Food list
This list shows the foods the rats are given and how much they appear to like them.
Unless stated otherwise the they have these foods raw.
| Food type | Food | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Live food | Mealworms | Best food of all according to the rats |
| Dry food | Parrot mix | Fruity bits go down well |
| Rodent mix (Rat mix, Chipmunk mix and Hamster mix) |
They only pick out a few bits that they like | |
| Granary or multi-grain bread | They only eats the seeds but they have fun pulling the bread apart to get them | |
| Nuts and seeds | Monkey nuts | They enjoy being hand fed with these |
| Walnuts (whole) | They are delighted to get these but then they hardly ever bother to gnaw them open | |
| Walnuts (pieces) | They has these as occasional treats when they are out playing | |
| Sunflower seeds | They like to search for these scattered amongst their bedding | |
 |
Do not feed hazelnuts | Pouched Rats can suffer anaphylactic shock due to an alergic reaction to hazelnuts. This can be fatal |
|
Only feed a moderate amount of nuts | The space between shell and nut can harbor a dangerous fungus, Aspergillus. This can lead to poisoning in Pouched Rats |
| Vegetables | Sweet potato | They like to have it peeled and chopped into small cubes |
| Beans (any green beans) | - | |
| Calibrese | This was a favourite when they younger but they are less keen as they get older | |
| Carrot | They will also eat the carrot tops | |
| Celery | They are only interested in the green tops | |
| Courgette | - | |
| Cucumber | - | |
| Peas (cooked) | These usually go down well | |
| Potato (cooked) | A firm favourite, boiled, roasted or mashed | |
| Spinach | Another favourite | |
| Fruit | Apple | - |
| Banana | The number one favourite when they were young | |
| Mango | They were very keen on this initially but less so now | |
| Orange | An occasional favourite | |
| Pear | A favourite especially when very ripe | |
| Tomato | Especially keen on the seeds. They also drink tomato juice as a treat | |
| Pineapple | - | |
|
Feed grapes with caution | Some owners believe that grapes have made their Pouched Rats ill due to the toxins on the grape skin |
In addittion to these foods the rats eat small amounts of cooked pasta and rice but they prefer the fruit and vegetables.