Rat Nutritional Information: Can my Pet Rat Eat This?

Knowing what your rat can and cannot have is important. Of course, pet stores and most large store chains carry rat food, which is fine for feeding your rat. However, sometimes you may want to give your rat a snack or feed them what you’re feeding your family that night. However, it is important to research to make sure that the food is safe for your rat.

When I cook, I try to conserve food that I would have thrown away for the rats. Potato peals are a good example. I keep a bag in the freezer, and when I peel potatoes while cooking, I will place the peals in the freezer and occasionally treat my furry friends to a snack. Frozen veggies are great for rats on hot days. They love it when I place the veggies in some water so they can play with their food before they eat it.

When you first feed your rat a new food, you will probably notice them take a small bite, then ignore the food. Many owner think they are done and will take the food away. However, what the rat is doing is testing it. Rats do not have a gag reflex, so if they eat too much of something that will make them sick it could kill them. By testing their food, the rat is trying only a little to see if it makes him sick. If it doesn’t, he will go back and finish off the food.

While your rat might test food, I’ve noticed that after a while rats will begin to trust their owner and not always test the food before eating it all. It is important to realize this as an owner so that you are careful to not feed your rat something that may make him sick.

It is also important to remember that your rats are strong. If you leave food laying around while your rats are out, you can expect it to be dragged off before long. Rats are strong enough to move large pieces of pizza, hot dogs, and even tacos or bean burritos.

Below are two lists of foods that are and are not okay for your rats. If you don’t see a food you are looking for in either of the lists, try doing a little online research. Always check around before you feed your rat a new kind of food. You never know whether or not the food could be poisonous or toxic to your furry friend.

Food’s that are okay for your rat…

• Apples. Cut the apple up and make sure to remove all the seeds. Seeds are hazardous for rats.
• Applesauce. Feed them very little if the applesauce has lots of sugar or other fattening ingredients.
• Apricots.
• Avocados. These are very fatty for rats and should be given in moderation.
• Bananas. My rats love it when I smash the bananas up like pudding and add nuts or other fruits.
• Beef. Chicken is healthier for your rat, but beef is okay if the fat is kept to a minimal.
• Blackberries.
• Blueberries. Be careful when feeding these to your rats because they can be messy!
• Blueberry buckle baby food.
• Boysenberries.
• Bread. While my rats love bread and haven’t had any problems, I’ve read some articles about rats choking on bread. I would recommend feeding only very small pieces to your rats and toasting it first. You may even soften the bread first by dipping it in milk or water.
• Broccoli.
• Butternut squash. Make sure that the squash it thoroughly cooked before feeding it to your rat.
• Cantaloupe.
• Carrots.
• Cashews.
• Cauliflower.
• Celery. Fine for rats, but don’t have very much nutritional value.
• Cheese. Small amounts are okay for rats in moderation. Soy based cheese is healthier for rats.
• Cherries.
• Chicken. This is the healthiest meat for your rat.
• Chicken bones. Surprisingly, these are not only healthy for rats, but good chew toys. Next time you have chicken for dinner, just save the bones for your rats.
• Choy.
• Cold cuts.
• Cooked sweet potatoes.
• Corn. Corn is good for your rats whether it is on the cob, from the can, or even frozen.
• Cottage cheese.
• Cranberries.
• Cream cheese on crackers.
• Cucumber.
• Dog food. People who make their own rat food will often add dog food to the mix. You don’t want to skip on quality, however, and you want to get a low protein type of food.
• Dried bananas. These are great for rats because they are high in potassium.
• Dried cranberries. If your rat is prone to urinary tract infections, this is great to add to their died. Cranberries are good for keeping the urinary tract clean and healthy.
• Dry cereal. Cheerios are great for feeding your rat. However, be careful about feeding your rat cereal that contains a large amount of sugar. Puffed rice cereals are yummy for rats, but avoid Rice Krispies and other sugar containing rice cereals.
• Dry rolled oats. Any type of oats is find as long as they do not contain any sugar.
• Fruit baby food.
• Grapes. Purple grapes are believed to prevent cancer in rats.
• Green beans. Cooked green beans are very nutritious for rats.
• Green peppers. Just make sure they aren’t too spicy for your rats and try to feed them in small amount at a time.
• Ham.
• Hard boiled eggs. These should not be fed to your rat on a regular basis, just as a treat once in a while. I’ve heard that these are good for pregnant rats because of the fat and extra protein that the eggs give.
• Honeydew melons.
• Kale.
• Kiwi.
• Lettuce. Romaine lettuce is the best for your rat because it has more nutritional value than Iceberg lettuce. Some people will tell you to avoid Iceberg lettuce all together because it has close to no nutritional value.
• Macaroni and cheese.
• Mashed potatoes.
• Mealworm.
• Meat baby food.
• Melons.
• Mushrooms. These are only okay for your rat if they are cooked and should be fed in moderation.
• Oatmeal.
• Oatmeal cookies.
• Papaya.
• Parsley.
• Pasta. Rats can have cooked or dried pasta. Tri colored spirals that have a spinach or tomato flavor are extra tasty for rats. Dried pasta is good for rats because it is crunchy and they like to chew on it. Pasta has a good source of carbohydrates that are good for rats.
• Peaches. Make sure to feed them peaches without the pit because the pit can be harmful to your rat.
• Pears.
• Peas.
• Plums.
• Pomegranates.
• Popcorn. It should be unsalted and unbuttered if possible.
• Popsicles. These are great for rats on hot summer days. However, try to only feed your rats non-fat and sugar free popsicles.
• Potatoes.
• Pumpkins. Pumpkins are fine for rats to eat, however the seeds should be fed to your rat in moderation because seeds are very high in fat.
• Raspberries.
• Red peppers. Test first to make sure that the pepper isn’t too spicy and feed only small amounts of the pepper to your rat at a time.
• Rice. Brown rice is especially good for your rat.
• Saltine crackers. My rats love these as snacks. I keep a small sack of them by my chair and feed them crackers when they want a snack. I try not to overfeed them with saltine crackers though because they are high in salt and I’m not sure if too much would make them sick.
• Scrambled eggs. The protein is great for rats, especially pregnant rats.
• Small dog treats. Small treats are idle because rats should only have treats in small portions. You can always but up larger treats into smaller ones. Even small treats may need to be cut up into smaller portions.
• Soy products. Soy nuts are good for rats, but make sure they are roasted and unsalted. Soy products are high in protein and have cancer-preventing agents. Other good soy products include soy milk, soy yogurt, soy milk, soy tofu, and soy crumbles.
• Squash. Cooked squash is best.
• Strawberries. Rats love strawberries. They are not only sweet and yummy, but healthy for them as well.
• Sunflower seeds. Make sure that the seeds are unsalted. You can buy these cheaply in bulk and add some to your rats cage every once in a while for a healthy snack.
• Turkey. Chicken is the better meat for your rat, but small amounts of turkeys are fine too.
• Vanilla custard baby food -
• Vegetable baby food
• Walnuts. Make sure to only feed your rat these in moderation as treats every once in a while.
• Watermelon
• Whole grain crackers. Add a little topping to the crackers for a wonderful little snack for your rats.
• Whole wheat pasta
• Whole wheat bread
• Yellow peppers. Peppers are fine for your rats as long as the pepper isn’t too spicy, so you may want to test the pepper first.
• Yogurt. Probiotic yogurt in small amounts is good for the gut flora.
• Yogurt covered pretzels
• Yogurt drops. Most rats absolutely love these.

