Rat food and snacks: how to put together your rats' menu

In the wild, rats eat almost anything they come across: grains, seeds, vegetables, leaves, fruit and the occasional insect. As pets they benefit from that same variety, but in the right proportions. A good rat menu consists of a complete basis, a little fresh food, small extras and plenty to gnaw on. In this category you will find everything that goes with it, divided into four sections: rat food, snacks, dried herbs and gnawing material.

Most of the range is from Zooply, our own premium brand. We started Zooply when we noticed that we could not always get the products that worked best for our own animals elsewhere. We use Zooply every day for the animals in our shop in Bodegraven and in our breeding facility, and for each product group we only choose what we ourselves think is good.

In short

• ✓ Zooply Rat Food is the daily basis; snacks, herbs and gnawing material are supplements.
• ✓ Rats easily become overweight: keep extras small and weigh your rats regularly.
• ✓ Herbs, vegetables and insects are better suited to daily use than fruit, nuts and seeds.
• ✓ Also use food and snacks as enrichment: let your rats search and work for it.
• ✓ Switch to new food gradually, spread over 1 to 2 weeks.

What will you find in the Food & Snacks for Rats category?

Rat food

In Rat food you will find Zooply Rat Food, a complete mix made especially for rats with ingredients such as grains, legumes, vegetables and a flower mix of marigold, chamomile, rose and cornflower. It comes in a small 550 gram pack and in a 1.6 kg tub. You will also find Zooply Rodent Food and Zooply Rodent Food Excellent, two complete mixes for hamsters, gerbils, mice and rats that include mealworms as animal protein. Handy if you have other small rodents besides rats.

Snacks

In Snacks you will find rewards for taming and training your rats. From Zooply there are dried insects (Crickets, Grasshoppers and Silkworms), the Zooply Nibble Mix, millet spray, walnuts and the natural enrichment bunches such as Zooply Hare Field and Flower Field. There are also chew sticks, chew rolls, biscuits, crackers and playful snacks from brands including Zolux, JR Farm, Flamingo, Esve and Trixie.

Dried herbs

In Dried herbs there is a large Zooply range: single herbs and leaves such as nettle, dandelion and plantain, flowers such as chamomile and marigold, dried vegetables, flakes, seeds, insect mixes, dried fruit and seasonal mixes. Ideal for scattering through the enclosure as a daily foraging hunt.

Gnawing material

In Gnawing material you will find Zooply Apple Branches and Zooply Dandelion Roots, dried willow twigs, chew blocks to attach to the cage and an edible bridge. These let your rats use their teeth without it immediately being extra food.

Building a good rat menu

You can think of a rat's menu as a pyramid. The wide base is the main food: Zooply Rat Food, in a measured portion every day. Above that comes a small amount of fresh food, such as a piece of vegetable per rat per day. Then come the dried herbs, flowers and vegetables: light, varied and good for giving a pinch of every day. The narrow top consists of the energy-rich extras: fruit, nuts, seeds and most snacks. Insects sit somewhere in between: they are small, rich in protein and suit an omnivore, but you only give a few of those at a time too.

Gnawing material sits outside that pyramid. Plain branches and chew blocks add hardly any nutrition, but provide a lot of activity. Count edible gnawing material, such as dandelion roots or a chew roll with millet, among the extras.

Fresh food alongside the Zooply range

Alongside dry food, a small amount of fresh food belongs on a rat's menu every day. Think of a broccoli floret, a slice of cucumber, a strip of bell pepper or a piece of carrot. A piece of cooked egg now and then is a good source of protein. Do not give raw potato, raw dried beans, chocolate or salted, spiced and fatty human food. Remove fresh food that has not been eaten on the same day, including from the nest, because rats like to hide a little stash.

Rats and obesity

Rats are real stayers when it comes to food. They eat what they are given, hide the rest and come back a little later to ask for more. As a result, many rats become overweight without anyone noticing. An overweight rat moves less, is less keen to climb and feels less comfortable in its own skin.

