that white rats eat cockroaches, and on New Year’s Eve they will not refuse tangerines. But their wild counterparts are more capable of such omnivory. Even if a domestic rat shows love for a certain product, this does not mean that it will harm its health: they simply do not have many instincts. Therefore, beginners and amateurs should firmly remember the list of prohibited foods:

some types of raw vegetables and root vegetables (for example, artichokes, beans, beans, potatoes, cabbage);
soy products and its derivatives;
blue cheese;
rhubarb and spinach;
liquorice;
unripe bananas;
sweet drinks with gases;
alcohol.

In addition to the permitted and prohibited food, there is also food that should be given to decorative white rats with caution, observing their condition and behavior.

Other product groups

There is another category of foods that rats often consume at home. We are talking about indoor plants that rodents eat or gnaw on while walking around the apartment. Use caution if you have kalanchoe, aloe, ivy, dieffenbachia, spurge, pointessia or geranium growing in your home. Some of them cause stomach upset in animals, while others can even become life-threatening.

Also, allergic reactions and stool upset can cause such seemingly harmless fruits and vegetables as tangerines, cucumbers, beets, turnips and radishes in your pet. You should also feed your rat almonds and other nuts carefully and in small portions. Gradually, you will figure out the optimal set of foods to feed your pet rat, and you will make fewer and fewer mistakes.

Special cases

Experts advise making your pet’s diet more flexible and variable, so that in special situations you can change it to suit your pet’s needs. There may be several such cases:

disease;
manifestations of allergies;
pregnancy and during the feeding period of rat pups;
encouragement during training.

What a white rat eats at home may not suit it at all when it is sick. However, many foods can serve as effective natural medicines. For example, if it is necessary to fight infectious diseases, the animal can be given bananas, eggplants, mustard or plums. The more familiar raspberries and cranberries, onions and garlic will also help. And broccoli allows the body to cope well with neoplasms of various natures and locations. By the way, such cases are not uncommon in these rodents, so cabbage can be used on a regular basis as a preventive measure.

Arthritis is another common disease that can affect your pet. In addition to the obligatory visit to the doctor, the owner can take additional measures and feed the pet crushed ginger or garlic.

Pregnancy and lactation

Pregnant rodents require a special diet, since the expectant mother needs very specific nutrients. If you doubt whether rats can eat tangerines during pregnancy, then pay attention to the following lists. They exist separately for the first half of pregnancy and for the second. So, during the first two weeks, females eat:

poultry meat;
fish;
cartilage from chicken bones;
apples.

This period also has its own contraindications. During pregnancy, the decorative variety does not feed on liver, oats and wheat grains, as well as tomatoes, onions and bell peppers. For the last two weeks, feeding the pregnant female includes the same poultry and fish, cottage cheese and nettles. From what rats can eat, you should exclude lettuce, yolk, cucumbers, grapes and raisins.

While the little rat is small, the mother feeds him with her own milk, so it is worth feeding her in a varied and rich way. Her diet should include protein foods, vitamins, and plenty of water. It is thirst that often prompts a cute white female to commit infanticide: mothers eat their babies because instinct tells them about an unfavorable environment.

Additional nuances

Anyone who is interested in home decorative rodents should know a few more simple things about what a white rat eats at home. Food must be fresh and of good quality. The use of stale, weathered or moldy products is unacceptable. The only exception here may be crackers, which should be added to the main feeding to grind down the incisors. Make them yourself or replace them with specialized toys from the pet store. The main thing is that the animal has the opportunity to chew hard materials. This provides him with healthy teeth, ease of chewing and a good appetite.

According to the latest data from zoologists, rats are second in number only to insects. And some scientists believe that there are even more rodents. Their numbers are growing steadily, regardless of the wealth of the country they have chosen to live in. In Moscow, according to the most approximate estimates, there are forty rats for every city dweller, including migrant workers. The vitality of the latter is explained by their omnivorousness (we will discuss what rats eat a little later) and the speed of reproduction. But an equally important factor is their adaptability, intelligence and intelligence. Thanks to these qualities, rats quite confidently fit into the category of pets, sometimes showing enviable devotion to the owner and the ability to take into account his wishes. And now about everything in more detail and in order.

