Rats need both meat and vegetables in their diet (they’re omnivores). The basis of your rats’ diet should be a good-quality, complete, dry mixture that has the nutrients they need.
There are many rat foods available to buy, but finding one that meets their exact needs is tricky. You may wish to make your own food mix so your rats have a suitable, well-balanced, and healthy diet throughout their lives. See the recipe below to find out how.
Your rats need access to daily, fresh, clean water. Ideally, provide this in two bottles, one at each end of their enclosure, in case a bottle breaks.
Rats are foragers and spend a lot of time searching for food in the wild. Instead of feeding your pet rats from a bowl, consider scattering their food around their enclosure. This’ll help keep their minds and bodies working and make eating a more enjoyable experience for them.
You could also split their daily food allowance between early morning and early evening, which is when they’re most active and like to forage. Hiding some of their food inside enrichment gives them a fun challenge. For example, you could put the food in an empty cardboard box stuffed with bedding or wrap it in paper and stuff it in an egg box.
Your rats will also enjoy safe, tasty treats a few times a week. You can hide these in their enclosure or use them at hand-feeding time.
Remember, too much of any food is not healthy and can cause health issues like obesity or digestive problems. For a more detailed list of food that pet rats eat, see this guide.
Healthy treats for rats include:
Looking to make a healthy food mix for your rats? Try out the recipe below, based on the Shunamite diet from The Scuttling Gourmet.
This mix includes a balance of the food groups rats need in their diet. Below, we explain how to store the mix, what it’s made up of, and how to make each part. You can find more details on the link above.
This recipe suits most rats of all ages, but remember to follow advice from your vet if your rat has specific needs.
You should feed each rat around 15g of the mix each day. Exactly how much they need will vary depending on each individual rat. So, weigh your rats every week and adjust what you feed them accordingly.
Once you’ve made your food mix, give it a good stir and store it in a container with an airtight lid. Note down the date you made it and use it within three months. After three months, the ingredients can go stale and lose their nutritional value, so they should be disposed of.
The food mix is made up of the following parts:
Make sure to use the same scoop (or size) throughout, so the mix stays nutritionally balanced.
Below, you can find out what each of these parts should include. Some brand options are listed based on their nutritional value.
You can use a mixture of the following or just one type. Why not rotate the base mix you use each time you make up a new batch of food to give your rats variety?
A mixture of at least three of the following:
You can use a mixture of the following or you can use a different protein source each time you make up a new batch of food:
You can use a mixture of the following or you can use different dried herbs and vegetables each time you make up a new batch of food.
It doesn’t matter which dried forage or dried vegetables you choose as long as they’re safe for rats. For example, you might use:
Use a mixture of the following seeds. Remember, healthy seeds only make up one scoop of the whole mix!
Use two or more of the options below to make up this final scoop. It’s not healthy for rats to eat too much fat, so avoid choosing both sunflower seeds and peanuts.
Looking for more information on caring for your rats? Take a look at our other rat advice articles!
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