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Pet Info Packets :: Rats :: Feeding

Feeding

Diet is a very important factor in the care of all animals. Here I will talk about some of the better rat diets I have come across. Most pet store rat foods are nutritionally inappropriate. Many are nothing more than repackaged hamster food, which certainly isn't fit for rats. Not only this but many commercial pet foods have unhealthy preservatives, dyes, and fillers added. Here I will talk about the top three commercial diets I have come across (most of which still aren't very good mind you), a specialized lab block, and a homemade diet.

Note: Information on these diets was found online.


Commercial Diets:

Regal Rat:

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Recommended for: Adult Rats (Can probably be made suitable for younger rats with the addition of a little bit of high quality, low protein and fat dog food like Natural Balance Reduced Calorie Formula.)

Regal Rat is put out by the Oxbow company. This company is well known for their excellent guinea pig and rabbit diets. The food is in the form of heart shaped kibble.


Guaranteed Analysis:

  • Crude Protein min 14.00%
  • Crude Fat min 4.00%
  • Crude Fiber max 7.50%
  • Calcium max 1.20%
  • Corn free
  • Low in fat
  • Optimum fiber level
  • Preserved with natural antioxidants
  • Complete nutrition in every bite
  • Eliminates selective feeding

Ingredients:

Whole Brown Rice, Oat Groats, Wheat Bran, Wheat, Soybean Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Soybean Hulls, Monocalcium Phosphate, Flax Seed Meal, (Linseed), Brewers Yeast, Calcium Carbonate, Wheat Germ Meal, Methionine DL, Salt, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (tocopherol), Vitamin C Supplement (Ascorbic Acid), Colloidal Silica, Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Magnesium Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Manganese Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Mineral Oil, Calcium Iodate, Potassium Chloride, Natural Flavorings


Notes: I have never found this in stores personally though I've seen it available online in many places. They may have it at my local Discount Pet Supplies seeing as they have Oxbow's guinea pig and rabbit diets there. Oxbow's website has a store locator that can be utilized to find the store closest to you that supplies their products.

This diet is known to be the best of the commercial diets available. It can be a bit pricey for multiple rats but the ingredients are fairly high quality ingredients (better than the one's used in Harlan Teklad lab blocks) and the diet is nutritionally sound. There is, however, some debate and concerns about this food. The first concern some have had would be the possibility of mercury contamination from the fish meal.

Another concern with the fish meal ingredient is that according to US Coast Guard regulations, any and all fish meal not destined for human consumption is required to be preserved with Ethoxyquin. The only exception being if the manufacturer has a special permit. Ethoxyquin is a preservative that is banned from use in human foods (other than small amounts in a few spices) due to being linked to health problems. One might point out that Ethoxyquin is not included in the list of ingredients, however the manufacturers are not required to include an ingredient they did not place in the product themselves (something that was put in the food by the suppliers they got the product from doesn't need to be included in the ingredients list). Thus it is still possible that there is Ethoxyquin in this food.

A third concern is the use of Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Synthetic Vitamin K). This ingredient is a form of synthetic Vitamin K that has been linked to several health issues.

And lastly, there have been some complaints of low palatability (rats not eating the food) and unhealthy weight loss. Some people have no problem with this but others have experienced these two difficulties.


ADDITIONAL NOTE: I've brought up these concerns to Oxbow and am pleased to say that the company has been extremely open about it. It would seem that a revamping of the diet is in the works. A lot of issues with the diet are being addressed and the target date for the reformulated diet's release is early 2009.




Reggie Rat:

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Reggie Rat is put out by the company Supreme Petfoods. This diet is a mix/seed diet.


Guaranteed Analysis:

  • Crude Protein min 12.5%
  • Crude Fat min 3%
  • Crude Fiber min 6%
    • Crude Fiber max 8%
  • Moisture max 10%
  • Calcium min 0.3%
  • Calcium max 1%
  • Phosphorus min 0.3%
  • Salt min 0.4%
  • Salt max 0.9%
  • Vitamin A 10,000 iu/kg
  • Includes natural prebiotics to promote healthy gut function
  • Low fibre levels more appropriate to rodents' nutritional needs
  • No nuts and low seed content to avoid skin and coat problems
  • Contains chicken as a low fat source of protein

Ingredients:

Ground wheat, toasted wheat, corn, flaked corn, whole oats, dehydrated alfalfa pellets, flaked field peas, flaked beans, dehulled soybean meal, straw pellets, oat middlings, soybean oil, wheat middlings, limestone, linseed oil, dicalcium phosphate, ferrous sulfate, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, manganous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, vitamin A supplement, dicalcium pantothenate, FD&C red 40, nicotinic acid, menadione sodium bisulfite (source of vitamin K), biotin, FD&C yellow 6, FD&C yellow 5, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, thiamin hydrochloride, selenium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), folic acid, FD&C blue 1, cobalt sulfate, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), calcium iodate.


Notes: This diet can normally be found at PetSmart and Petco. While it's commonly considered the "best" of the mix or seed type diets for rats, it's still not something most knowledgeable rat owners would feed (mix/seed type diets are not recommended in general). It is full of ingredients that are inappropriate for rats (rats have difficulty properly digesting alfalfa), as well as dyes (some of which have been linked to health problems), dried corn (not recommended for it's tendency to harbor dangerous molds and fungal toxins as well as being difficult to digest, while a little bit of fresh corn is fine to feed occasionally), and also contains Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Synthetic Vitamin K). I do not recommend this diet.




Mazuri Rat And Mouse Diet:

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This food is put out, obviously, by Mazuri. Mazuri seems to put out some pretty good/decent diets for some animals and some really crappy ones for others (I know that their chinchilla diet is said to be a very good diet). This diet consists of lab blocks.


Guaranteed Analysis:

  • Crude Protein not less than 23.0%
  • Crude Fat not less than 6.5%
  • Crude Fiber not more than 4.0%
    • Ash not more than 8.0%

Ingredients:

Dehulled soybean meal, ground corn, ground wheat, wheat middlings, soybean oil, cane molasses, fish meal, ground oats, porcine meat meal, dehydrated alfalfa meal, dried beet pulp, wheat germ, brewers dried yeast, calcium carbonate, salt, dried whey, dicalcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium propionate (a preservative), ground soybean hulls, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (vitamin K), animal fat preserved with BHA, choline chloride, corn gluten meal, dried yucca shidigera extract, DL-methionine, cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), vitamin A acetate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, d-alpha tocopheryl acetate (natural source vitamin E), thiamin mononitrate, folic acid, nicotinic acid, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), manganous oxide, zinc oxide, ferrous carbonate, copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate.


Notes: I know for sure PetSmart has this diet. Mazuri lab blocks are considered the best of the lab block type commercial diets. That said Mazuri contains a lot of dried corn (not recommended for it's tendency to harbor dangerous molds and fungal toxins as well as being difficult to digest, while a little bit of fresh corn is fine to feed occasionally), fish meal (fish type not specified, some fish contain more mercury than others & see Regal Rat for the possibility of Ethoxyquin being included in fish meals), alfalfa (not easily digested by rats), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Synthetic Vitamin K), and animal fat preserved with BHA (animal fat type not specified and it is preserved with BHA which is suspected of being a carcinogenic). The protein percentage is also extremely high at 23%. Studies have shown that rats do best and stay healthiest at lower protein percentages. Even 18% percent protein is usually only used for pregnant and nursing moms or babies. I do not recommend this diet.

Please note that there are also three "Rodent Breeder" diets and a "Rodent Pellet" diet put out by Mazuri. Some of the other diets have more suitable protein percentages. These other diets are not found in PetSmart and their ingredients are still very subpar. I do not recommend any of Mazuri's rat/rodent diets.





Specialized Diets:

Harlan Teklad lab blocks are a specialized lab block used by research laboratories. These blocks are not easily accessible to the public, for instance you can not just walk into a store and buy them. You won't find them. What some people do is buy in bulk (and I do mean bulk) and then split them between a large group of people. Some people sell their share online. And THIS is how you get Harlan Teklad lab blocks. You order online! These lab blocks are very well known as being the best rat lab block out there. There are a few formulas which you may choose from. The 2014 formula (meaning it's protein content is 14%), the 2016 formula (meaning it's protein content is 16%), and the 2018 formula (meaning it's protein content is 18%).

