Thank you so much, I've been researching on rats for two years and I still am. I asked my parents recently if I could have rats and they said yes! I'm getting rats in May, and I'm so excited! :)
Congratulations! I've also researched for a couple years and convinced my parents to let me get them :D I'm getting them in approximately a month or two
Congrats! My parents won’t let me have rats because my mum is scared of them 😂 I kinda understand why, but I think they’re sooo cute and smart!! Also my lil’ Shih Tzu dog called Lilly would try and eat them...
A good video. My fave strategy for treats is to go in the baby aisle at the supermarket. You can get good rice puffs, fruit bars, and cookies there with simple ingredients to check and very few additives or preservatives. Cheap too!
ChloesCrib Yes! But don’t give that to them often, treats can make them over weight, I feed mine mealworms! They love them and they are pretty good for them!
I always gave my rats, through generations, a homemade blend of grains, seeds, and nuts. To that I gave them fresh food daily, whatever was left over from dinner (usually veggies and a small portion of whatever meal I had, as long as it wasn't too spicy). Almost all lived quite healthy and long lives! The only one I lost earlier than expected was genetic (I suspected a brain issue as a sibling apparently experienced the same fate). I never had a rat with diarrhea... I would occasionally spoil them with a bit of pancake and such, maybe every other month. ...And I may have kept a list of their individual favourite foods so I'd give them a personalized menu sometimes...
EDIT: I forgot to add the timestamps for all the topics in the description, but they're there now! Big thank you to Ellie goodchild on instagram for coming through and sending me the clip of the science selective food so I could use it in this video! 💓
I’m really confused cause I use rat, mouse, and ferret food for my rats but that’s what all the rat owners use where I live? It would be great if you could give me some advice? Great video as always💜💋
@@imhakks That's very worrying that it's for all 3! Rats and Mice, at least have a similar diet as they are both omnivores, but Ferrets are obligate carnivores, and they need a LOT more protein in their diet than Rats and Mice. I'm not sure on the brand of food, but regardless i'd definitely consider switching, or at least having a closer look at the ingredients in it, it might not be suitable for ferrets but possibly has the right nutrients for rats.
Carson Schmidt if you’ve just got them they might have been on different food before than the one you are, when you suddenly switch their food it can give them upset stomachs so I’d suggest finding out what they were being fed and slowly introduce their new food into the old one over a week or two (if you got them very recently) if not it may be better to stick to their new food and reduce any fruits or veggies they’re getting and just make sure they’re drinking enough water (my rats quite like licking melty ice cubes) and hopefully they should get better 💜🐀
I feed my five ratties a mixture of seeds, dried foods, dried flowers , mealworms as there dry food and everyday I cut different fresh fruits and veggies for them.
my daughter fed her Rats most of everything..cheese, bread, pasta cooked etc, they loved it all and after her having rexcued them in a bad state, their coats became sleak and shiny, they didn't loose so much hair and they lived until their time was up naturally. They had basic daily dried food, but much of their diet was fresh.
I'm so excited to get rats, I'm 14 so I wanted to do lots of research and your channle helped me so much. I even convinced my mom to get rats from a good breeder instead of a pet store! Thank you so much!
I'm currently 12, and I've been interested in rats for awhile. I'm a bit of a mess right now because of adhd, but my mom said I can get rats once I get used to my chore schedule and actually turn in my schoolwork lol. I'm so excited! may I ask if you've gotten them yet? if you have, how are they doing?
Rats tend not to overeat regular food, once they have eaten their fill, they stash the rest- although they usually forget about the stash or don't eat it so it just gets wasted
While I've personally had the same experience with my rats never overeating, it's not correct to say that it never happens. Some rats do just like to eat a lot. Also, males are more likely to overeat than females, who prefer to stash it. I always have to try to estimate how much I can give my, because it mixes with the bedding in their hides when they stash it, so I can't really see it well, and I don't like the idea of throwing out perfectly good food when I clean it out. It's kind of annoying that I can't just put food in there and expect them to just eat it...
I got some boys from a rehome situation She had them on Wild Harvest which we all know isn’t good Have them on Oxbow now and oof it is expensive but rather them have good food than something bad. She kept them in an empty cage and never spent time with them or gave me treats. They now have a cage full of enrichment and earlier today had watermelon and a bit of pasta
Hey Victoria, my hamster is fed Higgins/Mazuri and he always leaves the same 2 pieces of food in there, I’ve tried waiting him out, but he refuses. What should I do?
thank you! i’m getting rats in a few weeks and i’ve been doing a LOT of research to make sure they get the best life possible and you’ve REALLY been helping me!
I made my own mixxx It has: -specialised rat food -pasta -dried meal worms -strawberry biscuits -sugar free cheerios -corn flakes Then I feed them some boiled egg from time to time along with fresh veggies
I LOVE YOUR RATS NAMES SO MUCH. I don't have any yet but we are getting three soon and I'm naming mine Sir Ratley Cheeserton the third. Love a penny name
This is really helpful. I'm getting three rats next week for the first time. I already have names for them😁 Marley, Cheechy and Mary Jane. I have been quite depressed lately and animals help A LOT with my depression. I never had rats before but I'm already happy knowing imma be going on a new pet adventure. I'm doing tons of research so I can give my rats the best time ever!!
i used to feed my rats (i don't have them anymore sadly) a store bought mix for rats. i don't remember the brand but it was okay quality. i gave them fruit or vegtables (grapes were one of their favourites) as snacks multiple times a week. sometimes i gave them a little cheese or some leftover chicken from dinner, but not too much ofcourse. everything they didn't eat right away would be stored somewhere in the cage.