Features of rat nutrition

Coming up with a list of what rats eat is almost impossible since they eat everything. The only exceptions are absolutely inedible things, although even wires and polyethylene can be chewed and partially swallowed. However, for all their indiscriminateness, rats treat food in the wild quite reasonably. In the wild, they never overeat, so they do not become obese. If a rat is lucky enough to get a high-calorie piece, it eats less food. If what rats eat is low in nutrition, the amount consumed increases accordingly. If there is a lack of some minerals or vitamins in their body, these rodents look for foods with a high content of the necessary substance.

It should be noted that rats (domestic or wild - it makes no difference) eat all the time. If you forget to feed your pet for at least two days, it will die. Therefore, in the wild, animals are constantly in search of food, and, if possible, they create reserves.

Taste preferences of wild rats

Despite all the promiscuity of the creatures we are considering, there are some foods that rats like more than others. Thus, if there is a choice between wheat and wholemeal flour, preference will be given to the latter. Although if the grain is thoroughly wet or mixed with odorless vegetable oil, attention will be divided equally between both “dishes”.

Sweets are what rats (both tame and free) eat with special pleasure. Moreover, it doesn’t matter how nutritious the food is, sweetened with saccharin will do. So in this case, it is not the calorie content (and, accordingly, the survival factor), but the taste sensation that is important.

The following fact is noteworthy: what a white rat eats can be categorically rejected by its wild relatives. For example, it is well established that laboratory albinos prefer food with the addition of anise, while ordinary rats diligently avoid it. Moreover, if experimental cubs are fed only food with such additives, and then offered a treat without them, they will not hesitate to change the imposed diet. Scientists believe that the attachment of white rats to these “flavors” is genetic, innate.

What to feed your pet

The diet of a tame animal must be calculated and diversified, because ornamental rats eat everything, like their wild relatives, but they move less, and therefore they can become obese. And if they lack some element, they will not be able to find it on their own. Pet stores sell balanced foods, when developing which manufacturers took into account what domestic rats eat and what they need most. However, you should not limit yourself to only such products if you want to have a healthy animal in the house, and not regularly take it to the veterinary clinic. It is necessary to give your pet boiled meat, seafood and tripe. By the way, even kitten food is suitable. The diet must include vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, turnips, cabbage), berries and fruits. Instead of multivitamins, you just need to regularly feed your pet rat with greens - lettuce, dandelion and clover leaves, dill. Remember what rats eat in the wild. Cereals, that's right! The grain can be given in its usual form, or it can be sprouted. Oat and wheat sprouts are especially useful in this regard - in winter they are a valuable source of vitamin E.

Medicinal products

No matter how hard you try to protect your pets, it is very possible that they will still get sick. In this case, you need to be more careful about what rats eat: some foods will help them overcome illness. So, if your animal is already “aged”, so that it does not suffer from arthritis, add a little garlic and ginger to its food. As a preventive measure, you can give onions, prunes, cranberries, and strawberries. If your pet needs antibiotics, before injecting him with medicine, it is better to feed the patient bananas, eggplants, raspberries, plums, and the same garlic and onions. You can feed the animal with echinacea decoction.

Vegetables, fruits and other foods that are given little by little

When discussing what rats eat (we are talking exclusively about pets), we should discuss not only the quality of the food, but also its quantity. So, you need to know what food can harm your pets if they receive it regularly and in large doses. Among such products are:

Pears. They are fixed, so give no more than once every two weeks.
Grape. It can “pull” fermentation along with it.
Beet. Diarrhea is almost guaranteed, but if you didn’t experience it the first time, you can give it, because it’s useful. Just don't overdo it!
Eggs. Be sure to cook it, it is better to buy quail and offer it no more than once a week.
Sour cream. Only as a treat, little by little and with the same frequency.

Poisonous grass

So, we figured out what rats eat. But you also need to have an idea of what is dangerous for them. Especially if your pet has the opportunity to move freely around the apartment, and you are a fan of a home garden. If he can only get potato, cherry, tobacco, and euphorbia leaves from your hands (that is, you just need to check that the animal does not eat them), then he can gnaw indoor flowers without your knowledge. The following house plants are poisonous to rats:

Dieffenbachia;
indoor feces;
azalea;
begonia;
ivy (any variety);
amaryllis;
cyclamen.

The worst thing is that the rat cannot be forbidden to eat flowers, or hide them so that he cannot get to them. If you have such plants in your house, you will have to keep the animal in a cage.

Prohibited

Some foods are generally contraindicated for these animals, although not as dangerous as herbs. Of the things that rats categorically cannot eat, first of all you need to name And in general, any cheeses are fatty and salty, and therefore lead to obesity in pets. But “blue” can even poison your pet.

