What can and cannot be given to rats

It is very important for rat owners to know what to feed their pets. Of course, in pet stores you can find food for complete nutrition of a rodent. However, sometimes it is worth pampering your pet with a variety of foods. In this case, you will need to research all available information to ensure that the food is suitable for your rat.

In this article, we will look at different categories of products and their safety for rodents. If the food you are interested in is not on this list, look online for more information. Always check food is safe for your pet before feeding. You cannot know if a food is toxic or poisonous to a rat.

Prohibited Products

For the most part, rats can be given regular food, but there are exceptions:

Dry peanuts or beans - they contain substances that eliminate the beneficial properties of enzymes and vitamin A necessary for the body to process protein and starch, and can also cause blood cells to stick together;
Green bananas - destroy enzymes responsible for the absorption of starch;
Potato eyes and skins contain solanine, known for its toxic properties;
Raw tofu – it contains many bacteria that are not found in cooked tofu;
Orange juice - not suitable for consumption only by males, can weaken the kidneys;
Apple seeds - they contain a low concentration of cyanide, which is dangerous for pets;
Artichoke – inhibits protein processing in the rat's body;
Beans - destroys enzymes and vitamin A;
Beet tops - can cause ailments of the urinary system and provoke the formation of stones in the kidneys and bladder due to the large amount of oxalates;
Chocolate – contains too much sugar.
Read also: How to make it easier for a budgerigar to adapt at home after purchase

Which bread is better for a rat: white or whole grain?

The main difference between white and whole grain bread is that the white variety is made from refined grains. Cleaned grains go through a process where they remove certain parts of the grain. Due to this process, quite a lot of fiber and some nutrients are lost.

Whole wheat flour contains much more manganese, selenium and fiber. It's also lower in sodium, which is good because rats don't need much sodium in their diet, and commercial diets already contain more sodium than they need.

For these reasons, it is much better to feed your rat whole grain bread rather than white bread.

Vegetables and greens

You can feed your rat the following vegetables and herbs:

Cabbage is the most common vegetable to feed to rodents, as it can be given every day;
Spinach – good for growing rat pups, give once a week;
Broccoli – improves overall health, recommended twice a week;
Cauliflower – pets love to eat this vegetable raw, feed it twice a week;
Asparagus – has a good preventative effect against anemia; you can feed it to your rat three times a week;
Carrots – contains many vitamins, often used for training;
Cucumber – you can take it with you on the way to the veterinarian instead of water.
Basil – give one or two leaves.

Most pet rats happily eat vegetables and greens raw. Cooking vegetables significantly reduces the concentration of micronutrients in them, so it is very important to add raw vegetables to your rodent's diet. But, if your rats specifically require boiled vegetables, then it would be better to remove this food from their diet completely.

English listening lesson on potatoes

POTATO LESSON

Try online quiz, reading, listening and grammar, spelling and vocabulary exercises for this lesson on Potatoes . Click on the links above or view the activities below this article:

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READ

Potatoes are very important in my life. In fact, they are more important on my plate. I love potatoes. These are amazing vegetables. I can't count how many different ways to cook potatoes. Potatoes can be fried, baked, mashed, boiled, stewed and much more. Potatoes can be eaten both hot and cold - in the summer I really love chilled potato salad. Potatoes are also prepared differently in different countries. Indian cuisine is great if you love potatoes. My favorite Indian potato dish is called aloo gobi, which is potatoes and cauliflower cooked with delicious spices. One day I'll have to find out how healthy potatoes are. I know fried potatoes are high in cholesterol, but not sure about boiled ones.

MY BOOK

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ACTIVITY

FILL IN THE GAP

Potatoes are very important in my life. Actually, it's more of a ______________________ dinner plate. I love potatoes. They ______________________. I can't count the number of ______________________ to cook potatoes. Potatoes can be ______________________, boiled, stewed, etc. You can also eat potatoes hot or cold - I ______________________ potato salad in the summer. Potatoes are also prepared differently in different countries. Indian cooking ______________________ potatoes. My favorite Indian potato dish is called aloo gobi - potatoes and cauliflower ______________________ spices. One day I will have to find out how healthy potatoes are. I know that fried potatoes are high in cholesterol, but I _______________________ potatoes.

