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Anonymous
At the moment I just give my rats hamster food, along with a few treats every day (yogurt, tomatoes, random shit).

Do I really need to get food made specifically for rats, or are they fine on this?

Also....any specific food items I can get to supplement their diet? I know fresh veggies, but which ones are best for them?
>> Anonymous
There was a rat outside while I was building a deck and I shot it with my nailgun. It was awesome.
>> Anonymous
usually hamster mixes contain a lot of nuts and seeds, which aren't very good for rats and are pretty high in fat. it's basically like eating mcdonalds for every meal.
rats should be on a diet of lab blocks, supplemented with veggies and some shellfish or fish, as they are omnivores.
>> Anonymous
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>>326024
Sweet.
>> Anonymous
>>326024

This.

I feed mine a mixture of cereals (no sugar added.) supplemented with veggies, fruits, and meats. Too much vegetables can cause stomach problems, though, because of the high water content. Same with fruits, and you also have to watch out for sugars. I give them rolled oats, bran flakes, dry multigrain pasta and those crunchy granola clusters with no sugar. Sometimes I will give them a nugget of cat or dog food as a treat.

Don't you notice how your rats always eat like, 2 or 3 things out of the hamster food then leave the rest? When I was inexperienced I fed mine rat food, and they would eat maybe one or two of the types of seeds and whatever the hell is in there. Lots of waste for me, too.

Do some research on mixing up your own kind of rat food, or buy lab blocks. I've had rats for 3 years and they've all lived to be at least two, so I'm sure I'm doing something right.
>> Anonymous
>>326028
And would I be able to get these "lab blocks" at any pet store?

And exactly WHAT veggies should I give them, and how much?
>> tigerfeather !CrwtTbFNxQ
>>326221
Lab blocks are just pellet food, which keeps the rats from picking out the good stuff.
>> Anonymous
I've seen Regal Rat from Oxbow. Not a rat person, but curious to see if their rat food is as good as their rabbit pellets.
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
Regal Rat is good. I have a hard time finding it, though. It's smaller, heart shaped kibble, not big blocks like other brands. It smells good. Harlan Teklad is supposedly the best, but you can only get it online from rescue groups, breeders, etc.

Yes, you will find "lab blocks" in most pet stores. You'll probably know it when you see it. Most brands are shit, but still better than a seed mix. Supplement with any kind of food you want, and 4chan won't let me post links right now so you can google which rat foods to avoid.

You can feed them chicken now and then... some people claim it makes them nippy, but this hasn't been my experience at all. They love all kinds of food, and you can share most of your meals with them if you want (along with other healthy stuff). Just not too much sugar, not too much protein, not too much fat.

My rats go apeshit for yogurt raisins, grapes, broccoli, fresh peas, green beans, blueberries, and dry pasta.
>> Anonymous
>>326400
>>326225
This is my first small pet like a rat, so I'm still not too sure about all of this stuff....care to provide a link to the exact type of food that would be best? An amazon link or something so I can order some.
>> Anonymous
>>326412
You can buy Harlan Teklad blocks here:
http://www.kimsarkrescue.org/content/view/35

You can do a search and see if you can find other places to order from, but I know that a lot of people buy from her.

If you go with Regal Rat, you can get it on sale right now here:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16965&cmpid=08csegb&ref=3312&a
mp;subref=AA&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=0031740000000
>> Anonymous
As I was saying in the wrong thread, check the Oxbow website, for Regal Rat. They have a store locator. That's how I found a store for my rabbit pellets. I am glad their rat pellets are good, they really try to make good quality products there.
>> Moo !XBOXgikTFw
>>326399
Should've been a black one