Impairs the digestibility of starch. These fruits should only be given to rats when they are ripe.

The green parts of potatoes contain solanine, a fairly strong poison for rats. When cooked it is less dangerous, but when raw it can be fatal.

Raw beans and peas are almost guaranteed to cause flatulence in the animal and, as a result, tympany.

Smoked meats, lard (especially salted), fried meat, sausage - your pet will definitely do without all this. The consequences of regularly feeding such products can be very sad.

Chocolate, candy, cakes and pastries should also be excluded from the rat’s diet. If you want to treat her to something tasty, give her a piece of fruit.

War of rats and mice

Many people who keep rodents at home are interested in whether rats eat mice. In the wild, in the absence of other food, undoubtedly. However, if there is a choice, the rat will eat food that is more interesting to it, although it will kill the mouse - as a competitor. However, if rats appear on the territory, the mice themselves leave it and go in search of other housing.

A decorative rat is a cute and charming pet that can give its owner many amusing moments - rodents of this species are active, smart, and capable of all sorts of tricks and tricks. However, like any other animal, a pet rat requires care and maintenance, the main milestone of which is proper nutrition of the rodent.

This article will tell you in detail what and how often to feed a decorative rat.

Some general details about feeding a decorative rodent

The rat is an unpretentious animal and is capable of eating anything, however, the animal has a rather selective taste, and it will always prefer the food that it likes. Rodents of this species are distinguished by special intelligence and therefore are able to distinguish between different types of food and create their own menu of preferences from them.

Eating is a favorite pastime of rats, but they can get carried away or, in general, eat what they shouldn’t, so the pet owner must pay great attention to the selection and preparation of the correct diet for the animal.

In order for the nutrition to be as balanced as possible, it is best to create a diet according to a special scheme, which implies that the following products will be given to the animal regularly:

Cereals. Grains should form the basis of the diet you plan to feed your pet rat. You can buy special sets of cereals in pet stores, cook porridge from cereals (without adding oil to them), give boiled pasta, bread, boiled corn;
Vegetables, herbs and fruits are what you can “treat” and feed your rat deliciously every day. Moreover, a “green” diet is necessary for the animal’s full functioning and for its health. Don't feed your rat exclusively carrots and cabbage - these pets love variety and need a wide variety of vitamins;
You can provide your animal with additional vitamin supplementation by buying him special treats enriched with microelements and other useful substances. For rats, pet stores sell vitamin lozenges, sticks, and candies;
Protein-rich foods are also necessary for the rat, but they should be given much less frequently than vegetables and grains - it is enough to offer protein to the rodent once every two days. Meat, seafood, cottage cheese, cheese, and yogurt can be used as protein foods. Do not give your rat protein in large quantities - an excess of this substance is harmful to the animal’s body; rodents with an abundance of protein in the blood age faster.

The animal must feed regularly - a rat can live for a maximum of two days without food. But it’s also not worth it to be overzealous and stuff the animal with food all the time - rats can gain excess body weight, and they will develop obesity.

In what portions, when and how to feed the animal

When caring for an animal, it is important not only to choose a diet, but also to know how to properly feed a rodent rat - how many times a day, in what portions.

Veterinarians recommend initially organizing a two-time diet for the rat and giving it food in the morning and evening hours. The best thing is always at the same time. This approach ensures that the animal will have a minimum of digestive problems.

Two meals a day is suitable for adults, but if the female rodent is pregnant, she is fed 3-4 times a day. Frequent meals are also provided for small rats.

Rats should not suddenly change their usual diet - each new product is introduced gradually, and when feeding it is given in small portions.

As for the size of portions of the usual food, on average it should be 70-80% of the animal’s weight. For pregnant females and young males the proportion increases to 100%.

What products should be used to make up a grain, protein and green diet for a pet?

In the first section of the article, we provided a brief description of the diet plan for an ornamental rodent, but since rats are very picky eaters, it is better to find out in advance which products are worth buying for feeding.

Let's start with grain feed. It is better not to give animals any particular type of grain in its pure form - buy mixtures or make them yourself. Ornamental rats can also be fed with weed seeds; they especially love dandelion and quinoa seeds. Give regular seeds, but a little 10-15 grains per week in general food will be enough for the animal. Sunflower or pumpkin should not be fried or salted.

There should be very little rice in the rats' food; it is much better to make a mixture of buckwheat, wheat, millet, barley and peas.

