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What food do you feed your rat everyday?

I am hoping to get a rat this summer. I am also looking for a cage, my budget is £50 , will anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks

8 years ago by NameTaken with 14 comments

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  • eggpl4nt
    +3

    Hello! I was actually in the process of writing a basic rat-owning post, but it's gonna take a bit of a while. :)

    I feed my rat Oxbow Regal Rat Adult Rat food. It's a great brand and you don't have to measure out serving sizes, most rats are smart enough to only eat however much they need. My rats love the food, I used Kaytee lab blocks before Oxbow, but they like the Oxbow way more. And Kaytee is a sketchy brand - more like the Walmart brand of pet products, in my opinion.

    Also, please make sure you adopt at least a pair of rats. Rats do not do well being lonely, as they are social animals. Two rats are not much harder to take care for than one rat, and with two rats they both will be a lot more happy and less afraid of you and the new environment.

    • NameTaken
      +2

      Thanks. I have done alot of research on how to look after them.

      • eggpl4nt
        +1

        Awesome! I hope you have lots of fun when you adopt yours. :) Hope you take some pictures~

  • VoyagerXyX (edited 8 years ago)
    +3

    I'll update this post with the rat food I use when I get home and can look at the bag but they love it and are very healthy. Rats also need a LOT of exercise so make sure to get a big cage for them. They're not like hamsters and mice, and can not be happy in small rodent cages. Also strongly agree with /u/eggpl4nt in that you NEED to have at least two rats. I've had two sets of rats and the first pair one died very young (long story) and the other was miserable for a long long time. When we got our second pair we tried to introduce them to the other guy who lost his friend but he was too aggressive toward the little ones. He lived out the rest of his days in his cage alone (obviously we played with him constantly) but when he was in his cage he was by himself. His demeanor and attitude is VASTLY different from the pair raised together with a friend.

    Something like THIS would be a good START but if you ever want more than two definitely get something bigger. A high quality spacious cage is vital to your ratties happiness. :)

    • NameTaken
      +2

      Thanks. So that cage is suitable for 2 rats?

      • VoyagerXyX
        +1

        Max, yes. :)

        • NameTaken
          +1

          I have found this. I have noticed that flooring would be unsuitable for them so what should I put down? The one above is £100+ to ship into the UK

          • Gozzin
            +1

            I'd suggest tea towels..Wash them every few days. You can also put sown shredded paper in the cage and hide bits of walnuts in it and the rats will have great fun seeking out the tidbits.

  • VoyagerXyX
    +2

    I finally looked, I feed my boys "Animal Health - Ox Bow Essentials: Regal Rat Adult Rat Food! :D

  • Gozzin (edited 8 years ago)
    +2

    When I had rats, I created their diet from scratch and this is what they got: Clover, Coreopsis flowers, walnuts, pecans, roasted peanuts (in shell),meal worms (not every day),broccoli,kale,collards cooked. Cooked chicken wing with the bones to gnaw on (sometimes), sunflower seeds,cooked beans,sometimes cooked brown rice, blueberries, left overs from my dinner. They also got to clean casserole dishes before they were washed, and dinner plates. They loved this. They were also given pecans and walnuts in the shell with a small crack,which they had to work on to get at the nut meat. Here is the set up I had atop a door. Notice the "fence".

    Left to right,Marshy (hard to see. Black berkshire in litter box),Taffy (cream), Curley (rex berkshire), Silkin.(Pew)

    http://s76.photobucket.com/user/Blueroo22/med...eenshots/moca-rats-1.jpg.html?sort=6&o=71

  • Spoon
    +1

    I use Harlan Teklad blocks, the 2016 version since mine are all adults now.