This is really helpful. I was feeding my rats pets at home nuggets untill I saw this and now I have a good homemade mix.this is the best video out there for rat diet. Thank u so much
I don't have rats but I found this video to be really informative! Its never weird learning about different animals/pets that people want have! I found this video really nice and interesting :)
something about banana chips and dried fruit chips in general; they get a sugar water wash to prevent browning so they have more sugar than the base banana. just something to remember
That doesn't mean they are boring though. I used to have a single rat with poor care and after she passed I found your channel and I just got 2 rats that are living the life lol
In vet school we are taught to recommend against homemade diets for most species. Generally accessible people foods tend to not contain the correct amino acids for dogs / cats / rats etc. Also, the average pet owner is unlikely to spend so much time making an appropriate diet. A commercial mix would not be recommended by vets due to selective feeding can cause severe nutritional imbalances. The lecturers recommended a high quality nugget food with intentional treat supplements. The treats can be used to incorporate enrichment.
Unfortunately most vets are not trained in nutrition for each animal and aren’t nutritionist. It makes sense on a general level to recommend it to those that won’t put the effort in, but there’s far too many issues with most of the pet foods on the market.
A little late but I watched with subtitles😳 It thought you said the n word with a hard R when you said nugget, oh no😭😭😭 But super excited to get my rats this weekend! :)
I loved this video so much!So informative and interesting on the variety of food you can feed to rats!Im getting 2 boys named hero and rémy next month and I can’t wait to have 2 rattons
I make my own mix using the shunamite diet :) I'd also recommend the book The Scuttling Gormet (by Alison Campbell who invented the Shunamite diet) it has tips on homemade mixes, nutritional info on what rats need and lots of recipes on homemade treats and dinners for rats :D
I almost made the mistake of getting some rats from Petco. But instead I went to a locally owned pet shop that has been opened for over 50 years. The owner had given me some tips on what I can feed them. Fresh produce and grain. Learning more on what I can give them. The best part is I got a couple of babies, they are tiny like a mouse and I can't wait for them to get big and fat 😁😁
For treats, I chop up a baby carrot into tiny pieces (I get about 50 pieces out of one baby carrot) that get shared between my 4 rats, so nobody gets too much. I cut the carrot into 1-2mm thick slices, which then each get cut into 3 strips. It also has the advantage that it only takes them a few seconds to eat each piece, so I don't get bored while waiting for them to be done with it. I do the same with other foods too, but baby carrots are the easiest in terms of cutting it into tiny pieces without the pieces falling apart.
I know this video is old now but hey ho lol.. I used to feed my rats a lab block type nugget which a fairly large square nuggets that have a nice balance of nutrition just in smaller amounts so the idea is to supplement along with it.. they had the lab blocks in a dish and would help themselves (my rats chose to never over eat) and I'd sprinkle some dry mix around their living space and then in the evening a good bowl full of fresh fruits and vegetables and occasionally some unseasoned meat
I'm a bit conflicted. I was recommended Reggie Rat, but then I found out that rats aren't supposed to eat dried corn and the mix had exactly that in it. Then I saw an exotic animal nutritionist this week at a recommended exotic animal hospital and she highly recommended Burgess and says that all her patients are on it and that they've had no issues, but other rat owners are telling me not use the food. My chinchillas were on the Burgess chinchilla food and they did just great on it and I figured my rats would do just as well, but now I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to feed them.
I personally use Altromin, a lab block, everyone in denmark uses and recommends this, including rat breeders. It gets shipped from Germany. I've been told it's aparantly the highest quality rat food yet it's surprisingly cheap in a giant 12kg bag, that lasts about a year for two rats. What's odd is that it claims to have 19% protein, but on other pages it says it's 24% for post metabolization, whatever that means. Yet even mazuri has 23% protein, despite rat sites saying protein should be less than 20%, so... I'm stuck with only using that brand since I can't get anything else that isn't worse quality.
I do a mix of lab blocks, duck & chicken dog food, raw organic oatmeal, parrot food with the peppers removed, cherry Os, macaroni, mixed nuts, and dried carrots. 🐀🐾
Awesome video. I give my ratties veggie pasta, organic granola, organic whole oats and organic ancient grain called Kamut. They have Oxbow as their main kibble. I am from the States. Oxbow is expensive but one of the best here. Native Earth and Mazuri are also great.
I feed both my rats and mice mixes made by Rapunzel. Their mixes are made by a local rodent breeder here in Finland, and they're only 3,40€/kg for the mouse mix and 3,60€/kg for the rat mix. When I first saw it at the pet store, i thought it was too cheap to be good, but after doing some research and asking around In facebook groups, turns out a lot of mouse owners and breeders recommend the mouse mix (many actually said it's the best quality mix available here) , and the rat mix is pretty popular as well. So though it's generally true that cheap foods are low quality, apparently there are exceptions. (Probably because it's literally made at the company owners house by her alone, and packaged in clear plastic bags.)
