When it comes to their diet, rats are a lot like people: They'll eat almost anything. These omnivorous rodents can eat anything from grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, and even chocolate. However, that doesn't mean you can feed your rats whatever you had for dinner and expect them to be healthy.
It's best to feed your rat a staple diet consisting of high quality lab blocks such as Harlan Teklad. Lab blocks are a nutritionally complete food for rats. However, rats also benefit greatly from the antioxidants and vitamins found fresh fruits and vegetables. Their diet should consist of 80% lab blocks and 20% fruits and vegetables.
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Unfortunately, most rat food sold at pet stores isn't very good. Pet store block food usually has too much protein and unhealthy fillers. As for store-bought seed mixes, they won't give your rats a balanced diet. Rats have a tendency to pick out their favorite bits and leave the rest, resulting in a lot of waste and an unbalanced diet.
Your best bet is to find places online to buy high quality lab blocks. Harlan Teklad 2014 lab blocks are best, and can be found at places such as www.thecraftyrat.com or www.theratshop.com. Another option would be the lab blocks made by Mazuri, which you can order straight from the company's site. For grown rats, the best Mazuri formula is Mazuri Rodent Breeder 6F.
In addition to lab blocks and fresh fruits and veggies, you can feed your rats the occasional treat. Rats love yogurt drops, cooked chicken, scrambled eggs, and hardboiled eggs. A chip of dark chocolate is also OK as a very rare treat; in fact, chocolate can temporarily relieve respiratory distress in rats, so it's good to have around as a first aid remedy. Just be sure to limit these treats. Like humans, rats don't benefit from a high fat, high sugar diet.
Improperly fed rats will often get fat, sickly, or suffer from skin problems. Feeding your rats a balanced diet will help them live longer, healthier lives.
Fancy Rats - What Do Pet Rats Eat?
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