Rats are curious and intelligent creatures, so they’re usually very good at working out which foods are good and which are bad for them. With a keen sense of smell and a discerning palette, rats will often make a beeline for the foods they like the most and avoid what they don’t. But what are…
We all love treating our rats, and our rats love the interest and variety a yummy treat brings. However, it’s important treats are healthy for our pets, and a good way to do that is to make them ourselves. I mostly use bits and bobs of human foods as treats – a nut in a…
Rats can eat a wide variety of animal and plant-based foods. That’s the main reason they’re so successful as a species. They easily adjust to their environment and can survive on all kinds of foods – be it berries and seeds from the woods or trash from the dumpster. But even though they can eat…
When pet owners think about what to feed to their pets, chocolate is a food that is divisive and it can be difficult to find the truth about whether it’s good for them or not. So, Can Your Pet Rats Eat Chocolate? The answer in yes, but in small amounts. Chocolate isn’t toxic to rats…
One of the downsides to keeping pet rats is that they are prone to illness. Although it is possible to breed against a lot of rat health problems, this requires expertise, effort, and careful record-keeping. That generally doesn’t happen where rats are being bred en-masse for sale. As a result, many rat owners will see…
Today, we’re going to look at the sadder side of pet rat ownership – figuring out when they are sick. Unfortunately, one of the downsides to keeping pet rats is that they are prone to illness. Another is that their lifespans are quite short – generally only two to three years. That means knowing the…
One of the reasons why rats have taken over the world is that they are flexible about what they eat. The good news is that this makes them easy pets to feed, although just like humans, it’s still important that they eat a good healthy diet. Like many rat owners, I prefer to feed my…
In a previous post I talked about how I feed my rats. That covers their everyday food, and how I make sure they get a balanced diet. However, one thing I didn’t talk about is treats. Rats love food. It’s a source not only of calories and nutrients, but also fun and interest. Used creatively…
Yesterday’s meals included home-made muesli, loads of fresh veggies and baked chicken wings. That was the rats’ food. I dined on left-over Chinese takeaway. As my mother is prone to pointing out, the rats eat better than I do. Rats, just like humans, are naturally omnivores. Unlike ferrets (strict carnivores) or guinea pigs and rabbits…