Food Do's and Dont's

[SQ]

Many people give a few cheerios as a treat, however they contain GMOs and have been found to contain pesticides. Cheerios have been found to contain geophosphate. Geophosphate causes cancer.

I prefer to give a few organic (natures path) kumut puffs (also a breakfast cereal) because they do not contain GMOs, have not been found to contain pesticides, and have no additives

Please see the other info in Reference Thread regarding diet and nutrition

 

[jorats]

can they have cheerios? like as a treat or put a bit in for their diet

As a treat, it should be fine but not part of their diet. It's too much sugar and processed food.

 

[Tiffany&Lauren]

can you feed a rat pineapple

 

[Tiffany&Lauren]

can rats eat oranges

 

[Rats_are_cool!]

i have been having probloms finding big pellet rat foods because for oxbow they do these tiny triangles that do not really work at all so i am currently on Mazuri rat food

 

[Jeremy]

can you feed a rat pineapple

Yes you can, but be wary as it contains a lot of sugar, so offer it only in extreme moderation. As sugar provides a jolt of energy, if your rat isn't highly active to "spend" that energy, then it will wind up stored as fat. I've never yet met a domestic rat quite active enough to remain healthy on a sugar-laden diet.

Take a look at this site for some great details on fruit and veg for your pet rats (it is my goto whenever I'm unsure):

http://www.isamurats.co.uk/vegetables-and-fruits.html

 

[Jeremy]

can rats eat oranges

Yes, if the rats are female. No, otherwise.

Citrus is dangerous for male rats. Your girls will be fine, but giving the boys citrus will massively increase their risk of suffering kidney tumors and, of course, death. The problem ingredient is "D-Limonene" in oranges, lemons, limes, and so on. Keep all of them away from your male rats, but feel free to offer citrus to your girls, although it is recommended to keep it in moderation as citrus is loaded with sugar and can very easily trigger morbidity in pet rats, particularly when they get past their first year.

Also, as an aside, D-Limonene is the basis for "orange-based" cleaning products such as "orange power" and other similarly named products. Citrus cleaners are GREAT for cleaning especially the goo that comes off sticky labels and removing grease from ovens, etc, but it is also lethal for your male rats for the same reason as stated above. So, if you must use such cleaning products in areas your male rats will encounter, as part of your cleaning cycle be sure to saturate the area with extra water to remove any excess product the rat might accidentally ingest, especially if they groom it off their fur after contact.

Here's some scientific details on the problem: Risk assessment of d-limonene: an example of male rat-specific renal tumorigens - PubMed

 

[SqueakingJellybean]

Here's an article on dispelling the "rats can't have citrus" thing.

The author, Rachel Greenfield, says, "...the claim is false in a practical sense, but is based on real data that has been misinterpreted."

 

[Ratsarebeautiful8]

For a second I thought that meant you could give male rats citrus and I was freaked because I was sure that I couldn’t and now I know for sure that I can’t Thankyou for dispelling the myth and showing the truth

 

[SqueakingJellybean]

For a second I thought that meant you could give male rats citrus and I was freaked because I was sure that I couldn’t and now I know for sure that I can’t Thankyou for dispelling the myth and showing the truth

That’s pretty much the opposite of what the article said.

”So, what do we know? There is evidence, (very poor quality evidence in my opinion), that high quantities of D-limonene given daily is linked to kidney issues in male rats. … Rats cannot physically drink enough orange juice per day to consume a significant amount of D-limonene. As for oranges, unless your rat is eating large amounts of straight orange peel (in which case I would be taking them to the vet for a discussion about pica), there's really no danger in your rat having a bite of your fruit salad, a lick of your orange juice, or stealing a bit of a choc orange.”

A tiny bit of orange once or twice in their lives, especially if you wash the oils off it after peeling, is not going to kill them. As a very occasional treat, it’s fine. Ultimately, if you don’t feel comfortable giving it to them, don’t. I haven’t for 20 years. Our current bunch got a tiny bit today, well washed after peeling. They’re not nuts about it, so I probably won’t give it to them again.

 

[Ratsarebeautiful8]

Mine are all male .

 

[jorats]

For males to be affected by d-limonene, they would need to eat so much of orange peel... that will never happen. Don't worry about giving them oranges once in a while.

 

[Miss Marshall]

Does anyone feed their ratties yoplait yogurt?

Yes. But but these mass manufactured foods have preservatives and other cancer causing additives. I would recommend keeping it vegan for your babies and for yourself. Mama cows will thank you- too. p.s. Don’t let the “vegan” word discourage you. Take baby steps.