how often to feed treats...

how often should i give my rats fruit or veg, eg a bit of a apple, is this ok daily or more once or twice a week? carrot , grapes etc they all ok often?thanks

Veg should be OK daily, as long as they're not always starchy ones. A bit of apple, blueberry, banana is a nice treat also. I've heard that grapes are toxic to dogs, bit I'm not sure about rats. I once gave half grapes to mine, and they did not have any ill effects. Babies can get more treats than adults.

ok one of my boys is bigger than the other, but both eat fine, il maybe give little bit ofapple daily. thanks

daily vegs are an important part of their diet

What veg would you say give them, lettuce maybe? Or carrot daily

leafy greens like spinach, kale, spring mix, romaine lettuce (I don't know if iceburg is ok or not, my understanding is that it's mostly crunchy water, not much nutrition, but I could be wrong) they can have toms, broccoli, cucumber, squash, cooked pumpkin, cooked sweet potatoes, peas, corn, green beans, cooked beans like lima or kidney etc (be careful with things that cause gas, don't give too much as it can cause stomach discomfort) cooked Brussels sprouts, etc. Banana, apple, pear, all natural applesauce (no added sugar) baby food veggies and fruits and cereals, melon, watermelon, red and green grapes, berries like blueberry and strawberry . Um, yes there's a LOT of veggies and fruits that are ok, only a few that they can NOT have, let me dig up the list of forbidden foods for you

OK here it is: http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22782

also I moved your thread to the diet section, ;-)

Petunia, thanks for giving such a complete list. I'd forgotten that mine love pumpkin pur

lol you're welcome Godmother, but that was just off the top of my head, I'm sure there's a lot more good stuff they can have. I try to keep pumpkin in the house because it helps my elderly cat when she gets constipated, a little added to her food fixes her right up. I freeze it in ice cube trays then pop out the pumpkin puree cubes and keep them in freezer bags til needed. One can of pumpkin can last a long time. Unless I decide to add some to my soups ;-)

Thanks i couldmt fibd the diet part lol, so most things are ok, i always have plenty of carrot so is that daily ok? Have to buy some other bits

Can i ask some other bits, my rats are on back2 nature ( im in england of u know it) iv read finnacard is good should i use that as subsrate. They are sneezinf i changed back to newspaper over a week ago but put them back on back2nature, there both 3 months and on doxy, but the 2 week treatmemt is just over a week in and im not noticing nuch difference, they still are sneezing, grind there teeth quite a bit too!

Hi Phil,

I'm in the UK too You seriously need this book in your life. It's helped me so much with info on what foods to give and how much etc http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956623204/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It even has reviews and info on all the main commercial mixes (Reggie Rat Supreme, Pets At Home own brand etc to name a couple) out there with the pros and cons!

It has info on treats, forbidden foods, how to feed to prevent illness, for enjoyment and a what foods to give when your rat has a specific illness. It's really great! This book is a sound investment you won't regret making. It has so many answers.

Enjoy!

Thanks there on. Pets at home nuggets, that book says currently unavailable though

You can buy it from other places too. Try ebay or try another search on amazon. I give my boys pets at home nuggets with reggie rat supreme (but I pick the dried corn out of Reggie Rat because of potential fungus) and they love the nuggets. The nuggets are great because they are extremely high in copper. Something that rats need.

I give my rats slightly steamed vegetable every single day. I put a big tray of veggies in their cage before bed and it's gone come the morning Carrots are cheap and the rats love them. But cook them very slightly. Also, buy a big bag of kale. It's great for the rats and they love it. My rats also get sweet little frozen peas. They are cheap too. Fresh corn on the cobs make a great snack for them. It's good exercise too!

Oh gosh plenty then, iv got fruit sticks but dont plan giving them much, so veg in a bo? They need that much of it? Havnt cooked carrots yet but will offer carrots and some other veg? Lettuce etc thanks

Keep the fruit low. Too much is bad for them. According to the book, iceberg lettuce has no nutritional value for the rats. They make and manufacture their own vitamin C apparently. The book will explain it all! Seriously, you need to buy it Plenty of veg yes. They really enjoy carrots. I guess because they are sweet. Which is great because they are good for them and you can buy a big bag of carrots for around 80p and they last if you keep them in the fridge or freeze them.

To make it easier - I cook a large batch of chopped carrots, sweet potato, courgettes and kale with peas. I put them into containers and freeze them so you have enough for the week. I take out each container in the morning, so it's defrosted for them at night when they eat. It's easier to make a big batch and freeze in containers!

Yeah thanks and hat substrate you use? Mine are on back2 nature, changed to newspaper but now back2nature

What bedding do you mean? I used to use newspaper for my old cage, but now I have a different cage and I use fleece.

I could use fleece b hard to clean and wash lol, also one of my boys some days happy comes out others he seems shy and doesent want to come out and if he does its not for long whys this

You don't have to cook the veggies. There are only a few that HAVE to be cooked - sweet potato, leeks, artichoke...
Just review the forbidden foods list to get an idea.
I have frozen peas and corn - once in a while I put some in a tip-proof bowl filled with water, warm it up a little, and put it in the cage so they can go fishing. It's great fun! You might have to fish for them a couple of times until they get the hang of it.

Ahh i can do that i have a bowl
For them thanks