Wow I love rats! I really want two females I’ve been researching for months. I think I can convince my parents by the end of the summer. I plan on making my own mix of food and I’m going to splurge on the feisty ferret cage( I might have to put another layer so they can’t escape. This video was super helpful! Thank you🙂
Here in the U.S. the best nuggets (if you can find them) are TEKLAD, which is what scientists feed rats during experiments. I know, the fact that rats are experimented on is heartbreaking, but the food is the best quality possible, and rats can survive well on the nuggets alone (though they of course should get treats for variety). The reason the food is such great quality is because rats used in science are required to have all items controlled for in order to keep variables from messing up experiments. If the scientists gave the rats a varied diet, the rats could pick and choose items they liked best, so they’d have different diets which might affect their results. The scientists want the rats to be extremely healthy so that anything they are experimenting with can be shown to cause any results, as opposed to rats with poor health/poor diet getting sick due to their nutrition. TEKLAD makes different formulas with different percents of protein - the highest protein is for pregnant and nursing moms, the medium level is for growing baby rats and the standard level is for full-grown rats. Teklad also makes an excellent paper-pulp bedding with no dyes or perfumes, and it is autoclaved (again, for the science industry). I get my supplies at a local small animal non-profit, since they buy the bedding and food to feed their adoptable pets. That said, it still may be hard to find... It is sold online, but you will want to verify it is genuine and not a knock-off...
Aw, that’s too bad! My babies do well on it, but I think the breeder they came from feeds it to her ratties as well. Next time you have rat food they don’t want, don’t throw it out! I’ve found that it is incredibly yummy to SQUIRRELS! Nothing cuter than squirrels coming right up to you to get some rodent chow... 🐿
I just feed mine nutritional pellets and I will mix it with small cucumber and apple slices but I still do my research to find better food considering I just got mine not to long ago
Mazuri rat and mouse is actually very good for mice, probably the best. It's not that nutritional for rats but when put with other foods works great. I use both science selective AND mazuri rat and mouse for my rats. I also put a mix with that for extra variety and nutrition, just incase the 2 blocks aren't enough. My mix consists of either a couple of the things listed or all of the things listed- Dry brown and/or white rice Dry lentils Dry split peas Dry barley Dry steel cut oats Plain cheerios I'm also planning on adding dry noodles, unsalted rat safe nuts/seeds, dry mealworms/other dry insects, and *maybe* cornflakes.(I've heard they're good for rats) I already give my rats live insects as a treat sometimes(and will continue doing so)but I feel like they should eat insects more regularly. 😊 Oh and of course, I also give them regular treats and fresh food.(fruits, fresh veggies, yogies, chocolate, etc)
My hamster recently passed away its been very hard on me. But I usally adopt other pets and it helps me cope. So I'm currently doing research to perswade my parents to let me adopt rats. (Yes my pfp is my hamster)
I saw good reviews for the Oxbow nuggets, but my rat seems to find them boring, and will eat them if it’s his only option. (I got them to prevent selective feeding.) I think it depends on their individual preferences. 🤷🏻♀️ Came here for ideas. Never considered raw pasta! Thank you! I’ll try making my own mix. :) (My rat loves when I share tuna and Russian Sardines with him.❤)
I feed my rats nuggets that have all the right nutrients in them, I am worried that if we feed them a mix of foods then they won’t eat everything as they may pick out bits they don’t like. But we give them treats to make it interesting for them (they love carrot)
YAS ! Needed this video, got my two babies a few weeks ago now and I’ve fed them loads(well not loooaaaddss)to help them grow. Now we are moving to an adults diet! Thanks this is really helpful
Hiya! My rat, Mika, really loves eating rubber things. She eats the rubber on my bike (she actually ate the rubber on the brakes) and I'm scared that she can be harmed by the rubber. I try to keep rubber away from her, but she always finds a way to find some. I free roam my rats in my parents' room, and they use earplugs. My rats always find some earplugs, and they always eat the earplugs aswell. Lol. I still love my girls tho.
so this is what i have my rat today to see if it was a thing she would like Oats Oxbow Dry mealworms Cheerios blueberry,strawberry, or cantaloupe and i did strawberries and cantaloupe cut up
I've always been a fan of letting rats have a constant supply of food. I've found that where food is not available when the rats are hungry they will tend to hoard all the food they can, making it look like they're eating much more than they actually are. They will also often have urinated on or near their hoards which will spoil the food and encourage bacterial growth if you don't clear the stored food quickly. One thing I think you maybe missed in the video is supplementing the water with a liquid vitamin mix as vitamin D and calcium are quite often lacking in pre-prepared foods. My babies get a mixture of Reggie Rat Muesli and a pellet based food. As treats and for diversity they also get cereals with no sugar added (shreddies, weetabix, cornflakes, cherios - well the cheap own brand versions of these at least!), a vast array of fruit and vegetables (their favorites are apple, banana, carrot, grapes, broccoli, sweetcorn and peas), morio worms, coconut, sunflower seeds, cooked pasta (dangle spaghetti from the top of their cage and laugh at their antics!) and 90% (95% if I can find it) cocoa chocolate. The treats are always given in small quantities and moderation before anybody worries! Their water is supplemented with a few drops of a vitamin mix and a few drops of grape seed extract. The reasons for the chocolate and grape seed extract are some of my oldest rats have had respiratory issues since we adopted them at 12 weeks old (snuffling, porphyrin around their nose, squeaky breathing, sneezing) and while the mix of antibiotics from the vets did not help, this combination did and made an immense difference to their quality of life. When the grape seed extract in particular was not added to the water, the respiratory issues returned within days. I've since added it to all my rats water. I've also added the vitamin mix to ensure they receive enough vitamin D in their diets.
