Best Dry Food for Rats

Best Dry Food for Rats Rats are often misunderstood and unappreciated creatures, but rat owners know better for they have firsthand experience of the bliss a tiny rat can offer. Contrary to popular belief, rats are smart, playful, and social creatures that make awesome pets! Rats can bring heaps of joy and laughter with their little presence. That is why rat owners only want the best for their pet rats’ health, comfort, and overall well-being, and that includes his food! Keep in mind that your pet’s diet can significantly affect his health, growth, and happiness. Now, the easiest way to cater to your pet’s daily needs is providing him with dry rat food. When you feed your rat a new kind of food, he will take a nibble and then disregard it. Don’t take the food away and assume that he is done. Your pet is simply testing the new food to see if it makes him sick or not. If it won’t, your pet will go back and eat the remaining food.
Oxbow Essentials Regal Rat Food for Adults
Rating:
Crude Protein 15.0% min
Crude Fat 4.0% min
Crude Fiber 2.0% - 5.0%
Brown’s Tropical Carnival Mouse & Rat Food
Rating:
Crude Protein 14.0% min
Crude Fat 7.0% min
Crude Fiber 9.0% max
Oxbow Garden Select Rat Food for Adults
Rating:
Crude Protein 16.0% min
Crude Fat 4.0% min
Crude Fiber 2.0% - 5.0%
Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Rat Food for Adults
Rating:
Crude Protein 20.0% min
Crude Fat 4.0% min
Crude Fiber 7.0% max

Rats will begin to refrain from testing their food as soon as they get used to it or when they fully trust their owners. Hence, it is imperative as a rat owner to feed your rat only good food.

6 Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Dry Food for Rats

Knowing what your pet can and cannot have is crucial. So, consider the following factors before you make a purchase.

1. Brand

Rats enjoy eating any food that they can get their tiny mouths on. You can give your whiskered friend soggy bread and morsels of rice and they should be all right. After all, rats can even survive in sewers. FALSE. Pet rats demand the same vitamins and minerals that your other furry pets need to stay healthy.

Choosing a low-cost rat food from unreputable brands is similar to feeding your pet with scraps or junk food. Rat foods aren't made equal. Cheaper brands also use cheap ingredients and fillers to bulk up the food. Providing your pet rat with such may fill his hungry stomach for a while, but he will be deficient in the major nutrients that his body needs. Bear in mind that malnutrition makes your pet more susceptible to diseases.

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Hence, opt for a reputable brand to ensure that you get only high-quality dry rat food. It is always worth investing in premium brands since they have reputations to maintain.

2. Flavor

Rats have taste buds just like us. They can taste the food if it is salty, sweet, sour, or bitter. That is why rats also love to take a nibble on your cake. It would be difficult to persuade your pet rat to eat his food if it isn’t appetizing enough for him. Since you can’t taste rat food or guess if they would like it, doing a little research first would be best. Likewise, pay heed to helpful reviews. Buy in small quantities also and do a trial before buying in bulk.

3. Aroma

Apart from the flavor, palatability for rats also includes the smell of food. Aroma is a vital food characteristic for rats since they have a superior sense of smell.

rat eating

4. Form and Texture

Opt for pellet or block type in rat food. Pellets or blocks look plain and identical to prevent selective feeding. If you have a fussy rat that tends to reject the mixed or homemade food you just made, uniformed pellets are your best options. Moreover, rats find crunchy blocks very enticing. Crunchy food helps rat trim their teeth while also countering boredom.

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5. Nutritional Information

Always be vigilant and check the label. If your rat has to eat the same food every day, then make sure it contains all the nutrients he needs. Most importantly, it should not be high in sugar and simple carbohydrates. Likewise, opt for rat food with natural preservatives.

6. Life Stage

Rats require different levels of nutrition as they age. Adult rats, for instance, require a low-fat diet to prevent obesity while young rats require more calories.

Rats are just as complicated as we are, humans. Rats are omnivores; thereby, eating a wide range of food from vegetables to desserts. They enjoy healthy snacks and junk food just as much. Thus, lab-grade dry food is highly recommended as your pet rat’s main meal to make sure he gets all the vitamins and minerals he needs.

Best Dry Rat Foods Compared

Below are five of the best dry rat foods based on sales, ratings, and reviews to help you choose what’s best for your fancy pet.

Conclusion

Feeding your fancy rats is not much of a challenge compared to other pets, but there are some points to consider when doing so. Rats are omnivores similar to humans and love a variety of food that includes vegetables, whole grains, and protein sources such as dog food. Chances are, your rats would steal some of your pizza and chips if he has the chance.

While your whiskered housemates may love to munch on tidbits, don’t allow them to become obese, or they may suffer a number of health issues. Moreover, fruits, seeds, nuts, and vegetables are appetizing to rats, but these small pleasures can cause skin problems so should be an occasional treat. Most importantly, a regular diet of fruits and vegetables can upset your rat’s stomach.

For a majority of rat owners, a high-quality dry rat food along with a few fresh snacks is the best and most convenient way to provide your hungry rat the nutrition he requires. Loose seed mixes can be nutritionally balanced, but picky eaters tend to neglect most of it. Pellet or block diets, on the other hand, are ideal since it prevents selective feeding as the rat won’t be able to choose which bits they do and do not want.

Rating

4.5 by 2 votes
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