A green diet for pet rodents is made up of vegetables, fruits and herbs. Meadow herbs can be used - for example, chicory, shepherd's purse, dandelion, plantain. Garden herbs such as dill and parsley are also suitable.

Do not put huge bunches of grass in your pet’s cage - the animals eat very little of it, but they make secret reserves from them, from which they will later eat spoiled grass, and this often causes an upset stomach.

Feeding your pet rat vegetables and fruits is not only possible, but also necessary: through such nutrition, the rodent receives the vitamins necessary for growth and development.

The following fruits and vegetables are ideal for feeding rats:

apples;
bananas;
cucumbers (cucumbers are given only fresh and are never included in the diet for pregnant females and cubs);
dates;
cabbage;
carrot;
tomatoes;
plums;
pumpkin;
blueberry;
blueberry;
strawberry;
raspberries;
cranberry;
Give pears with caution and extremely rarely.

As for the protein component, it should be insignificant - it is enough to give the animal every two days a small piece of raw or boiled meat, mild and unsalted cheese, egg white or slices of boiled squid. Choose lean meat - preferably raw or boiled, lean beef. It is also useful to mix beef with poultry fillet.

Rats are very fond of egg yolks, so occasionally you can add an egg to the diet; you can finely chop half a whole egg or add egg crumbs to your porridge.

As for dairy products, a couple of spoons of natural yogurt will not harm your rat; yogurt can also be replaced with low-fat sour cream (no more than 10%).

As additional complementary food, your pet should occasionally be given dried crustaceans, chicken bones (not tubular), nuts, acorns, and meat baby food.

Taboos in the diet of domestic rats

When feeding a cute pet animal, it is important not only to choose the right foods, but also to know what you cannot feed your pet rat under any circumstances, since there are a number of foods that are literally poisonous to rodents.

Rodents are not given chocolate or other confectionery and sweet products; they are never offered soda, hot smoked sausages, cheeses, especially blue and salty ones - feta cheese, fetaka. By the way, contrary to stereotypes (including those drawn from American cartoons), mice and rats are not at all inveterate lovers of cheese.

Got a new pet in your home? It's time to find out what to feed your rat, what food you can give it and what is strictly forbidden, what you can treat it to occasionally, and what it can eat without any restrictions. Although rats are not particularly picky about food, you cannot feed them “just anything.” Their diet should be balanced and food properly prepared.

What to feed a decorative rat at home?

Like all living beings, rats are susceptible to various diseases, which can be caused by an incorrect lifestyle and an incorrectly formulated diet. Before you learn about what to feed your pet rat, you need to mention a number of important points:

the diet should contain as little fat as possible;
animal protein for rats should come in moderate portions, and if you want to treat your pet to meat, it should be cooked and without fat;
it is permissible to pamper a rat with a chicken bone - it will grind its teeth on it;
special foods made from cereals should be included in the diet regularly, but not all the time - sometimes your pet needs to be pampered with something tasty and tasty;
Throughout the year, periodically treat your rat with vitamin supplements.

List of foods you can feed your pet rat:

Cereals and grains: buckwheat, millet, barley, rice, rye.
Berries and fruits: watermelon, apricots, avocado, pineapple, hawthorn, grapes, cherry, melon, strawberries/strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, mangoes, peaches, rowan, currants, persimmons, blueberries, rose hips, apples.
Vegetables and greens: basil, zucchini, cilantro, carrots, cucumbers, parsley, lettuce, celery, pumpkin, dill, zucchini.
Animal protein: hamarus, seafood, lean meat, meat by-products, eggs.
Dairy products: yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk.

What to feed a pregnant rat?

A special moment in the life of a pet is bearing offspring. It is quite natural that you will be interested in the question of what to feed your rat at home while it is pregnant. Her diet during this period should be as varied as possible and consist of healthy foods. There is no need to overuse unhealthy treats. Instead of cookies, it is better to treat her with baby cottage cheese without additives. She should eat a fruit and vegetable every day. Don't forget about animal protein, but you should give meat or eggs no more than 2-3 times a week. If you don’t have chalk and mineral stone in your cage, it’s time to buy them.

What to feed a newborn rat?

A lactating rat needs to be fed intensively so that the babies can get good nutrition without harming the mother. During this period, it is better to give liquid food, since the rat will have little time to chew dry food. Complementary feeding should be given twice a day, alternating fermented milk products and animal protein, without limiting it in fruits and vegetables. So, what can you feed a domestic rat that has given birth:

ready-made meat and fruit and vegetable purees (baby food);
yoghurts, cottage cheese, kefir;
meat, chicken, fish – boiled and without salt.