*Excuse me for my little knowing of english* I've been researching about rats for about 2 years now and I've been saving money for about a year and a half now because I want to pay all the start expenses(cage and cage accesories,toys,first bag of food/bedding etc.) The only problem I encounterd for now is my country doesnt have any good rat food or bedding. The bedding I decided on fleece because its the only thing easely avalibale and its reletievly cheap. I would love if you knew any Croatian or Slovakian, Italian or balkan youtuber that knows about rats it would be really helpful or if you know about a online shopping store that ships to Croatia💕Love your videos just keep going
@@graceoartyo I already checked it and it doesnt ship to croatia well actually I did find one but the shipping was soooo overpriced that its almost more expensive than the food itself
Hi, could i ask if science selective supreme rat food is OK righ now, in 2019? I live in Czech republic and the selective rat food is the only available rat food in here from the best rat pellet foods. No oxbow, mazuri and so on. Thank you very much
So in the end I'm giving my rats a mix made by registered breeders and specialists from our country, bc it's waay better than those store bought pellets. Most of our rat breeders don't reccomend these processed pellets bc it's not the best thing for them, especially the ones with soya in it.
Thank you so much, I've been researching on rats for two years and I still am. I asked my parents recently if I could have rats and they said yes! I'm getting rats in May, and I'm so excited! :)
Congratulations I have 2 girls now but I'm getting 2 more
Yay!! I have 4 boys and they’re the absolute best!
Congrats! Any idea what you're gonna name them yet?
Congratulations! I've also researched for a couple years and convinced my parents to let me get them :D I'm getting them in approximately a month or two
Congrats! My parents won’t let me have rats because my mum is scared of them 😂 I kinda understand why, but I think they’re sooo cute and smart!! Also my lil’ Shih Tzu dog called Lilly would try and eat them...
A good video. My fave strategy for treats is to go in the baby aisle at the supermarket. You can get good rice puffs, fruit bars, and cookies there with simple ingredients to check and very few additives or preservatives. Cheap too!
Dusk Kodesh I get the gerber puffs for my hamsters and they LOVE them
ChloesCrib Yes! But don’t give that to them often, treats can make them over weight, I feed mine mealworms! They love them and they are pretty good for them!
*I have a rat on my head...as we* -speak- *squeak*
That's completely normal around here :)
Ya mean... as we *squeak*
@@iris-ep3qy ok i need that in my comment ,can i?
@@simonlloyd7862 yeah sure!! -Just say Quote by Iris in Gryffindor.- I don't mind. Gla to help:)
*VERY INTERESTING VIDE ABOUT RAT FOOD **ruclips.net/video/cS929d37WRo/видео.html* 🙂🙂☺🙂
The six things that you should have in your base mix are:
A base mix
Processed grains
Proteins
Seeds
Veg and herbs
whats a base mix you recommend?
@@goose8018 Harrisons banana brunch is great if you're from the UK :)
For the grains would plain oats work? Like the quaker oats
@@sarahjane9354 I'm (tragically) from the US, I'm not sure if you would know but any ideas for the US? I'm very new at this whole thing :(
@@MrGullibleLockjaw I'm not quite sure off hand. I will see if I can find out any good resources for you from rat lover friends who know more than me.
I am getting rats tomorrow morning!🐁❤️
Done lots of research, sooooooooo excited!
And I’m using Vetafarm rodent origins and freash and fruit and veggitables. From Australia.
OMG I know that feeling 💕💕💕💕
69 likes
How are they
@@manwithnoname1120 Thanks for asking! They are doing great! I dont use this account its my mums lol! ❤🐁
I always gave my rats, through generations, a homemade blend of grains, seeds, and nuts. To that I gave them fresh food daily, whatever was left over from dinner (usually veggies and a small portion of whatever meal I had, as long as it wasn't too spicy). Almost all lived quite healthy and long lives! The only one I lost earlier than expected was genetic (I suspected a brain issue as a sibling apparently experienced the same fate). I never had a rat with diarrhea... I would occasionally spoil them with a bit of pancake and such, maybe every other month. ...And I may have kept a list of their individual favourite foods so I'd give them a personalized menu sometimes...
I so needed this I'm doing lots of research in to rats so this was helpful
rabbit quartet omg same, I’m trying to convince my parents to get me some
I’m getting two boys next week so I’ve been doing research for like a month now lol I want to make sure I’m able to care for them properly
Wow SAMMMEE
rabbit quartet same!!!
Same I am getting 2rats how about you
EDIT: I forgot to add the timestamps for all the topics in the description, but they're there now!
Big thank you to Ellie goodchild on instagram for coming through and sending me the clip of the science selective food so I could use it in this video! 💓
I’m really confused cause I use rat, mouse, and ferret food for my rats but that’s what all the rat owners use where I live?
It would be great if you could give me some advice?
Great video as always💜💋
@@imhakks That's very worrying that it's for all 3! Rats and Mice, at least have a similar diet as they are both omnivores, but Ferrets are obligate carnivores, and they need a LOT more protein in their diet than Rats and Mice. I'm not sure on the brand of food, but regardless i'd definitely consider switching, or at least having a closer look at the ingredients in it, it might not be suitable for ferrets but possibly has the right nutrients for rats.
