Mice and rats are scavengers and not very picky eaters. They are easy to feed a varied diet to. The very best feed I've found is at every horse barn in the world: horse grain! If you have access to a barn in your area, simply go ask the owners if you can have a variety of horse grain, oats, sweetfeed - whatever they have - and trade them apples or carrots for their horses. If this isn't possible, you can mix your own mouse and rat food at home. Commercial foods are not necessary - you can find plenty of food around your house for your mice and/or rats.
- Experiment with different things and you'll find what your particular mouse or rat likes best. Just remember - they do not like vegetables or fruits and prefer grains. Here is a list of foods your rodent may enjoy:
- Black oil sunflower seed (that you feed wild birds)
- All kinds of nuts - walnuts, peanuts, almonds (low salt is best)
- Uncooked oatmeal such as Quaker quick cooking oats. Simply put a small amount in his bowl.
- Small pieces of dog or cat food
- Leftovers of many things from your dinner table, such as cooked white rice
- Breads of all kinds
- French Fries or baked potato
- Pizza crust
- Mushrooms (cooked or not)
- Cooked macaroni or pasta
- Cheese, but as a treat only. Some cheeses (like cheddar) will make your rodent's urine smell stronger. So if you don't want to clean the cage every week, then not too much cheese...
- Chips such as Triscuits or Wheat Thins (but only small pieces every now and then - too much salt is not good)
- Croutons
- Crackers
- Popcorn
- An occasional small bite of a cookie
- The more variety you give your mouse or rat, the better chance they have at getting all the vitamins they need from their food. They will come to know when it's dinner time and will run over to see what you've brought them.
- They don't need large quantities of anything. Small pieces of the foods and grains are best. You can overfeed mice and rats - and they will get fat. This shortens their life, so be sure you aren't giving them too much.
- Different textures (some soft foods, some very crunchy) will make sure that your mouse or rat grinds down his teeth through usage. The teeth of mice and rats continually grow, so they need something to grind them on. Feeding your animal hard foods is the best way to ensure that this occurs.
- Always make sure that your mouse or rat has plenty of fresh water. Make sure you check his water every day and tap the ball at the end of the bottle to be sure it is still dispensing water. Sometimes the tip of the water bottle gets gummed up with food and it will stop letting water flow. Fill it the bottle when it gets to be half empty - do not wait until it's completely dry. Water bottles work on a gravity feed - the more water that's pushing down on it, the easier it is for the rodent to drink.
Enjoy your furry friends!
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seriously, this article makes me wonder if this is an owner speaking about her pets or (far more likely) one who merely observed them in a horse barn. Granted, there may not be much difference between feral rats and domesticated ones, but i would hardly advise a casual rodent owner to go out and buy a massive bag of horse feed for their RATS. most pet stores sell adequately nutritious rodent food that contain (mostly) well-balanced mixes of grains and seeds. possibly the stupidest thing i've read in some time was the comment i'll copy and paste here -> "Just remember - they do not like vegetables or fruits"
seriously? Rats love both fruits and vegetables. fresh, dried, cooked, whatever. in fact, most rodent owners are advised to supplement whatever food they choose to feed their rats with a variety of fresh fruit or vegetable treats. You just have to stay away from foods that could expand after consumption (like rice), items that could be borderline poisonous such as apple seeds (due to cyanide content within) and potato peelings or eyes (arsenic traces).
true, commercial foods are not necessary, but they're one of the things that makes owning rats and other rodents such a breeze. Rats will eat anything, that's why they proliferate in a vermin's typical environment: refuse, garbage and waste. but those are not happy, healthy, loveable rats. So by all means, if you want a disease ridden pest, feed it what ever garbage you feel like. Chances are, it will eat it and probably enjoy it. Then it will swell up and die in a year. For a happy, healthy pet, feed it the diet your vet recommends. Fresh fruit and vegetable treats, seed`and grain feed from a pet supply. feed them table scraps a a treat, sure. but don't make it a habit.
and by the way, a variety in textures will not adequately wear down rat teeth. they need things to actually chew on. Rat blocks are specially processed blocks of rat food they usually feed lab rats. these are one of the only things i've found that satisfies both the need for food (albeit not very well, rats prefer other food) and the need to grind their teeth down.
dog food is almost never suggested and cat food only for pregnant rats and very young, solid-food ready rats due to the high protein and fat content.