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Harlan Teklad 2014:

Complete nutritionally balanced lab block. The #2014 formula contains 14% protein and 3.5% fat. This is the best of Harlan Teklad's diets to feed as an overall maintenance diet to adult rats. Contains no animal protein, fish meal, or alfalfa (difficult for rats to digest).

Ingredients:

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.



Harlan Teklad 2016:

Complete nutritionally balanced lab block. The #2016 formula is a nice in between for those wary of feeding low protein and contains 16% protein and 3.5% fat. This formula can be used as a higher protein overall maintenance diet for adult rats or it can be used for younger rats. Contains no animal protein, fish meal, or alfalfa (difficult for rats to digest).

Ingredients:

Ground wheat, ground corn, wheat middlings, corn gluten meal, calcium carbonate, soybean oil, 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 2018:

Complete nutritionally balanced lab block. The #2018 formula contains 18% protein and 5% fat. This lab block is high in protein and fat and best for very young rats and pregnant or nursing mothers. Contains no animal protein, fish meal, or alfalfa (difficult for rats to digest).

Ingredients:

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.


Notes: It should be noted that while Harlan Teklad lab blocks are known to be the best lab blocks available, there is still controversy surrounding them. Many people have begun to point out the fact that the ingredients used in these blocks are not very high quality. There is plenty of dried corn in them for instance (not recommended for it's tendency to harbor dangerous molds and fungal toxins as well as being difficult to digest, while a little bit of fresh corn is fine to feed occasionally). There is also Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Synthetic Vitamin K) in them. While these blocks are certainly nutritionally complete, the ingredients used are subpar. One should keep this in mind before deciding to feed these blocks. Another thing to keep in mind is that these blocks are vegetarian. Considering that rats are omnivores by nature it would be best to supplement this staple with the occasional animal based protein (chicken, eggs, fish etc.)





Homemade Diets

Suebee's Mix:

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(Pictured is just the grain mix itself without the dog food)

"Many people choose to use a high quality lab block, such as Harlan Teklad, instead of the dog food, and I highly endorse this. A high quality lab block, if you have access, is always recommended." -- Suebee

Suebee's Mix is a homemade diet formulated by a girl who goes by the name of Suebee. This diet consists of a high quality, low protein and fat dog food or a high quality lab block as the staple in conjunction with a grain mix. To learn more about her diet visit her webpage. At the bottom of her webpage is a link to another person's homemade diet for those in the UK.


Ingredients:

Innova Senior dog food (or high quality lab block), dry rolled oats, puffed wheat cereal, puffed rice cereal, Total Cereal, roasted unsalted soy nuts, dried fruits, dry pasta, sunflower seeds


Notes: Suebee's mix is very easy to make, tends to last long, and more often than not is cheaper in the long run. Innova Senior dog food and Wellness Weight Management Super5Mix dog food are the most commonly used dog foods in the mix. It is important to remember the "lite/weight management" and "senior" versions of these dog foods to ensure one is not feeding too much protein (please note that the newer Innova Senior Plus as well as Innova Large Breed Senior are both far too high in protein and fat to be used in this diet. The older Innova Senior is still marketed even though it is not listed on Innova's website.) That said, Suebee herself has stated that this diet in conjunction with dog food is not really complete and is only offered as an option for those who don't have access to Harlan Teklad (though some feed the grain mix in conjunction with the lab block) and wish to avoid commercial foods which often contain chemical preservatives, dyes, and inappropriate ingredients.

Like with most rat diets there is some controversy over Suebee's. There have been some complaints of the diet causing overweight rats. People have also pointed out that as omnivores (much like us) the dog food used in the diet may contain too much animal protein to be feeding to rats. Some have begun to use vegetarian dog food (created for dogs highly allergic to meat proteins) instead and I feel this is fine so long as meat protein is still given occasionally in the form of a little bit of non-vegetarian dog food or cooked meat. There are some concerns about whether the Total Cereal is providing too much of some vitamins and minerals and not enough of others (while rat nutritional needs are similar to a humans there are some vitamins and minerals that rats need more of than us). Another thing to point out is that the Total Cereal used in the diet to provide important vitamins and minerals is also preserved with BHT. BHT is banned from human use in many countries but still permissible in the US. It has been cited as possibly being carcinogenic.