Emiology thank you
I’ll definitely look into it💜
Carson Schmidt if you’ve just got them they might have been on different food before than the one you are, when you suddenly switch their food it can give them upset stomachs so I’d suggest finding out what they were being fed and slowly introduce their new food into the old one over a week or two (if you got them very recently) if not it may be better to stick to their new food and reduce any fruits or veggies they’re getting and just make sure they’re drinking enough water (my rats quite like licking melty ice cubes) and hopefully they should get better 💜🐀
Can you do a video on you making the mix, I’m finding it hard to follow some people mixes and yours looks so simple :)
I feed my five ratties a mixture of seeds, dried foods, dried flowers , mealworms as there dry food and everyday I cut different fresh fruits and veggies for them.
What flowers? Do you buy them?
@@magicwolfmeditation4399 they’re in a special food mix I buy online. So they’re already included
@@tititickler202 Oo, what's the food mix called and where do you buy it if you don't mind?
@@rolol ohh well Im german and its a german brand called zooplus. Its their rat food. Its rly good but idk if its available for you
@@tititickler202 Thank you though!!
my daughter fed her Rats most of everything..cheese, bread, pasta cooked etc, they loved it all and after her having rexcued them in a bad state, their coats became sleak and shiny, they didn't loose so much hair and they lived until their time was up naturally. They had basic daily dried food, but much of their diet was fresh.
I'm so excited to get rats, I'm 14 so I wanted to do lots of research and your channle helped me so much. I even convinced my mom to get rats from a good breeder instead of a pet store! Thank you so much!
I'm currently 12, and I've been interested in rats for awhile. I'm a bit of a mess right now because of adhd, but my mom said I can get rats once I get used to my chore schedule and actually turn in my schoolwork lol. I'm so excited! may I ask if you've gotten them yet? if you have, how are they doing?
@@cuef2884 hey did you end up getting rats?
Rats tend not to overeat regular food, once they have eaten their fill, they stash the rest- although they usually forget about the stash or don't eat it so it just gets wasted
While I've personally had the same experience with my rats never overeating, it's not correct to say that it never happens. Some rats do just like to eat a lot. Also, males are more likely to overeat than females, who prefer to stash it.
I always have to try to estimate how much I can give my, because it mixes with the bedding in their hides when they stash it, so I can't really see it well, and I don't like the idea of throwing out perfectly good food when I clean it out. It's kind of annoying that I can't just put food in there and expect them to just eat it...
ActiveAnimals ok. I have females so I’m just going off my personal experience
I got some boys from a rehome situation
She had them on Wild Harvest which we all know isn’t good
Have them on Oxbow now and oof it is expensive but rather them have good food than something bad. She kept them in an empty cage and never spent time with them or gave me treats. They now have a cage full of enrichment and earlier today had watermelon and a bit of pasta
0 views 5 likes makes sense
RUclips you're drunk go home
Mhm
I like before I watch..
Yes it makes sooooooo much sense!!
Hey Victoria, my hamster is fed Higgins/Mazuri and he always leaves the same 2 pieces of food in there, I’ve tried waiting him out, but he refuses. What should I do?
thank you! i’m getting rats in a few weeks and i’ve been doing a LOT of research to make sure they get the best life possible and you’ve REALLY been helping me!
I made my own mixxx
It has:
-specialised rat food
-pasta
-dried meal worms
-strawberry biscuits
-sugar free cheerios
-corn flakes
Then I feed them some boiled egg from time to time along with fresh veggies
This is all safe right?
@@Caspy.theghost all safe x
@@Caspy.theghost the strawberry biscuits are made for rats I should have specified sorry x
I know this video is so old but I’m finally getting rats in a few days and your videos have helped SO MUCH 💖💖tysm
Thank you for this video! I am picking up Julius Cheeser and Ratrick Swayze tomorrow and I want to make sure they have the best of everything!
I LOVE YOUR RATS NAMES SO MUCH. I don't have any yet but we are getting three soon and I'm naming mine Sir Ratley Cheeserton the third. Love a penny name
This is really helpful. I'm getting three rats next week for the first time. I already have names for them😁 Marley, Cheechy and Mary Jane. I have been quite depressed lately and animals help A LOT with my depression. I never had rats before but I'm already happy knowing imma be going on a new pet adventure. I'm doing tons of research so I can give my rats the best time ever!!
I'm actually getting rats for the same reason! I hope you are doing well with your rats, and with your mental health :)
Same here!
I've had so much trouble finding a good place for their diets this is the most helpful video I've found
i used to feed my rats (i don't have them anymore sadly) a store bought mix for rats. i don't remember the brand but it was okay quality. i gave them fruit or vegtables (grapes were one of their favourites) as snacks multiple times a week. sometimes i gave them a little cheese or some leftover chicken from dinner, but not too much ofcourse. everything they didn't eat right away would be stored somewhere in the cage.
About to get my first 2 rats next week. Figuring I'll record it too and share what it's like for a first time rattie owner lol love your videos!
This is really helpful. I was feeding my rats pets at home nuggets untill I saw this and now I have a good homemade mix.this is the best video out there for rat diet. Thank u so much
I just gout my first rats two weeks ago and I'm researching everything I can! For snacks mine like clover and dandelion leaves and wild raspberries.
