When you're looking for a good food you want something low in protein and fat. Rat's can't handle large amounts of protein - it is very hard on their tiny little kidneys. Generally you want something low in protein unless you are feeding a young rat (months or younger), or a pregnant or nursing mother. When reading an ingredient list, the first ingredient on the list is what that food contains the most of. Keeping that in mind, here are some of the best foods on the market.
Harlan Teklad:
Harlan Tek is probably one of the absolute best foods on the market right now. It was originally designed to feed rats in laboratories where they do their testing. When testing is being done on animals they need to make sure the food is adequate and is a constant through the testing process- or they may end up with erroneous testing data. This food was designed for this in mind. It is a food that can be somewhat difficult to get a hold of but if you search the net, you can find it. You might be able to order directly from their website, but I'm not sure- I've never tried. It looks like they might only sell the 33lb bags, which I'm sure would be quite expensive. I usually order from The Rat Shop, they sell it in different quantities and also have flat rate shipping which will save you some money. I usually am able to get 15 lbs for 28.50. Just look around on the web, you can find a few places to purchase it.
This food comes in a few different formulas. The following are the most common, I'll explain each:
Harlan Teklad 8404- This food is a SOY based formula and has a fairly high protein content at 24% and a fat content of 4%. This formula is pretty high in protein, but can be used to feed a young rat (8 month or younger) , or a pregnant or nursing mother who will need the extra protein.
Ingredient list: Soybean meal, corn flakes, wheat middlings, ground corn, fish meal, dried molasses, dried whey, soybean oil, dried brewers yeast, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, liver meal, iodized salt, choline chloride, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, magnesium oxide, manganous oxide, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, zinc oxide, calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate, chromium potassium sulfate.
Harlan Teklad 2018 - This food is vegetarian based formula that still has a fairly high protein content at 18% and a fat content of 5%. It also can be used to feed a young rat (8 months or younger), or a pregnant or nursing mother who needs the extra protein.
Ingredient list: Ground wheat, ground corn, wheat middlings, soybean meal, corn gluten meal, soybean oil, calcium carbonate, dried brewers yeast, dicalcium phosphate, iodized salt, L-lysine, DL-methionine, choline chloride, niacin, vitamin A acetate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride,thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, calcium pantothenate, ferrous sulfate, magnesium oxide, manganous oxide, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate, chromium potassium sulfate.
Harlan Teklad 2014- This is the best formula as a maintenance diet for an adult rat ( 8 months or older). It has the lowest protein content at 14% and a fat content of 3.5%. This is what I currently feed all my rats and they do really well on it. I high suggest this formula!
Ingredient list: Wheat middlings, ground wheat, ground corn, corn gluten meal, calcium carbonate, soybean oil, dicalcium phosphate, iodized salt, L-lysine, DL-methionine, choline chloride, niacin, vitamin A acetate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, calcium pantothenate, ferrous sulfate, magnesium oxide, manganous oxide, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate, chromium potassium sulfate.
Oxbow Regal Rat:
Oxbow Regal Rat is one of the best commercially available rat foots out there.You can find it at Dr. Foster and Smith's website. They sell it in 3lb and 40lb bags. It's also available in my local pet store- so check there too. If you can't get Harlan Teklad, I fully recommend this product. In fact it seems to have a slightly better ingredient list then the Harlan Tek. I tried my rats on this food a few years back. They gobbled it up at first, but then they stopped eating it. I've heard the company has recently reformulated it and rats tend to like it a lot more now. I think I may try my rats on this again and see what their opinion is..lol. But here is the information on this food:
Protein- 15%
fat- 4 %
Ingredient list: Whole Brown Rice, Oat Groats, Wheat Bran, Wheat, Soybean Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Soybean Hulls, Natural Flavor, Limestone, Yeast Culture (dehydrated), Flax Seed Meal, Monocalcium Phosphate, Methionine DL, Canola Oil, Yucca schidigera Extract, Wheat Germ Meal, Salt, Inulin, Magnesium Oxide, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Oxide, L-ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate (Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Biotin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Rosemary Extract.
Mazuri Rodent Breeder 6F
I've personally never used this before, but I've heard it's a great food as well. You can buy it from Mazuri's website. It comes in a 50 lb bag for 25 dollars plus shipping. Here is the nutritional information:
protein- 16%
fat- 6%
Ingredient list: Ground Corn, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Porcine Animal Fat Preserved with BHA, Cane Molasses, Wheat Middlings, Calcium Carbonate, Ground Oats, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Dicalcium Phosphate, Ground Wheat, Ground Soybean Hulls, Fish Meal, Salt, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried Beet Pulp, Wheat Germ, Corn Gluten Meal, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Soybean Oil, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Dried Yucca Shidigera Extract, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Cholecalciferol, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin, Nicotinic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Carbonate, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate.
Living world Extrustion Hamster Food
Yes you read that right, Hamster food! It may seem odd, but this is a decent food for your RATS! I've personally never tried it with mine, but nutrionally it is acceptable. You can buy it here. Here is the nutritional information:
protein: 15%
fat: 3.5%
Ingredient list: Ground corn, soybean meal, ground wheat, wheat middlings, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, dehydrated alfalfa meal, dried beet pulp, corn gluten meal, ground dehulled peanuts, yeast culture, salt, lecithin, sugar, choline chloride, DL-methionine, L-lysine, yeast extract, manganous oxide, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, yucca schidigera extract, d-calcium pantothenate, copper sulfate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium iodate, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, cobalt carbonate, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin.
Other foods to add to your rats diet
You can always add a grain mix to your rats diet to offer them a variety (be sure they're eating their blocks too though!). Here are some things you can add to their diet as a supplement:
- kale
- flaxseed
- nuts (no salt--not a lot of peanuts, theyre high in fat)
- bran cereal
- pasta (cooked or uncooked)
- quino
- rolled or steel cut oats
Fruits and vegetables are an important part of your rats diet. It offers them a variety as well as lots of nutrion to their diet. Here is a list of especially good fruits and vegetables for your rats:
- bananas
- cranberries
- blueberries
- strawberries
- garlic
- pomegranites
- kale
- Never give your rats anything with carbonation! Rat's can't burp!
- nothing high in sugar
- no salted products
- no seeds/pits of fruit
- no caffiene
- no peanut butter (unless its watered down- as they might choke)
- no soft breads that they might choke on- toast it first!
- Nothing too high in protein too often! (a little bit of fish occasionally might be ok)
- try to avoid anything with preservatives
This is not a comprehensive list of all foods available, or all foods you can or can't feed your rats. Please use common sense, if you wouldn't eat it - don't feed it to your rats. And if you have any questions, consult your vet or find a great forum online where there are knowledgeable people who can answer your questions!
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