Feeding your rat: how to nourish a true omnivore
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
Feeding a rat comes down to one key trait: it is an opportunistic omnivore, able to eat almost anything… and therefore to eat very badly if allowed to pick and choose. The ideal base: complete rat blocks (extruded pellets, 80 % of the ration) topped up every day with fresh vegetables and, occasionally, animal protein.
Contents · 5 sections
Why choose blocks over seed mixes?
Faced with a mix, a rat systematically picks out the fatty items (sunflower, corn) and leaves the rest: deficiencies and excess weight guaranteed. A complete block (Science Selective, Versele-Laga Complete type) delivers 12 to 16 % protein and little fat in every bite. Expect 6 to 12 € per kilo, i.e. around 10 to 15 € per month for a duo — housing remains the biggest expense, as explained in our guide what cage for a rat.
How much fresh food in the daily ration?
- Daily vegetables: courgette, cucumber, broccoli, endive, bell pepper, carrot in small amounts.
- Fruit 2 to 3 times a week: apple, pear, banana, diced (sugar!).
- Animal protein 1 to 2 times a week: hard-boiled egg, plain cooked chicken breast, mealworms.
- Occasional cooked starches: pasta or rice, as a treat.
Which foods are forbidden for rats?
Citrus fruit for males (kidney risk), avocado, chocolate, onion, leek, raw potato, sugary drinks and anything mouldy. Watch out too for salty, fatty table scraps: obesity is the number one reason this species ends up at the exotics vet. Regular weight monitoring, detailed in our guide to scales and weight tracking, lets you adjust the ration.
How should you serve the food?
Scatter some of the blocks in the bedding or hide them in foraging toys: rats love hunting for their food, and it makes excellent enrichment. Serve fresh food in the evening, at their activity peak, and remove leftovers in the morning. All our comparisons are in the rodent food category.
Frequently asked questions
How many blocks per day?
Roughly 5 g per 100 g of body weight, i.e. 15 to 25 g per adult rat, adjusted to body condition and activity.
Can rats eat cheese?
Contrary to the cliché, cheese is too fatty and too salty; a tiny piece of fresh cheese now and then is tolerated, nothing more.
Is a vitamin supplement needed?
Not if the base is a quality complete block with daily fresh food. Supplements are only justified on prescription from an exotics vet.
See it in the Planète Pets shop: Natural loofah chew carrot for rabbits and rodents, 20 cm (€17.90) · the whole shop
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Rodents universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.