It looks like a great mix! ..and all ratties do get excited at feeding time!
So, Thank-you for you're care, responsibility and respect for animals!
🤩
Thanks for caring about these amazing creatures. 🖤🐀
I don't have rats but I found this video to be really informative! Its never weird learning about different animals/pets that people want have! I found this video really nice and interesting :)
something about banana chips and dried fruit chips in general; they get a sugar water wash to prevent browning so they have more sugar than the base banana. just something to remember
Your voice is very calming and I actually fall asleep to your videos really easily.
That doesn't mean they are boring though. I used to have a single rat with poor care and after she passed I found your channel and I just got 2 rats that are living the life lol
Thank you so much, I’ve been giving them a small bowl of fruits and veggies every morning, but I never put to much.
In vet school we are taught to recommend against homemade diets for most species. Generally accessible people foods tend to not contain the correct amino acids for dogs / cats / rats etc. Also, the average pet owner is unlikely to spend so much time making an appropriate diet. A commercial mix would not be recommended by vets due to selective feeding can cause severe nutritional imbalances. The lecturers recommended a high quality nugget food with intentional treat supplements. The treats can be used to incorporate enrichment.
Unfortunately most vets are not trained in nutrition for each animal and aren’t nutritionist. It makes sense on a general level to recommend it to those that won’t put the effort in, but there’s far too many issues with most of the pet foods on the market.
A little late but I watched with subtitles😳 It thought you said the n word with a hard R when you said nugget, oh no😭😭😭 But super excited to get my rats this weekend! :)
RUclips: removes community subtitles because of spam and misuse
Also RUclips:
I loved this video so much!So informative and interesting on the variety of food you can feed to rats!Im getting 2 boys named hero and rémy next month and I can’t wait to have 2 rattons
I make my own mix using the shunamite diet :) I'd also recommend the book The Scuttling Gormet (by Alison Campbell who invented the Shunamite diet) it has tips on homemade mixes, nutritional info on what rats need and lots of recipes on homemade treats and dinners for rats :D
I love your vids this was so helpful thank you for uploading I clicked as fast as I could
Thanks for the like!! Also, I have a question. Can rats eat sunflower seeds???
Tysm for making this video! I've been trying to look for one like this :) ♡
I almost made the mistake of getting some rats from Petco. But instead I went to a locally owned pet shop that has been opened for over 50 years. The owner had given me some tips on what I can feed them. Fresh produce and grain. Learning more on what I can give them. The best part is I got a couple of babies, they are tiny like a mouse and I can't wait for them to get big and fat 😁😁
This is great. I am new to keeping mice though. Please would you post a video about mouse diet? Particularly treats.
For treats, I chop up a baby carrot into tiny pieces (I get about 50 pieces out of one baby carrot) that get shared between my 4 rats, so nobody gets too much. I cut the carrot into 1-2mm thick slices, which then each get cut into 3 strips.
It also has the advantage that it only takes them a few seconds to eat each piece, so I don't get bored while waiting for them to be done with it.
I do the same with other foods too, but baby carrots are the easiest in terms of cutting it into tiny pieces without the pieces falling apart.
I’m getting rats on April 20 so excited but like I don’t know a lot about a rats diet so this is really helpful
i’ve been wanting rats for a while so this helps a lot thank you! :)
I know this video is old now but hey ho lol.. I used to feed my rats a lab block type nugget which a fairly large square nuggets that have a nice balance of nutrition just in smaller amounts so the idea is to supplement along with it.. they had the lab blocks in a dish and would help themselves (my rats chose to never over eat) and I'd sprinkle some dry mix around their living space and then in the evening a good bowl full of fresh fruits and vegetables and occasionally some unseasoned meat
I'm a bit conflicted. I was recommended Reggie Rat, but then I found out that rats aren't supposed to eat dried corn and the mix had exactly that in it. Then I saw an exotic animal nutritionist this week at a recommended exotic animal hospital and she highly recommended Burgess and says that all her patients are on it and that they've had no issues, but other rat owners are telling me not use the food. My chinchillas were on the Burgess chinchilla food and they did just great on it and I figured my rats would do just as well, but now I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to feed them.
I hate when people don’t do enough research before getting animals. That’s why your vids are great!! I’m getting rats in a few weeks 🥰. Thanksss
Do you have your rats now
@@theonewithallthepets8503 yess
I personally use Altromin, a lab block, everyone in denmark uses and recommends this, including rat breeders. It gets shipped from Germany. I've been told it's aparantly the highest quality rat food yet it's surprisingly cheap in a giant 12kg bag, that lasts about a year for two rats. What's odd is that it claims to have 19% protein, but on other pages it says it's 24% for post metabolization, whatever that means. Yet even mazuri has 23% protein, despite rat sites saying protein should be less than 20%, so... I'm stuck with only using that brand since I can't get anything else that isn't worse quality.
I do a mix of lab blocks, duck & chicken dog food, raw organic oatmeal, parrot food with the peppers removed, cherry Os, macaroni, mixed nuts, and dried carrots. 🐀🐾
This is such a great video!!! Please could you do this but about mice??? ❤️😘😘
Please!!
