What do domestic rats eat?

Many people do not associate a rat with a pet, but they are quite cute and intelligent, therefore they are popular. To make the pet feel healthy, the owner will need to properly organize his meals and eliminate some foods from the diet.

It is easy to care for an ornamental domestic rat, since it can eat fruits, vegetables, corn, pasta, dairy products and even meat can be present in its diet. Despite the fact that these animals are classified as rodents, in their diet should not be present only plant products. Meals must be balanced, portions give the same in the morning and evening.

Not a single rat that is healthy will not give up the delicacy if it lies next to the main feed. Sometimes they go to the trick and stop eating on purpose to get something tasty from the owner. In this case, you need to show resistance and do not give in, wait until the animal eats all the food.

Depending on the nature of the pet, a delicacy sometimes means completely opposite products.

Zernosmes - the main food of domestic rats. It is collected in accordance with the basic needs of the rodent. All ingredients can be purchased individually in the poultry market, then mixed. In this case, finished packaged products have their own advantages, since they are precisely tested and not processed by chemicals. Buying grain by weight, you never know under what conditions the product was stored, the only positive side is that you can collect food from the desired ingredients, and not buy a “cat in a bag”.

All grain mixes can be divided into the following classes:

• superpremium;
• premium;
• economy

By name it is easy to guess how the food differs. The most expensive - those that are in the first group, they are clearly balanced, have vitamin supplements in their composition, do not have high fat content, and most often even contain animal protein.

The second group of feed instead of wheat, which is quite expensive, have rye or oats. This mixture with a high percentage of fat, so you need to clearly regulate the nutrition of a pet. Protein is introduced additionally.

Economy class mixtures are very poor in nutrients, they contain a lot of vegetable granules, and they are of no value to the animal.

It must always be remembered that in the majority of cases grain purchased on the market is processed by chemical means, therefore the manufacturer should be chosen more carefully. Of the cereals, which must be present in the diet of the rat, can be identified:

• barley;
• sunflower seeds;
• oats;
• millet;
• corn;
• wheat;
• bran.

They give the product as unpurified as possible, since in this form it is healthier and contains more vitamins and minerals.

Grain is present in the feed constantly.One day is enough and one tablespoon of an adult individual, but a growing organism with an intense metabolism will need to provide constant access to such food.

In relation to the grain feed, these products must be present in the nutrition of the animal in a ratio of 1: 2 or 1: 1. You can not translate a rat exclusively on a diet in which there are only vegetables. Carrots, zucchini, greens and cucumbers are well suited for their nutrition. Beets can cause diarrhea.

Apples, raspberries, apricots, currants and peaches can also be given to animals. As for the grapes, then it raises gas formation in rats.

Fruits and vegetables are low-calorie, but healthy food, there are no norms for its consumption, but the main thing is that there should be cereals in the diet of rodents with them. They should always be fresh, so everything that the rat did not finish eating yesterday is taken away. Yesterday's perishable foods cannot be eaten by rats, it causes poisoning in the animal.

As for citrus and other fruits, veterinarians excluded tangerines, pomegranates, kiwi, pineapple, oranges because of their high acid content in the list for decorative rats. Moreover, it can even cause allergies. Better to give persimmon, avocado, pear. Boiled potatoes are rarely allowed to be given to an animal, raw, and even more germinated is strictly prohibited.

In winter, the rat will rejoice in the germinated grain, in the summer you can throw a bunch of fresh grass to it, but it is not worth picking it along the road. Before putting greens in a cage, it must be washed and doused with boiling water. About 10% of the total diet is green, on average, each individual per day needs no more than 12 grams.

Experienced breeders of rats know how important seasonality is in nutrition. In the spring it is very good to replenish vitamins and microelements with dandelions and fresh grass, in summer you can please the animal with carrots or berries. Autumn is rich in fruits, and in winter all the nutritional elements are enclosed in root vegetables.

Meat products are animal feed. Rats should be given in small portions a couple of times a week.

Chicken bones are the perfect complement to the rat menu, but they should be given exclusively boiled. You can treat your pet meat, but not pork, because it is too fat. Rodents love to feast on boiled fish and even quail eggs, but if yolk is given, it is moistened first, and then the rat can choke on it.

Dairy products are introduced into the diet of pets gradually, first checking it for digestibility. At an early age, calcium, which is in dairy products, will be most useful. Too often, milk and its derivatives do not give, otherwise you may experience an upset stomach in a rat. If used dairy supplements such as kefir or yogurt, they must be free of dyes, and it is desirable to skim.

Cottage cheese and ryazhenka can also be entered into the diet. Raw milk is very useful for pregnant females. Condensed milk is strictly prohibited, it contains a huge amount of sugar, which is not absorbed by the rat. Cheese, sour cream and cream are also prohibited.

There are foods that rats love most, among them - walnuts, hazelnuts, seeds. Unsweetened cookies are also a delicacy, just like a piece of fresh baby carrots, boiled pasta, or even a toast. In the pet store there are special treats - dropsy. They are made with different flavors from different ingredients.

It is impossible to spoil such food with rats, once a day it will be enough. Drops are allowed to give no more than 6 pieces per day. These nutritional supplements are like sweet sweets, but do not do any good.In addition, not every manufacturer responsibly approaches the process of manufacturing dropsa and is not always ready to indicate the true composition of the goods.

Enjoying your pet with snacks is also necessary, therefore choose products that do not contain sugar and salt, should not be in them and flavors and spices. You can give dried fruits or nuts every day. Most individuals can not deny themselves the pleasure to eat cornflakes, but they should be without sugar and salt.