CORRECT MISSING

Potatoes are very important in my life. In fact, they are more important on my plate. I love potatoes. This is vegetable ngiazam. I can't count how many different ways to cook potatoes. Potatoes can be fried, baked, cooked, boiled, stewed, etc. You can also eat potatoes hot or cold - I really like hcileld's potato salad at smuemr. Different countries have different ways of preparing potatoes. Indian cuisine is great if you love potatoes. My favorite Indian potato dish is called aloo gobi - potato and cauliflower ecookd in myumy pscsie . One day I will have to find out how healthy potatoes are. I know fried potatoes are high in cholesterol, but not sure about bdeoli potatoes.

UNDERSTAND THE WORDS

My potatoes are very important in life. Actually, on my plate they are more important, more important. I love potatoes. These are amazing vegetables. On the first day there cannot be different ways to cook potatoes. Potatoes can be fried, baked, mashed, boiled, stewed and much more. You can also eat potatoes hot or cold - in the summer I really love chilled potato salad. Potatoes are also prepared differently in different countries. Indian cuisine is great if you love potatoes. My favorite is an Indian potato dish called aloo gobi - and potatoes made with cauliflower with delicious spices. One day I will have to find out how healthy potatoes are. I know fried potatoes are cholesterol, but I'm not sure about boiled potatoes.

DISCUSSION (Write your questions)

STUDENT A'S QUESTIONS (Do not show these to Student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

STUDENT B QUESTIONS (Do not show these to Student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

SURVEY OF POTATO STUDENTS

Write five GOOD questions about potatoes on the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on their own piece of paper.

When you are finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

STUDENT 1 _____________ Read also: Amazing animals Capybaras are large rodents with an easy-going disposition	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
IN 1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
AT 4.
Q.5.

Now go back to your original partner, share and communicate what you learned. Change partners often.
Give mini-presentations to other groups about your findings.

LETTER

Write about potatoes in 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other's work.

______________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1.EXPANSION OF THE WORD:

Choose a few words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google search box (or other search engine) to create more associations/combinations of each word.

2. INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET:

Search the Internet for more information about potatoes. Discuss what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE:

Write a magazine article about potatoes. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. POTATO POSTER

Make a poster about potatoes. Show it to your classmates next lesson. Give each other feedback on your posters.

5. MY POTATO LESSON:

Make your own English lesson on potatoes. Make sure there is something to do. Find good things to do online. When finished, teach the class/another group.

6. EXCHANGE ON THE INTERNET:

Use your blog, wiki, Facebook page, MySpace page, Twitter thread, Del-icio-us/StumbleUpon account, or any other social media tool to get opinions on potatoes. Share your findings with the class.

ANSWERS

Check your answers in the article at the top of this page.

Nuts

Nuts are full of healthy fats, protein and fiber. They can be given to pets as a healthy treat. However, they should only be offered to rats in small quantities, as they contain too much fat. But the exception is chestnuts, which are low in fat and are considered the most suitable nut for rats.

We suggest adding several types of nuts to your pet's diet and alternating them - treating your rat to one of the types once a day. The following nuts are the best choices:

Walnuts;
Brazil nuts;
Almond;
Pecan;
Pistachios.

Chestnuts are the only type of nut that can be given in large quantities and combined with other nuts.

Cereals and grains

Grains and cereals contain large amounts of carbohydrates and vitamin E. The most affordable option for adding such food to a rat’s diet is to buy rodent food that contains a variety of grains mixed together. However, often the pet refuses specific grains, so it is easier to prepare a mixture based on the animal's preferences.

These cereals are suitable for rats:

Wheat;
Barley;
Oats;
Millet.

It is also worth adding grains to the mixture. Choose from the following types of seeds:

Linen;
Sunflower;
Pumpkin.

Before feeding, the seeds should be washed thoroughly. Seeds for rats can be germinated at home. A rodent should be given no more than 15 seeds per week.

What do rats eat in the wild?

Living in the wild, rats prefer to feast on:

seeds;
nuts;
root vegetables and fruits;
succulent stems of various crops;
bird eggs;
insects;
larvae;
worms;
freshwater shellfish;
fish fry.

To raise a healthy rat, you need to feed it properly.

Wild rodents can even hunt: they happily feed on toads, lizards, small species of birds and mammals. A similar diet prevails in the summer months. During the cold season, rodents move to live closer to people, feeding on grain stored in the barn and leftover human food.

Note! Rats that cannot find food for a long period of time can attack even a small pet.