I feed mine mixed bird seed, peanuts, dried fruit and yogurt chips. There’s also a cat treat that’s just freeze dried salmon and they love them
That doesn’t sound like a balanced diet! They need grains, protein, veg in their diet to make sure they don’t develop health related issues
IM GETTING RATS SOON IM SO EXCITED AAAAA
Awesome video. I give my ratties veggie pasta, organic granola, organic whole oats and organic ancient grain called Kamut. They have Oxbow as their main kibble. I am from the States. Oxbow is expensive but one of the best here. Native Earth and Mazuri are also great.
Hey I have rats and I wanted to feed them something different than their normal feed. This is going to help a lot!
I feed both my rats and mice mixes made by Rapunzel. Their mixes are made by a local rodent breeder here in Finland, and they're only 3,40€/kg for the mouse mix and 3,60€/kg for the rat mix. When I first saw it at the pet store, i thought it was too cheap to be good, but after doing some research and asking around In facebook groups, turns out a lot of mouse owners and breeders recommend the mouse mix (many actually said it's the best quality mix available here) , and the rat mix is pretty popular as well.
So though it's generally true that cheap foods are low quality, apparently there are exceptions. (Probably because it's literally made at the company owners house by her alone, and packaged in clear plastic bags.)
Wow I love rats! I really want two females I’ve been researching for months. I think I can convince my parents by the end of the summer. I plan on making my own mix of food and I’m going to splurge on the feisty ferret cage( I might have to put another layer so they can’t escape. This video was super helpful! Thank you🙂
Here in the U.S. the best nuggets (if you can find them) are TEKLAD, which is what scientists feed rats during experiments. I know, the fact that rats are experimented on is heartbreaking, but the food is the best quality possible, and rats can survive well on the nuggets alone (though they of course should get treats for variety). The reason the food is such great quality is because rats used in science are required to have all items controlled for in order to keep variables from messing up experiments. If the scientists gave the rats a varied diet, the rats could pick and choose items they liked best, so they’d have different diets which might affect their results. The scientists want the rats to be extremely healthy so that anything they are experimenting with can be shown to cause any results, as opposed to rats with poor health/poor diet getting sick due to their nutrition. TEKLAD makes different formulas with different percents of protein - the highest protein is for pregnant and nursing moms, the medium level is for growing baby rats and the standard level is for full-grown rats.
Teklad also makes an excellent paper-pulp bedding with no dyes or perfumes, and it is autoclaved (again, for the science industry). I get my supplies at a local small animal non-profit, since they buy the bedding and food to feed their adoptable pets. That said, it still may be hard to find... It is sold online, but you will want to verify it is genuine and not a knock-off...
My brats refused to eat it and threw it out xD
Aw, that’s too bad! My babies do well on it, but I think the breeder they came from feeds it to her ratties as well. Next time you have rat food they don’t want, don’t throw it out! I’ve found that it is incredibly yummy to SQUIRRELS! Nothing cuter than squirrels coming right up to you to get some rodent chow... 🐿
I just feed mine nutritional pellets and I will mix it with small cucumber and apple slices but I still do my research to find better food considering I just got mine not to long ago
Mazuri rat and mouse is actually very good for mice, probably the best. It's not that nutritional for rats but when put with other foods works great.
I use both science selective AND mazuri rat and mouse for my rats. I also put a mix with that for extra variety and nutrition, just incase the 2 blocks aren't enough.
My mix consists of either a couple of the things listed or all of the things listed-
Dry brown and/or white rice
Dry lentils
Dry split peas
Dry barley
Dry steel cut oats
Plain cheerios
I'm also planning on adding dry noodles, unsalted rat safe nuts/seeds, dry mealworms/other dry insects, and *maybe* cornflakes.(I've heard they're good for rats)
I already give my rats live insects as a treat sometimes(and will continue doing so)but I feel like they should eat insects more regularly. 😊
Oh and of course, I also give them regular treats and fresh food.(fruits, fresh veggies, yogies, chocolate, etc)
My hamster recently passed away its been very hard on me. But I usally adopt other pets and it helps me cope. So I'm currently doing research to perswade my parents to let me adopt rats. (Yes my pfp is my hamster)
Update: I got rats :))
In Poland most people who done their research about nutrition buy mixerama for rats and other rodents, it's also pretty cheap (3,7 pounds per kilo)
thank you i have been trying to find a good rat diet 😊😀
Honestly THANK YOU
Your videos have helped so much!!
how much and how often should i feed them?
Around 15-20g each per day. Either once a day or split into two
@@Emiology ok tysm! you inspired me to get rats! they would not have the care their supposed to have without you!
That rat in the thumbnail 😂
It’s soooo cute
I saw good reviews for the Oxbow nuggets, but my rat seems to find them boring, and will eat them if it’s his only option. (I got them to prevent selective feeding.) I think it depends on their individual preferences. 🤷🏻♀️ Came here for ideas. Never considered raw pasta! Thank you! I’ll try making my own mix. :) (My rat loves when I share tuna and Russian Sardines with him.❤)
I use a mix because my rats eat everything they don't pick anything out but I also give them fresh fruits and vegetables everyday
Hi do you have an updated version??