Diabetics have in their diet unsweetened cookies, which can also be attributed to treats, which the described animals adore. Food for young children will also delight the animal, for example, mashed potatoes. You can make it from fruits and vegetables and independently, since natural products will bring more benefits than purchased ones.

Not everything that seems tasty to a person is suitable for a rat, this applies to meat meatballs with sauce and other products from the table. Slightly dried pet bread will be much better. If it has bran, muesli or cereals, then the pet will be in the seventh heaven.

If the animal has become a full member of the family, then you can please him with a delicacy of their own cooking. Beautiful and healthy at the same time option - porridge from cereals and vegetables or fruit. In the summer, it can be zucchini, perhaps a pumpkin, in winter it is easy to get along with the frozen mixture from the supermarket.

Vegetables are baked or steamed, grits are steamed or lightly boiled. Add a small amount of sunflower oil, quail egg to the mixture. A rat cannot refuse a steamed omelet, but it’s not milk that is worth adding, but water. Steamed meatballs with meat and vegetables is also a great alternative to a tasty meal for an animal, but in this case it is best to take beef.

From crustaceans, rats feed on gammarus, which is added to finished buckwheat.

Need to know that the rats do not always eagerly eat fresh vegetables, but they really like baked ones.

It is believed that ornamental rats, like their wild relatives, are omnivores, in fact this is not the case, since there is a clear list, dictated by veterinarians that they should not be given:

• banana;
• chocolate and other sweets;
• raw potatoes;
• tea;
• fresh bread;
• soda and alcohol;
• bread;
• beet;
• grapes;
• spinach.

Spinach, cocoa and soybeans should also be absent in the diet, as well as boiled cereals, eating which often leads to a strong increase in the weight of the animal. It is enough to pour over the porridge with hot water so that it is ready to eat, but do not boil it.

There are plant foods, which often cause the death of an animal, including indoor flowers:

• feces;
• begonia;
• dieffenbachia;
• azalea;
• cyclamens.

If you want to treat a rat with melons, then you should not do it in early summer, when the fruit contains a lot of nitrates. Sometimes such poisoning leads to the death of the animal, while in man it only causes indisposition. Fruit and vegetables can be fed to rats, but it is desirable that they grow on their own plot.

Any food in the cage should not be stale, spoiled food leads to severe poisoning.

A rat, like any other pet, should be fed properly, that is, follow the diet and regimen. If you too often give food from the table, then you can greatly harm the health of your pet.The rat is unable to properly digest salt, sugar and even spices, to say nothing of dyes, which have become increasingly present in store products.

The basis of the diet of a healthy rat should be grain food.. You can buy it in any specialty store. If we study the composition in more detail, it becomes clear that the pack contains the collection of seeds and grains that the animal can eat without harm to health. Inside there is always oats, corn and wheat. The cost of such feed is quite affordable, and sometimes there are vitamin supplements in it.

When it is possible to collect food yourself, it must be used. If there are different crops, you just need to mix them in the same proportion. The food should always be in the bowl of the rat, but if the animal gets fat, then the amount of feed is controlled.

Fruits and vegetables are used as complementary foods, greens can be given, but in small quantities. This food has all the necessary minerals and vitamins. Caloric content of such products is reduced, so the weight of the rodent will remain at the required level.

Rats drink water, so they are placed in a cage drinking bowl and make sure that the water in it always remains fresh and clean. Change the water every day.

In addition to the products listed, a chicken egg may be present in a pet's diet, in particular, protein, lean meat and even a small amount of fish. It is allowed to give dog food. Protein is added to the diet no more than 2 times a week, and rat pups are given a little more often.

In order to compensate for the calcium deficiency, a rat can be given a low-fat kefir. The portion should be small, the lure is administered no more than once a month.

Any living organism needs vitamins and minerals, but ornamental animals do not always have the opportunity to receive them in proper quantity from food. As strange as it sounds, but Even rats suffer from vitamin deficiency; it adversely affects the pet's health, especially if there is a shortage of calcium and sodium.

In this case, much depends on the owner, how closely he treats his pet. Calcium deficiency can be compensated through the consumption of hydrated lime or bone meal. Rock salt is an excellent source of sodium. Liver and even sea fish help a rat to get the right amount of phosphorus.

Particular attention is paid to female rats during pregnancy. This is the time when they need more nutrients. Experienced breeders advise to limit the amount of carbohydrates and fats they consume and increase the portion of fiber-rich foods before mating. With their obesity, they try to reduce grain food to the minimum portion.

Pregnant females are beginning to give more animal protein, that is, meat and fish, chicken cartilage will be an excellent addition to the menu. Mel and shell rock must be present in their diet, because they are enriched with essential minerals.

Onions, chicken egg yolk and liver are completely removed from the menu of a pregnant rat, as are Bulgarian peppers, tomatoes, and even wheat.

With the right diet, food is given to the animal twice a day. The rats are most active at night, so the evening dose should be slightly higher than the morning dose. It is possible to break the diet and often feed the rat in several cases:

• individuals up to 6 months, because they need more nutrients and calories for growth;
• if the animal is depleted after another host or after an illness;
• if a rat has signs of diabetes, there must always be food in its feeder.

On one rat 40 grams of grain feed is poured into the feeder, on average it is one tablespoon. Raw fruits and vegetables give no more than 12 grams per day, with the appearance of diarrhea, this amount is halved.

Animal protein should be given as complementary foods a couple of times a week, dairy products - only once a month. These types of food among themselves in one day do not mix. Each new product, as with a small child, is introduced into the diet. gradually, to make sure that it fits the rat. There are individuals who have lactose intolerance.

On how to properly maintain a domestic rat, see below.