Are certainNatural/Organic dog food/treats alright for rats?

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NicodemusRattus

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2013
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Location
United States
I've heard that certain types of dog food and treats are ok for rats (the natural/organic types, not generic/store brands), and some are actually very healthy for them, at least as an occasional treat. I was wondering what specific kinds of dog treats/food are alright for rats? where I live, it's much easier to find specialty dog treats than it is to find stuff specifically for rats lol. I've been giving my ratties the mini-sized Milkbone brand dog biscuits once in a while, one of those seems to be perfect rat-snack size. I haven't tried giving them any other dog treats yet, since I'm not sure what's actually good for them, and I'm sure certain dog treats are probably a no-no. Any suggestions for some goodies?
 
To my knowlege, there are not any types of dog food that are ok for rats.
Protien levels are too high, nutrient reqirements are different.
Please see :

As for treats, here is a thread where one type of dog treat is mentioned.
viewtopic.php?f=38&t=16741&p=227478&hilit=dog+food+treats#p227478

Personally, given all the pet food recalls and the fact that vegs are so good for them,
I can't imagine why anyone would give them treats besides healthy vegs (broccoli, kale, peas, organic corn, carrots, etc), a piece of fruit, or occassional cooked grains.
 
What is truly best for rats is whole foods veggies and fruits, grains... keep their treats unprocessed. fresh/frozen corn, peas, broccoli, kale... all kinds of goodness there. Stay away from packaged stuff.
The mini milkbones are the size of their stomach, even bigger so I really don't recommend that.
 
I usually give them fruits and veggies, I've just been looking for other types of random treats that they like lol. I've seen other rat sites that had suggested a piece or 2 of certain dog food (not a whole dish of it or anything) or a small dog biscuit (not the typical "small" ones, but the "mini" ones that are about half the size of a double-A battery I guess) and even those I usually split in half. I don't give em that kinda stuff all the time either, but I'd had people suggest the dog biscuit thing once in a while because it can help with keeping their teeth trimmed. I think the reason that giving them a few pieces of dog food had been suggested because the person asking was feeding their rats hamster food, so the dog food was suggested to add a little protein. It's not something I'd feed them frequently, but some people say it's ok for rats and some people don't, so it's one of those unsure-zone foods I guess lol
 
Rats brux and grind their teeth.
They keep their teeth worn down and you do not need to be concerned about feeding them certain foods to help with this.
Rats get over grown teeth because their teeth are not properly aligned, or there are other health issues with the gums or mouth. These issues require vet intervention, etc. Feeding hard foods will not help.

As Jorats said:
jorats said:
What is truly best for rats is whole foods veggies and fruits, grains... keep their treats unprocessed. fresh/frozen corn, peas, broccoli, kale... all kinds of goodness there. Stay away from packaged stuff.
Click to expand...

and watch out for GMOs ... found in most processed food, and most corn, etc :(
 
I give Crock Complete from Verele-Laga (from Belgium). I find it in pet store here in Quebec, don't know if it's available in the US though.
It's a tasty and healthy snack with a crunchy shell and a berry filling filled with vitamins and omega 3. My girl goes crazy for it. 5$ for 50g
 
Actually, lots of dog treats are made with things like pumpkin and cranberry now, and wouldn't necessarily be high protein or unhealthy, but it's a case of going to the right store and reading the ingredients carefully. Anywhere that has an emphasis on natural pet foods should have small, rat sized treats with reasonable ingredients. Or, you could make your own, and just make sure to break them up small ;)

http://www.veganricha.com/2013/03/butte ... onion.html
 
Should it be that you wish to give a treat to your rats, why not look into things for babies?

There are some organic baby biscottis that my rats love to bits, its also made from whole grain and brown rice.
 
Rat-Violi said:
I give Crock Complete from Verele-Laga (from Belgium). I find it in pet store here in Quebec, don't know if it's available in the US though.
It's a tasty and healthy snack with a crunchy shell and a berry filling filled with vitamins and omega 3. My girl goes crazy for it. 5$ for 50g
Click to expand...

Versele-Laga foods are generally really poor quality. Even worse, they don't disclose their ingredients for any product and don't list nutritional info for their treats: http://www.versele-laga.com/Nutri/Nutri ... ndicatieve waarborgen
 
Moon said:
Actually, lots of dog treats are made with things like pumpkin and cranberry now, and wouldn't necessarily be high protein or unhealthy, but it's a case of going to the right store and reading the ingredients carefully. Anywhere that has an emphasis on natural pet foods should have small, rat sized treats with reasonable ingredients. Or, you could make your own, and just make sure to break them up small ;)

http://www.veganricha.com/2013/03/butte ... onion.html
Click to expand...

That's what I was wondering about lol, I know that most generic dog food/treats aren't even healthy for dogs, since they have so many fillers like corn meal in them. But I've seen all these new organic/natural foods come out on the market, and I've been wondering if I could find a good brand of natural dog food I could feed my rats a kibble or two here 'n there as a treat. Also, two of my females recently had babies, and I know they need extra protein right now... I know that cooked eggs, etc. are great for that, but I was wondering if I could give the mommies a few pieces of good-quality dog food as a protein supplement type thing? I've heard some rat owners say that they give their rats Nutro brand dog food sometimes as a treat, and it has natural ingredients. I was thinking about giving them some of that, but when I went to the Nutro website they have a hundred different types of dog food lol...I wonder which kind would be best?
 
We humans have our ideas of what treats should be, but animals do not know any different. I would stick to real, whole food. My rats are just excited to get a piece of banana as a baby puff. They LOVE freshly cooked rice that is still warm. They especially enjoy getting something different. Once in a while I give them spaghetti, or mashed potatoes, cooked squash, they love it all! No need to go out and buy fancy treats. You have the treats already there.
 
I love making my own treats for myself and my animals. One thing I just made recently was with a smashed banana and oats i squished it all together and baked it and it came out very tasty and chewy and then I shared some with my boys. I made a few with mini chocolate chips in it for myself.
 
Haha, funny you guys mentioned bananas, because my rats go crazy every time I buy bananas... they see them and start clinging to the side of the cage until I give them a piece... and when I feed them to my oldest 2 girls, I have to make sure both pieces of banana are ready to hand to each rat at the SAME time... otherwise one will snag it right out of the others mouth!
I try to feed them fresh fruits and stuff like pasta whenever I have it, but sometimes when I'm busy I don't even get a chance to eat fresh food myself haha. I guess maybe I'm guilt-tripping myself into thinking I don't give them enough treats, but I probably give them more than enough lol... the black rat in my current avi pic is much larger now than she was then, she's almost bigger than some males I've had :p
 
Also, two of my females recently had babies, and I know they need extra protein right now... I know that cooked eggs, etc. are great for that, but I was wondering if I could give the mommies a few pieces of good-quality dog food as a protein supplement type thing?
Click to expand...

If you are going to supliment, the best thing would likely be organic soy infant formula ... for mamas and babies as they are weaning.

The best treats for rats are vegs and pieces of fruit ... organic is better
In general, the more processed food is, the less healthy it is.
 

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