My rats have the both you recommended mixed in and as well as fruit and veg daily
I feed my rats nuggets that have all the right nutrients in them, I am worried that if we feed them a mix of foods then they won’t eat everything as they may pick out bits they don’t like. But we give them treats to make it interesting for them (they love carrot)
tyyy i just got a rat and i wached this and now my hamster is happy ty super much
YAS ! Needed this video, got my two babies a few weeks ago now and I’ve fed them loads(well not loooaaaddss)to help them grow. Now we are moving to an adults diet! Thanks this is really helpful
I have looked at making my own mix for my 3 boys, But im stuck on what is the best dog food to put in the mix? what one do you use? x
Omg I have that desk!! And I'm getting rats
This helped so much! ♡
Thank you Emily great information 👍
That really helped thanks!
Ik I’m a year late to this video but I have two male adults and I’m still working on there diet ,this really helped thanks:)
Hiya! My rat, Mika, really loves eating rubber things. She eats the rubber on my bike (she actually ate the rubber on the brakes) and I'm scared that she can be harmed by the rubber. I try to keep rubber away from her, but she always finds a way to find some. I free roam my rats in my parents' room, and they use earplugs. My rats always find some earplugs, and they always eat the earplugs aswell. Lol. I still love my girls tho.
Thank u for making this vid I am getting rats for my birthday in January
so this is what i have my rat today to see if it was a thing she would like
Oats
Oxbow
Dry mealworms
Cheerios
blueberry,strawberry, or cantaloupe and i did strawberries and cantaloupe cut up
Omg what would I do without RUclips
Can I copy someone else's rat mix? I don't know what I'm doing but I don't want to use store-bought mix either..
Can you do updated one of these please
Emee, how often do you go through food? I’m wondering how much they eat monthly or weekly?
When she said you are what you eat I thought she was gonna tell us to feed our rats rat!! LMAO XD HAHAHA
I've always been a fan of letting rats have a constant supply of food. I've found that where food is not available when the rats are hungry they will tend to hoard all the food they can, making it look like they're eating much more than they actually are. They will also often have urinated on or near their hoards which will spoil the food and encourage bacterial growth if you don't clear the stored food quickly.
One thing I think you maybe missed in the video is supplementing the water with a liquid vitamin mix as vitamin D and calcium are quite often lacking in pre-prepared foods.
My babies get a mixture of Reggie Rat Muesli and a pellet based food. As treats and for diversity they also get cereals with no sugar added (shreddies, weetabix, cornflakes, cherios - well the cheap own brand versions of these at least!), a vast array of fruit and vegetables (their favorites are apple, banana, carrot, grapes, broccoli, sweetcorn and peas), morio worms, coconut, sunflower seeds, cooked pasta (dangle spaghetti from the top of their cage and laugh at their antics!) and 90% (95% if I can find it) cocoa chocolate. The treats are always given in small quantities and moderation before anybody worries! Their water is supplemented with a few drops of a vitamin mix and a few drops of grape seed extract.
The reasons for the chocolate and grape seed extract are some of my oldest rats have had respiratory issues since we adopted them at 12 weeks old (snuffling, porphyrin around their nose, squeaky breathing, sneezing) and while the mix of antibiotics from the vets did not help, this combination did and made an immense difference to their quality of life. When the grape seed extract in particular was not added to the water, the respiratory issues returned within days. I've since added it to all my rats water. I've also added the vitamin mix to ensure they receive enough vitamin D in their diets.
This is the start of my research of rats ✌️
Before I get one
I just got my first female rats yesterday! Thank you for all your awesome videos! Their names are Day, and Twig.
I'm in the United States and I'm having a hard time finding a lot of these ingredients (banana brunch). Please advise for the peeps in the U.S.
If you were to feed a high quality pellet AND a mix that doesn’t exactly have everything they need, could that work?
I love your chann by the way!!
Getting my first 3 rats on Wednesday and wanted to research more about there diests
Thank you very much! I have six rats and i wasn't sure if the food i gate it was healthy and good enough
I usually use unsalted pistachios and mealworms for my rat treats
*Excuse me for my little knowing of english* I've been researching about rats for about 2 years now and I've been saving money for about a year and a half now because I want to pay all the start expenses(cage and cage accesories,toys,first bag of food/bedding etc.) The only problem I encounterd for now is my country doesnt have any good rat food or bedding. The bedding I decided on fleece because its the only thing easely avalibale and its reletievly cheap. I would love if you knew any Croatian or Slovakian, Italian or balkan youtuber that knows about rats it would be really helpful or if you know about a online shopping store that ships to Croatia💕Love your videos just keep going
Amazon has oxbow. I'm not sure if it will ship to your location, but it's worth checking out.
@@graceoartyo I already checked it and it doesnt ship to croatia well actually I did find one but the shipping was soooo overpriced that its almost more expensive than the food itself
Could you do one on mice as well? Im having trouble finding good sources that talk about mouse nutrition
Very informative!
Thank you so much
I’m just curios if there’s a time of day you reccomend for feeding? And also do they like to include small fires insects in their diet at all?
Hi, could i ask if science selective supreme rat food is OK righ now, in 2019? I live in Czech republic and the selective rat food is the only available rat food in here from the best rat pellet foods. No oxbow, mazuri and so on. Thank you very much
Shy eM you can try to make your own
I just got my rats yesterday and I use this brand aswell. And I would like to know aswell. Someone with the answer please reply!
So in the end I'm giving my rats a mix made by registered breeders and specialists from our country, bc it's waay better than those store bought pellets. Most of our rat breeders don't reccomend these processed pellets bc it's not the best thing for them, especially the ones with soya in it.
thank you for making this video, is there any chance you might make a similar video about mouse diet as well?