CrocHunter
Well-Known Member
Oh and as for those yogurt bites - Claire and Alice won't take them from me anyway so I have no more reason to buy them heheh.. Anyone else have rats that hate them?
Lisette said:Haha, I've found that I'm eating healthier because I'm more conscious of what my ratties eat and I always make our plates at the same time so we can eat together.
Personally I wouldn't feed them. Too hot for their little mouths.arresai said:Ok, are dried red chili peppers okay?
Forbidden Foods
Generally, if you would eat a food, you can give it to your rats. Here are some exceptions and notables:
raw dry beans or peanutsâcontains antinutrients that destroy vitamin A and enzymes needed to digest protein and starches, and causes red blood cells to clump
raw sweet potatoâcontains compounds that form cyanide in the stomach
green bananasâinhibits starch-digesting enzymes
green potato skin and eyes âcontain solanine, a toxin
wild insectsâcan carry internal parasites and diseases
raw bulk tofuâcan contain bacteria; packaged raw tofu is safe
orange juiceâforbidden for male rats only, d-limonene in the skin oil, which gets into the orange juice during squeezing, can cause kidney damage and kidney cancer due to a protein that only male rats have in their kidneys. Pieces of the orange fruit are okay if you wash the orange-skin oil off of it after peeling it.
Foods to Feed with Caution
carbonated beveragesârats canât burp (but they can fart!)
Dried corn can contain high levels of fungal contaminates which has been shown to cause liver cancer in rats. Corn also contains high levels of both nitrates and amines. These two compounds can combine in the stomach to form nitrosamines which are carcinogenic.
Other foods high in nitrates include beets, celery, eggplant, lettuce, cucumber, radishes, spinach, collards and turnip greens. Therefore, I suggest you limit the amount of these foods in your ratâs diet. Some fresh corn is fine, but if you feed your rats blocks, try to avoid brands which have corn as the first ingredient.
Mold Warning
Spoiled or moldy food can contain deadly toxins. Never give nuts, grains, vegies or other food that looks or smells odd or spoiled. Donât buy too much food ahead. Molds can grow even in sealed plastic bags. When cutting up veggies, cut off the dried part that has been exposed from previous cutting and throw it away. If you see mold growing on a food, throw the whole thing away. Do not attempt to cut away the moldy section. Invisible mold filaments penetrate deep into the food.
Toxins
Some kinds of raw beans and especially red and kidney beans, contain a harmful toxin (the lectin Phytohaemagglutinin) that must be destroyed by cooking. A recommended method is to boil the beans for at least ten minutes; undercooked beans may be more toxic than raw beans.[8] Cooking beans in a slow cooker, because of the lower temperatures often used, may not destroy toxins even though the beans do not smell or taste 'bad'[8] (though this should not be a problem if the food reaches boiling and stays there for some time).
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