So weigh your rats every few weeks on a kitchen scale and write down their weight. If you see the weight creeping up, look at the extras first, not straight away at the main food. The difference is often in a few nuts, a handful of fruit snacks or leftovers from the table. Cut those back, keep the rat food as it is and give your rats more reason to move, for example by hiding part of the food around the enclosure.

Feeding as enrichment

For a clever animal like a rat, eating is more than just eating. Searching, opening, picking apart and collecting are all part of it for them. Make use of that. Scatter part of the evening portion of Zooply Rat Food across the levels, hide a few Zooply Crickets in a cardboard tube, or make a snuffle box with dried herbs and a few pieces of food. A Zooply enrichment bunch or a branch of the Zooply Apple Branches gives your rats something to take apart.

In a group, make sure everyone gets their share. Divide the food over several places and give snacks to each rat by hand. That way you prevent the boldest rat from getting everything and the calmer animals too little.

Taming with snacks

Rats are exceptionally eager to learn. With a small reward you can teach them to climb onto your hand, respond to their name or run through a tunnel. Choose something small with a strong smell, such as a dried insect or a piece of millet spray. If you use rewards very often, take pieces from the daily portion of Zooply Rat Food. Then you train without your rats eating anything extra.

Switching and storing

Rats are cautious with unfamiliar food and taste only a little at first. If you are switching to Zooply Rat Food or trying a new herb, introduce it gradually. With main food, mix the new food further and further through the old over 1 to 2 weeks. With herbs and snacks, start with a very small amount.

Store food, herbs and snacks in a dry, cool, dark place and well sealed. The Zooply Rat Food tub and the resealable Zooply packs make that easy. If something smells musty or rancid, or has become damp, throw it away. Nuts and seeds in particular can go rancid over time.

Useful combinations

A good menu comes into its own best in a well-equipped enclosure:

• Feeding bowls: sturdy bowls for the daily rat food, also handy as a second feeding spot.
• Water bottles: always fresh, clean drinking water next to the food.
• Dried flowers & grasses: Zooply grasses to hide food and herbs in.
• Toys: to hide food and snacks in, so your rats have to search.

Frequently asked questions about rat food and snacks

What is the best basis for a rat?

A complete rat mix as the main food, such as Zooply Rat Food, supplemented with a little fresh food and an occasional protein-rich extra. Only refill the food bowl once it is properly empty, so your rats eat the whole mix and not just their favourite bits. Fresh drinking water always goes with it.

How many extras can a rat have per day?

Keep the total amount of extras small compared to the main food. A pinch of herbs or dried vegetables, a few insects or a small piece of snack while taming is enough. If your rats leave their rat food or are getting heavier, you are giving too many extras.

Do rats need hay?

No, not as main food. For rats, hay is mainly nesting material and something to nibble on now and then. The main food remains a good rat mix. If you want to give something natural with fibre, dried herbs and grasses are a nice supplement.

Can rats have dried fruit and nuts?

Yes, but in moderation. Fruit contains a lot of natural sugar and nuts are very fatty. Save them for special moments, such as learning a new trick, and give small pieces. For everyday rewards, herbs, vegetables and insects are a better choice.

Why are my rats no longer eating their food?

Often they get too many extras and their regular food becomes less interesting. Stop snacks for a few days and give only rat food in a fixed portion. If a rat still does not eat, is lethargic, loses weight or breathes audibly, contact a vet with knowledge of rats straight away. Dental problems can also be a cause.

Is gnawing material necessary if I already feed well?

Yes. The food takes care of part of the wear on the teeth, but gnawing material also provides activity and a safe outlet for gnawing behaviour. Without suitable material, rats are more likely to start gnawing on their enclosure or hammocks.

Rat food and snacks at Knaagplaza

At Knaagplaza, the webshop of 't Knaagplein, you can put together the complete menu for your rats. Zooply is our own premium brand, and what we sell under that name, we also feed ourselves. Start with Zooply Rat Food as the basis, supplement with Zooply herbs and a few insects, give plenty to gnaw on, and your rats will eat a varied diet without it becoming too much.