Foods that are NOT okay for your rat…

• Apple seeds. Apple seeds have a small amount of cyanide in them that can be harmful for rats.
• Avocado skin.
• Beat tops. Known for causing urinary tract problems as well as causing stones in the kidneys and bladder due to the extremely high levels of oxalates.
• Blue cheese. The mold that is used to make blue cheese is toxic to rats.
• Carbonated drinks. Rats can’t burp, hence why carbonated drinks should never be fed to them.
• Caffeinated drinks. Drinks containing high amounts of sugar are bad for your rats.
• Candy. Like chocolate, too sugary for rats. Rats can have problems with digesting these foods.
• Chocolate. Bad for rats because of how fatty and sugary it is. I’ve heard that some owners feed dark chocolate to their rats once in a great while without problems. However, I just avoid chocolate all together.
• Dried corn. While fresh corn is okay, dried corn is not. This is because it contains fungal contaminates that can lead to liver cancer in rats.
• Green bananas. While regular bananas are okay, green bananas inhibit starch digestion enzymes.
• Green potato skins and eyes. Contains solanine, this is a toxin for rats.
• Hamster food. Hamster food is high in fat because hamsters need a diet that is higher in fat than rats.
• Licorice. This food is suspected to cause neurological poisoning to rats.
• Mango. This fruit contains d-limonene and can cause kidney cancer in male rats.
• Moldy foods. Some people think that just because rats are rats, they can eat moldy food. However, mold and bacteria can be extremely toxic to rats and should never be fed to them.
• Oranges. The white part of the peelings of oranges and the outer layer can be harmful for male rats. I’ve heard that it seems okay for females, but I would just avoid citrus fruits like oranges to be on the safe side.
• Orange juice. Contains d-limonene that can cause kidney cancer in male rats.
• Peanuts. These have been found to have anti-nutrients that, like raw dried beans, will destroy Vitamin A and certain enzymes that rats need to break down proteins and starches. This will then cause red blood cells to clump together.
• Poppy seeds. While it is unknown why, poppy seeds seem to cause rats to become sick and sometimes even die.
• Potato eyes
• Raw artichokes. Inhibits protein digestion.
• Raw beans. Destroys Vitamin A and enzymes that rats need to digest protein and starches. This can cause red blood cells to clump and is a hazard for rats.
• Raw Brussels sprouts. Destroys thiamin.
• Raw bulk tofu. The bulk unpackaged tofu contains bacteria and is unsafe.
• Raw onions. Can cause anemia and give them upset stomachs.
• Raw red cabbage. Destroys thiamin.
• Rhubarb. Contains toxic amounts of oxalates.
• Raw sweet potato. Since sweet potato is a potato, people think that it is okay to feed to their rats. However, recently raw sweet potato’s have been found to have compounds that will form cyanide in rats stomachs.
• Spinach. Due to the high levels of oxalates, spinach can cause urinary tract problems and stones in the bladder and kidneys.
• Sweet feed. This is feed made for horses, and is just not good for rats because there is too much corn and molasses in it.
• Wild insects. These should never be fed to your rat because they can carry diseases and internal parasites. I’ve heard that cooked insects and insects bought from a store is okay.

Foods to be cautious with when feeding them to your rats

• Peanut butter and other sticky and thick foods. These should be given in very small amounts because they can cause choking. I will mix the peanut butter with a little bit of jelly or water to help it be less sticky and less of a choking hazard.