The following should be considered as treats and only offered in very small amounts: Cereals, grains, seeds, breads, biscuits, sweets, cooked pasta and rice and breakfast cereals. Provide clean fresh water at all times. Any changes to the diet should be made gradually to avoid gastrointestinal upsets.
Do not feed the following please note that this is not an exhaustive list : Blue cheese Green bananas — inhibits starch-digesting enzymes Green potato skin Licorice — suspected to cause neurological poisoning in rats Orange juice Mango Raw artichokes Raw dry beans or peanuts Raw red cabbage and brussel sprouts Raw sweet potato Avocado Rhubarb Sticky foods such as peanut butter, some candy, and dried fruits — poses a choking hazard Seaweed.
Insoluble fiber comes from sources such as wheat bran, cereal hulls, and grass hays and does not absorb water. Instead, insoluble fiber passes through the digestive tract relatively unchanged, promoting gut motility and supporting overall gut health.
Research has also shown that rodents benefit from insoluble dietary fiber via improved insulin sensitivity mitigation of diabetes , control of weight gain, and reduction of fat mass mitigation of obesity. While soluble and insoluble fiber are both beneficial to rats; in reality, rats need both kinds of fiber and research has suggested a combination of the two types leads to more beneficial effects than soluble fiber alone.
To summarize, a high-quality, fortified pellet or rodent block will ensure the protein, fat, fiber, vitamin, and mineral requirements of your little furry are being met. Rats are naturally opportunistic omnivores and are willing and able to ingest a larger diversity of foods than many species. This is one reason they are one of the most widely distributed species across our planet. Given rats tendency to preferentially consume high fat, high-calorie dietary items, these foods should be limited.
Therefore, greens and veggies should be a predominant proportion of the supplementary foods along with a variety of grains, proteins, fats, and fruits. Some great options for each of these categories and feeding recommendations are listed here:.
Offering your fur baby a diversified diet is essential, but may require some patience and finesse. Rats are generally neophobic, meaning they will avoid new foods or even foods they have previously consumed if they are placed on or in a novel object.
Thus, it is very important to slowly and gradually introduce new foods. The biggest investment and most important item needed for your buddy is his cage.
The bigger the better. Since you'll be adopting at least two rats, they'll need a fairly spacious cage. They should have multiple levels to explore and a floor lined with paper bedding, as pine or other wood shavings could hurt rats' paws or irritate their eyes and noses. The floor should be solid, not wire, to prevent the condition called bumblefoot.
The bars should be relatively close together so the rats can't slip out. Make sure the latches are very secure since they are excellent and playing Houdini. Of course you'll need to provide your little guys with something to eat. Dumbos are omnivores, meaning they can eat a wide variety of foods.
A pellet diet formulated for rats is a good baseline—don't feed seed mixes formulated for other rodents, as rats have a much higher protein requirement than other species. Your pets will also appreciate a variety of treats to round out their diet.
They'll love apples, carrots, cooked chicken or cooked eggs.
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