Fruits and dried fruits

Fruits are very beneficial for rats. However, they contain sugar, so it is important not to overdo them. Preference should be given to berries, as they are filled with nutrients, but contain the least sucrose. But there are other fruits suitable for rats. Among them:

Apples are good for a rodent’s heart; they can be given no more than three times a week;
Bananas are easily digested by the rat’s body, give them dried, fresh and baked;
Plums - help rodents grow smooth fur, feed them three times a week;
Peaches - famous for their anti-inflammatory effect, a rat can be given half the fruit at a time;
Kiwi – helps prevent anemia and infections;
Cherries – support the pet’s brain function, remove the pits before feeding;
Grapes - can slow down aging, but contain a lot of sugar, so give in minimal quantities;
Pears – useful for weight loss in large rats;
Watermelon – can be given daily.

It is best to feed your pet rat fresh fruits and berries. Fruits that have been dried at home are also an excellent option. If you decide to purchase dried fruits in a store, check the sugar content on the packaging.

Criterias of choice

If you still want to treat your little rodent with a treat, you need to understand the right choice of fruit.

Mushrooms

If you use mushrooms that are edible to humans, they are also safe for rats. It is recommended to serve mushrooms cooked to kill any microbes that may be on them after processing.

Additionally, it is important to feed mushrooms to rats in moderation. A small amount of mushrooms will not harm your rat and can be a tasty and healthy snack. Mushrooms have also been shown to help prevent tumors and infections in rats, so it might be a good idea to give them as a treat occasionally.

But if you feed your rat a lot of mushrooms, it can cause many side effects. Excessive feeding of mushrooms can cause gas, diarrhea and some other digestive problems in your rat. For this reason, it is best to feed mushrooms to rats in moderation.

This will diversify your rat's diet and prevent many health problems.

Cheese and other dairy products

Dairy products and eggs can be added to a rat's diet. The pet is allowed to give quail eggs once a week. They must be hard-boiled first. Natural yogurt with a low fat content is also suitable as a treat for a rodent. However, make sure that no flavorings or other additives have been added to the product.

You should be especially careful with full-fat milk and cheese. It is recommended to give a very small amount of cheese. Also, the best type of cheese for rats is the one made from soy. Never feed blue cheese to your pet; it is toxic to pets. You can also supplement your rodent's diet with fish oil, which is very beneficial for small animals.

What to consider?

Although bread is not harmful to rats, you must be careful not to overfeed your rat. Bread is quite high in calories, so it is very easy to overfeed a rat with it.

If you are going to feed your pet rat bread, you should only give them a very small amount of bread on special occasions. Rats are small animals, and although a piece of bread may not seem like much to you, to a rat it is a huge amount of food. You should also make sure you don't put any oil on it before you give it to them. Butter is high in calories and will turn the already high calorie treat you are about to give them into an even bigger calorie bomb.

Additionally, you should make sure that your rat has a varied diet consisting mainly of kibble, fruits, and vegetables. Bread can be given as a special treat, but it should never make up the majority of their diet.

Also, don't worry about removing the crust. Rats have strong teeth and can eat the crust without any problems.

Source

Meat

Meat and fish are recognized as the main sources of protein. It is also very important to introduce hearts, kidneys, liver and tubular bones of birds into the diet of a domestic rat. Feed your pet only meat and fish that are not too fatty. The best feeding option is pre-boiled meat, cut into small pieces. Never give your animal high-temperature food; wait until the meat cools down. It is worth noting that frozen meat is not suitable for feeding rats. An excellent addition to a healthy rat diet would be low-fat broth without various spices and additives.

Special food

While shopping for standard food, you can also look for products specifically formulated for pet rats.

They are usually a food made from nutritious plant pellets. These loose seed mixtures can provide a balanced diet for your pet, but only if your rat eats the entire contents of the food. However, rodents often eat only the most delicious food and leave half of the food at the bottom of the bowl. Therefore, rat food in the form of a block is an excellent option. The pet will not be able to selectively eat a certain part of the food, and food will always be available to it.

What do you feed domestic rats: diet composition

A high-quality grain mixture is the basis of the diet of domestic rats. The easiest way is to choose ready-made high-quality food rather than making the mash yourself. Food is given ad libitum, without restrictions. An adult rat eats about 30 grams per day.

In addition to grain, the rat menu must include succulent food - vegetables or fruits, green salads. Protein complementary foods are also needed, especially for young animals during the growth period, pregnant or lactating females.

As a reward for training and just to pamper your pets, they use various seeds and nuts, unsweetened popcorn, banana chips and much more. Treats should make up a tiny part of the diet.

Why does it smell so good?

Domestic rats are fed something like this:

60% grain mixture (feed)
20% vegetables and unsweetened fruits, greens
10% protein food (meat, eggs)
5% fermented milk products
5% treats

Example of a diet for rats: dry food on the right, protein and succulent food on the left

Now let's take a closer look at each section.