What can you feed a small rat?

If it so happens that the mother rat refused to feed her offspring for one reason or another, you will have to feed the babies yourself through a syringe or catheter. What to feed a newborn rat is an extremely important question. For the first couple of days, you can keep her on pure goat milk. Then gradually transfer to the dry milk mixture, mixing it with goat milk. To prevent enteritis, after each feeding you need to drip Biovestin onto the rat's tongue.

What can you feed decorative rats that have grown a little:

as soon as the little rats’ eyes have opened, you can start giving them dry baby cereals, also diluting them with goat’s milk to the consistency of thick cream;
from 2.5 weeks you can carefully introduce simple cereal porridges, boiled meat, banana;
at 3 weeks you can transfer the pups to an adult diet and accustom them to drinking water.

Is it possible to feed a rat meat?

Animal protein is essential for rats, but you need to know how to properly feed your rat meat. Firstly, raw meat is completely unacceptable. It should be boiled or steamed, and always low-fat. It could be beef mixed with poultry. Secondly, there is no need to be overzealous with the amount of such products, since an excess of protein is harmful to the body and leads to its rapid aging. Give your rat meat a couple of times a week - no more often.

Is it possible to feed a rat cheese?

We are used to seeing in cartoons how rats go crazy over cheese. In fact, these pets are not at all avid lovers of it, and this is for the best, since this product contributes to obesity. Feeding decorative rats with cheese should be moderate - once every 2 days and in small quantities. In this case, the cheese should be mild and unsalted. Varieties of blue cheese are generally unacceptable in the diet of rats.

Is it possible to feed bananas to pet rats?

Green bananas are a no-no for rats. Ripe ones are very useful and desirable. They are ideal for daily nutrition. In general, domestic rats are very fond of feeding fruits and vegetables, and through this diet they receive all the necessary vitamins for good growth and development. What to feed your rat besides bananas: regularly give your pet apples, dates, plums, blueberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, fresh cucumbers (except during pregnancy and infancy), cabbage, carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes.

How many times a day should you feed your rat?

Since these rodents are capable of chewing around the clock, the next question arises - how often to feed the rat so that it is not hungry, but at the same time does not overeat. She doesn't need obesity, so food shouldn't be constantly available. In addition, leftover food must be removed immediately. The rat should receive its portion of food 2 times a day - in the morning and in the evening. At the same time, in the morning it should be more of a light snack, but the evening portion should be much more nutritious, which is explained by the animal’s nocturnal lifestyle.

An exception to the rule is a pregnant and lactating rat. She needs to be fed 3-4 times a day. Small rats also need frequent and small meals. It is advisable to always feed at the same time so that the rodent does not have problems with digestion. For the same reason, you cannot suddenly change the diet of animals. Any new product must be introduced gradually.

What do rats eat?

Rats eat a variety of foods. They have an insatiable appetite and will eat almost anything. They eat all kinds of garbage, but for the most part they prefer grain, livestock feed and meat. Rats are also known to eat soap, leather, furs, candy, milk, meat, vegetables, game, eggs, grains, seeds, fruits, nuts, snails, as well as other rodents. A rat can eat one-third of its body weight in food per day. Rats consume water most of all and cannot go without it for long. Rats require about 30 grams of water per day.

The two main types of rats—barn rats and black rats—feed similarly. But there is a slight difference in their preferences. Barn rats, or red rats, will eat almost any food, but they still prefer high-quality food, such as meat or fresh grain. These rats also require 30 grams of water per day if they are fed dry food. They have very developed senses such as taste, hearing and smell.

Black rats mainly prefer vegetables, fruits and grains. They are reluctant to accept meat or fish. They prefer grains, apples, sweet potatoes, melons, plums, pineapples, cookies, donuts, chocolates, peanut butter and tomatoes. They also consume about 30 grams of water per day.

When it comes to food, rats are little better than mice. Unlike mice, which nibble a little at a time, rats eat more food at one time. Like mice, rats can live in freezers and they love to eat frozen food.

Rats consume food by gnawing. Their chewing abilities allow them to chew or chew almost anything. They chew on anything softer than their teeth. They chew paper, fabric, wood, plastic, water pipes, electrical wires, and other building materials. Their habit of chewing everything can cause enormous damage to humanity, for example: fires, lack of energy and floods.