Some people will tweak this diet a bit and form their own version of it, either because they can't find all of the ingredients or because they have their own ideas on what should be in it for it to be a complete and healthy diet.

After doing some research and looking around I've compiled a few of what I believe to be the best high quality dog foods to use in conjunction with this mix (including some vegetarian dog foods). All are the "lite/weight management", "senior", or "vegetarian" versions. I contacted the companies and got as much information as I could on the protein and fat percentages (the minimum and maximum values) and the foods will be listed in order of how suitable they are based on those percentages (please note that even in the most suitable dog food listed the percentages are still higher than what is recommended for adult, non-breeding rats).


Regular Dog Food:

Natural Balance Reduced Calorie Formula: (When asked Natural Balance provided me with the average maximum values.)

Protein: Not less than 16.5%, Not more than 18.50%
Fat: Not less than 6.0%, Not more than 8.00%


Wellness Super5Mix Healthy Weight Dog Food: (When asked for the maximum value on protein Wellness informed me that the "as fed" was 18%.)

Protein: Not less than 17%, Not more than ? (The "as fed" is 18%)
Fat: Not less than 6.0%, Not more than 10.0%


Innova Senior (not Plus or Large Breed!) or Reduced Fat Adult: (When asked for the maximum values Innova informed me that these were the actual percentages.)

Protein: Not less than 18%
Fat: Not less than 8%


Solid Gold Holistique Blendz Adult Dog: (When asked for the maximum values Solid Gold informed me that they are generally no more than 2-3% higher than the minimum at most.)

Protein: Not less than 18%, Not likely to be more than 21%
Fat: Not less than 6%, Not likely to be more than 9%




Vegetarian Dog Food:

PetGuard Organics Adult Dry Dog Food: (When asked for the maximum values PetGuard informed me that by regulation, the maximums can be no more than 15%.)

Protein: Not less than 16.0%
Fat: Not less than 9.0%


Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula: (When asked Natural Balance provided me with the average maximum values.)

Protein: Not less than 18.0%, Not more than 20.0%
Fat: Not less than 8.0%, Not more than 10.0%



Please note that I feel that if one is using a high quality dog food as the staple, the Total Cereal is important to have in addition because the dog foods do not have enough of certain vitamins and minerals that rats need (the dog food is NOT nutritionally adequate alone, you MUST use the grain mix including the Total Cereal in conjunction.) If using Harlan Teklad as the base the Total Cereal can probably be omitted since the staple food is nutritionally complete for rats and contains the proper vitamin and mineral levels. I have yet to find or hear of a cereal that does not use BHT as a preservative (or any other chemical preservatives) and is appropriate vitamin and mineral wise for the mix to take Total Cereal's place unfortunately.

If using a vegetarian dog food please remember that rats are omnivores and that it is important to occasionally provide meat protein in the diet (chicken, fish, eggs etc.)




Amount to Feed

There is some debate on how much to feed rats. Some people will free feed whatever diet they choose, while others will restrict food and feed only a certain amount a day or certain amounts of different things at different points in a day. The downside to free feeding is that rats seem prone to becoming overweight due to overeating. On the other hand, some say free feeding is best because of the rats fast metabolism and that they should just receive plenty of out of cage time and exercise. It is generally up to the rat owner to decide which they feel is best for their own rats.




Fruits & Veggies

Fresh foods in the form of fruits and vegetables are a very important part of any diet you choose for your rats. Vegetables should generally be given daily while fruits might be limited to a few times a week since they are high in sugar. Both can have a lot of nutrients like vitamins and minerals to add to a diet. Some good vegetables to feed would be romaine lettuce (not iceburg!), peas, corn (occasionally), squash (butternut, acorn, orangetti, spaghetti), broccoli, kale, carrots, bok choy, parsley, bell peppers (red, yellow, orange), sweet potato (cooked, not raw!), cilantro, and dandelion greens. Some good fruits to feed would be blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, bananas, apples, and pears. It's generally best to go with organic fruits and veggies so as to avoid pesticides.




