Feeding your rats a healthy diet is one of the most important actions you can take to promote health and longevity. As with all animals, pet rats have different age and gender-related nutritional requirements. From my experience and research, I believe the best diet for pet rats includes rat lab blocks (or kibble) along with organic grains, fresh vegetables and fruits…and don’t forget the Green Mush.
Finding the optimum diet for all animals, leaves us with a myriad of choices and many conflicting opinions. I recommend you do some research on your own so you can make an educated decision that feels right for you and your rats.
For more in-depth information on pet rat diets, click on the links below:
Hi! I have been researching getting my pet rats, and this site has helped me a lot, a lot of the comments seem old so I’m not sure if you’re going to see this or not but if you do I have a few questions! so I a looking into pellet food. I think I’m going to use the Oxbow Essentials food. I was wondering how much you feed the rats? I saw on a part of the page it says to keep them available throughout the day, how much should be available per rat? I plan on getting 3 rats most likely.
Also, I was wondering about the other parts of the diet. I plan on supplementing green mush as recommended and fresh fruits/veggies and other safe snacks, and I saw on the A Typical Day’s Diet page that the rats are fed breakfast and dinner, is that necessary? do they have to be fed twice a day or could I only feed at night? I’m a high school student and wake up early in the mornings for classes so I am trying to figure that out.
Thank you so much!
Hi Eloise,
I love that you’re doing such great research before getting your pet rats!
When looking at what quantity to feed my rats, I figure this out through trial and error. For example, if I have 2 new baby rats, I leave out a total of 6 pieces of food in the morning. (That gives them 3 pieces each to last through the day.) When I’m cleaning their cage that evening, if I find all the food has been eaten, then I know this is a sufficient amount for them. That means I’ll leave 6 pieces of food in their cage both morning and evening.
After giving them this amount for awhile, you may find they’re acting super hungry—like they haven’t gotten enough to eat—then you’ll know you need to adjust and give them a little more. If you find they’re never acting hungry AND they’re gaining too much weight, then you’ll know to cut back. I know this isn’t a very scientific way of answering your question. However, I think each rat has their own caloric requirements that don’t necessarily fit into a set formula. Because of this, I prefer to figure out their quantity of food by trial and error.
Yes, you could choose to only feed one meal of non-kibble food at night. The important thing is to give them high quality food and to vary what you feed them. Also, make sure in the beginning to introduce their non-kibble diet gradually. If you don’t, they may get diarrhea especially if you give them too many vegetables at once.
I hope my answers are helpful for you. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need any clarification or have any further questions.
I’m so excited for you! You’re going to love having pet rats.
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hi I got two pet rats,Moon and Sun. I have them on a food I made myself.Expect to hear from me a lot i’m new to the rat world. So I just want to know if this diet is good for them and if they can stay on it forever. Please be honest I will go to the Moon and Sun for-snickers at the pun* Moon and Sun.
The ingredients are, uncooked three color rotini,cheerios,mini wheats,rice krispie cereal,lightly salted veggie chips,dry blueberries,raspberries,and cranberries.
I also throw in fresh strawberries and blueberries every other day.
ALSO is timothy hay okay for rats? ALSO ALSO, is trail mix okay for them (without m&m’s)?
Hi Chloe,
CongRATulations on the new members of your family!
I have a couple of pages that go over the best diets for pet rats. I believe you’ll find all the information you need on these pages:
Commercial Diets
Variety in Your Pet Rats’ Diet
Variety & Supplements
A Typical Day’s Diet
There are plenty of people who feed their rats the diet you made for them yourself. I don’t think it’s as healthy as the other options listed in the above page links, though.
Timothy hay is not good for rats. Timothy hay in particular won’t harm your rats but hay is difficult for them to digest.
Trail mix is very high in fats. Rats can easily become overweight. I would not recomment feeding trail mix.
You’re doing a fantastic job of researching how to take optimal care of your rats. I’m very impressed!
I hope these responses are helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Best Wishes to You, Sun & Moon,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I won’t be able to get ahold of any green mush as I’m in the uk, are there any other websites it’s on or a substitutes? (also I’m saying won’t because I haven’t got any rats yet I’m just making sure I can provide everything that’s needed and I can prepare everything so I can get them in the summer).
Hi Ann,
Yes, you can buy Green Mush in the UK from iHerb using this link. (Please note that this is an affiliate link. This means About Pet Rats receives a very small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps support this website and my ability to answer pet rat care questions.)
I’m so impressed by all you’re doing to get ready for your rats. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions any time.
Take Care,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hello, I am new to this site but not new to having rats. I love my boys, I have 2, Nugget and Dash who are hooded black and white rats. They are brothers. I feed them exactly the same thing in the same amount, yet my Nugget is obese and My Dash is much thinner. Does Nugget just have slow metabolism maybe? And what to do? Also they need more exercise in general/ both do, but I am in a tiny apt with no spare room or place for rat proof room. Should I get them a dog playpen fence? My boys are older now, 1 1/2 years, not babies, but still sometimes hyper. Thanks
Hi Alanna,
Have you tried a wheel yet for Nugget and Dash? The best wheel, in my opinion, is the Wobust Wodent Wheel. Not every rat enjoys using a wheel, but some absolutely love it. My very first rat, Bruce, would get on his wheel specifically to see if I was nearby since I always said “Good!” whenever he started exercising on his wheel.
Saucers are also good for exercise although they are a lot more expensive than Wodent Wheels. The traditional wheels with horizontal wires are not a good idea to use as they can cause injuries. (Rats’ feet can get caught inside the rungs and become twisted. In addition, their heads can get caught inside the “hub” of the turning wheel which is extremely dangerous.)
Some people think wheels can cause spinal damage due to the amount of curvature needed in a rat’s spine to fit inside the wheel. This is why I advocate using the largest wheel possible, the WOBUST Wodent Wheel.
Bathrooms are fantastic playrooms for pet rats. Do you have a bathroom you can use for Nugget and Dash? A table top or a bed can also be fun places in which to play.
Regarding the differences in their weights, have you taken them in recently for an exam by a veterinarian experienced with pet rats? That’s where I’d start with addressing this issue.
Other than that, Dash could possibly have a faster metabolism. You can try leaving less food inside their cage and feed them meals morning and evening outside of their cage. This way Dash’s meals can be heartier than Nugget’s, without them being able to compare or fight over their meals.
I hope at least some of these ideas are helpful for you, Nugget and Dash. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any additional questions.
Best Wishes to You, Dash & Nugget,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats