What not to feed rats is a much shorter list then asking for what you can feed rats.
http://www.petratscanada.com/forbidden_f鈥?/a>
http://www.ratfanclub.org/diet.html
http://www.freewebs.com/cjsratrescue/rat鈥?/a>
I would like to clear up some myths and misconceptions about what foods may or may not be good for rats. Some of these updates on safe/unsafe foods may not be on the internet but are being discussed among rat-keeping experts on rat-only forums.
Chocolate: There is nothing wrong with a treat of chocolate now and then and dark chocolate can benefit rats that have respiratory issues
http://spazrats.tripod.com/chocolate.htm鈥?/a>
Orange juice for male rats: Old talk is that OJ is just fine for the girls but not for the boys.
http://www.rmca.org/Articles/oj.htm
However, you can give the boys slices of orange, or homemade orange juice, if you peel the orange, get rid of as much of the pith as possible, and WASH the peeled orange to get rid of all traces of d-limonene that may have oozed out of the orange peel as you peeled the orange.
Never give rats, male or female, commercial orange juice.
Garlic is fine for rats for medicinal purposes. It has antibiotic properties and the heat of garlic stimulates the flow of blood to the lungs and heart to aid in lung and heart ailments.
Tofu: the bulk tofu mentioned on the list is what you find in health food stores soaking in a brine. In this type of storage there is no way they can keep bacteria out. Packaged tofu that you find in the super market is safe. Fermented bean products, like tofu, have properties that help prevent or diminish tumors in female rats. Soya milk, a non-fermented bean product does not share these properties.
Commercial rat foods contain ingredients that rats do not like and/or that they cannot digest and utilize. Corn and alfalfa are two such ingredients. Commercial rat foods also contain flavorings, colors, and preservatives that are known carcinogens. There are far better homemade diets that have been put together by experts and used by many.
Tap water contains chemicals that are known carcinogens. Use filtered or bottled water/spring water instead. Don't use distilled water as distilled water is ';dead water';. It has no nutritional value to it, no minerals. In holistic medicine we use distilled water to mix herbs and homeopathy.
Another forbidden food that is never mentioned is the fat from meat. Rats do not have gall bladders therefore they lack the enzymes needed to digest the fat of meat. However, rats can eat muscle meat and poultry. Boiled chicken is a ratty favorite. Avoid processed meats.
spazrats
';my life has gone to the rats';What not to feed pet Rats?
Let me make a slight correction. The liver produces the enzymes to digest fat but without a storage organ like the gall bladder, the liver has to work overtime to produce enough enzymes to digest the fat. This ages the liver and leads to disease.
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Don't spray Lysol anywhere near the tank or food, it can be very poisonous, but other than that, I think pretty much anything is ok.
Dont feed them cheese (yes I know everybody thinks rats and mice love cheese but it can make them sick) and dont let them have too much sugar. I'd say a piece of fruit a month per animal and even then not the entire fruit at once. Just a few pieces of that one fruit given every day per animal over the course of a month. I dont know how these foods can make them sick I just know they do. And no animal should ever have people food. Its not good for them.
chocolate, raw beans, carbonated drinks, raw sweet potato, blue cheese, raw red cabbage, raw brussel sprouts, raw artichokes, orange juice, green bananas, green potato skin and eyes, rhubarb, dried corn, cucumber, radishes, spinach, collards, turnip greens, beets, almonds, and Swiss chard.
Other than that, most veggies and fruits are OK as treats, as well as a little cooked meat from time to time :). They seem to really love chicken.
The best way I can answer this question is with a link (see source) to my forums and the forbidden foods list there.
Foods NOT to feed to your rat
Blue Cheese - Contains Toxic Mold
Green Bananas - Inhibits starch digestion
Green Potato Skin and Eyes - Contains solanine, a toxin
Licorice - Contains a suspected neurotoxin
Orange Juice - May contain d-limonene which can cause kidney cancer in male rats see also this post
Poppy Seeds - Can cause neurological damage, or may cause death!
Raw Artichokes - Inhibits protein digestion
Raw Bulk Tofu - May contain bacteria (packaged tofu is safe)
Raw Dry Beans or Peanuts - Contain antinutrients, causes red blood cell clumping (note: the peanuts that you buy in stores are almost always roasted so are okay. Frozen beans from veggie mixes are okay because they have been pre-cooked)
Raw Onion - Can lead to anemia and an upset stomach
Raw Red Cabbage and Brussel Sprouts - Contains an antinutrient that destroys thiamin
Raw Sweet Potato - Contains cyanide-forming compounds
Rhubarb - Contains high levels of oxalates which bind up calcium
Wild Insects - May carry parasites
Foods to be used with caution when feeding to your rat
Apples - Apples are fine, except for the seeds. Apple seeds contain a cyanide derivative that is deadly.
Avocados - Avacadoes are high in fat and are a good treat to feed rats that need to gain weight quickly (make sure the fruit is ripe). However, the pit, rind, skin and leaves of avocados are toxic. The part of the fruit in contact with the pit has a higher concentration of toxins.
Carbonated Drinks - Rats Can't Burp!
Chocolate - Contains stimulants that can lead to heart failure or neurological poisoning in high quantities. A very small bit of chocolate is okay and can actually temporarily alleviate respiratory distress.
Dried Corn - Can have high levels of fungal contaminates which can lead to liver cancer. Make sure to inspect commercial seed mixes with dried corn. A little fresh corn is fine.
Iceberg Lettuce - Full of water (which can be good), but has no nutritional value
Peanut Butter - This can cause choking in rats. If you want to give your rats peanut butter, mix it with jam or something liquid to make it less sticky, or spread it in some bread.
I try to keep it as up-to-date as possible and add (or remove) items as necessary.
rat poison! lol
ok well rats hav basicly the same insides as humans just smaller...so they can eat anything from chocolate to dog food...
as of what they cant eat...
males cant eat any citrus...(lemons ,pine apple,oranges...ect.)females can handle it but if they eat to much they can die...so i would never take the chance with any rat....that is pretty much the only thing they cant eat... i feed my rats every thing i eat....lol...BUT SERIOUSLY U REALLY SHOULD FEED UR RATS CHOCOLATE !!!THEY PERFER DARK CHOCOLATE BUT CHOCOLATE KEEPS CANCER AWAY IN RATS ...ONLY GIVE IT TO THEM ONCE A WEEK...ONLY FOR THERE SAFTY....if u give to much to them it will give them cancer...i usally buy a hurshy thin dark chocolate bar and break each peice in 1/4 peices and give each one a peice(1/4 peice of a bar ) a week it is good for them!!
hope this helps
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