Water

Fresh water is something that should always be available to your rats. A fresh bottle of water should be given daily and care should be taken to keep the water bottle clean so that bacteria does not grow in it (in other words, clean it frequently!).

Tap water is generally not recommended because of it's impurities (fluoride and chlorine, which are added to tap water often, are no good for people let alone our rats!) A water filter will remove most impurities but will not remove fluoride from the water. Bottled water works well but the brand should be chosen carefully as some is nothing more than bottled tap water. I personally find bottled spring water to be the best choice. Always look into the brand and company and ask them questions if you're concerned. Determine whether fluoride or any other substances are added to the water by human means. There is also the option of distilled water but there is still a lot of controversy over whether this is the healthiest choice or actually detrimental to health.

There is some debate over whether a bottle or bowl is best for providing water. On one hand, some feel it's unnatural for rats to drink from a bottle and that it may be uncomfortable for them. On another, bowls often spill (wet bedding is no good) or become dirty fast and need to be cleaned and refilled very frequently. It's basically a matter of preference to the owner at this point. Some people even provide both so the rats have a choice. Whatever you do, make sure your rat always has fresh, clean, drinking water.




Good Treats, Chews, and Supplementations

Some great healthy treats and supplementations to your rats diet would be wheatgrass, eggs (put them in the blender with the shell and then scramble them, the shell is a great source of calcium), cooked meat and fish, unsalted pumpkin seeds, nuts in the shell (walnuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, brazil nuts, pecans, hazelnuts), store bought insects (mealworms, crickets), avocado (take only the middle meat furthest from both the pit and the rind as both contain toxins), flax seeds (or flax seed oil on something like bread or drizzled on veggies), and small pieces of bread soaked in olive oil (excellent for skin and coat health). These all have nutritional benefits but should only be given as an occasional thing/treat as they can be high in fat and protein among other things. Here are some commercial treat and chew ideas (note that none of these really have much in the way of nutritional benefits and some of them are rather high in sugar, protein, and/or fat. They should be given less often than the above mentioned healthy treats.):




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A good treat that can be found in PetSmart or Petco, and many other pet stores would be Nylabone Healthy Edibles. Yes, they are for dogs but if you get them in petite size your rats will thank you very much!




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Another great treat would be Yogies. Yogies are yogurt drops for small animals put out by the company 8 in 1 (though there are other yogurt treats by other companies). There are kinds for rabbits, ferrets, and rats/gerbils/hamsters. They're all the same but the ones for rats and ferrets are actually rat and ferret sized where as the rabbit ones are huge so I'd recommend getting the rat and ferret sized ones. The rat and ferret sized ones come in four flavors: Cheese, Fruit, Peanut Butter, and Banana Raisin. It says on the back of the container that you can feed up to twelve a day but I would not recommend this as they are quite fattening. You can use their favorite flavor for training! They can be found in most pet stores including PetSmart and Petco.



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Yet another wonderful treat would be Toob Snax. Rats go crazy for them! They aren't specifically for rats but your rats will love them too. There is the cheese flavor for gerbils and hamsters, the berry flavor for rabbits and guinea pigs, the banana/raisin flavor for ferrets, and the strawberry/vanilla flavor for ferrets. They come in toothpaste like tubes which you squeeze the flavored paste out of.





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And yet another tasty treat would be Greenies. These are another dog chew treat and I've found that rats go crazy over them. They are green (duh), and shaped like toothbrushes. They come in quite a few sizes, your best bet for rats would be Petite (pretty small), Teenie (really small), or Lil' Bits (exactly how it sounds, little tiny pieces of Greenies perfect for small pets). Greenies can be found in many pet stores including PetSmart and Petco.





Conclusion:

These are only some of the better diets available to you and your pet. Please note that while I tried to break down the "bad" ingredients in the diets I don't recommend (and point out any in the better diets as well) I might not have hit on all of them. I mainly just made sure to at least point out the ones that had the most potential to be harmful to our pets. Always remember to provide fresh fruits and veggies with any diet you choose.