Snacks for rats: rewarding, training and spending time together

Rats are among the cleverest pets you can keep. They learn quickly, recognise their owner and like to come to you when there is something in it for them. A good snack is your best tool for that: to get a new rat used to your hand, to teach tricks or to tempt your rats out of their hammock for a moment. At the same time, rats are real go-getters when it comes to food, and they quickly become overweight. So a snack is always small and an extra alongside the regular rat food.

In this category you will find a wide range. We start with Zooply, our own premium brand, with dried insects, a nibble mix, millet sprays, walnuts and natural enrichment bunches. You will also find gnawing sticks, gnawing rolls, grain-free snacks and playful snack products from other brands. We use Zooply ourselves every day for the animals in our shop and breeding facility.

In short

• ✓ Snacks are an extra: a small part of the menu, never instead of rat food.
• ✓ Give small pieces; a rat only needs a very small piece to be motivated.
• ✓ Dried insects suit rats as omnivores; a few at a time is enough.
• ✓ Be sparing with sweet and fatty snacks, such as fruit, nuts and peanuts.
• ✓ In a group, spread snacks over several spots, so every rat gets something.

What will you find in the Snacks category?

Zooply Crickets, Grasshoppers and Silkworms

Rats are omnivores and also eat insects in the wild. Dried insects match that well and are a favourite with most rats. According to the product information, Zooply Crickets, Zooply Grasshoppers and Zooply Silkworms consist of 100% dried insects without additives. They are sugar-free and come in resealable packaging. You give them by hand, put them in a bowl or hide them in the enclosure. The product information recommends a few at a time as a protein snack; for rats that really is enough. Because the smell is so strong, insects also work well to win over a shy rat.

Zooply Nibble Mix

The Zooply Nibble Mix is a varied snack mix with various seeds, grains and dried vegetables, among other things. You can give it as an in-between treat, mix a little through the regular food or use it in toys and foraging games. The mix comes in 200 grams and in a bulk pack of 2.5 kg, handy if you have a larger group of rats or use the mix for several animals.

Zooply Millet Spray Pieces and Zooply Walnuts

Zooply Millet Spray Pieces are short stems with seeds attached. Your rat holds them in its front paws and nibbles off the seeds one by one. That takes a while and so keeps it busy. You can put them down loose or stick them halfway into the bedding. Zooply Walnuts come in resealable packaging and are a top reward for many rats. Walnuts are, however, rich in fat. So give a small piece, not a whole nut, and not every day.

Zooply Hare Field, Flower Field, Heath Field, Meadow Field, Reed Field and Dune Field

These 85-gram Zooply bunches combine green oats and pieces of millet spray with a dried flower or plant as an eye-catcher, such as bunny tails grass, daisy, sea lavender, strawflowers, amaranth or statice. They are intended as natural enrichment: to nibble on, pull apart and drag around. Stick a bunch into the bedding, put it by a house or hang it between two levels. Rats love to shred things, so expect the bunch to fall apart quickly. That is exactly the idea.

Gnawing sticks, gnawing rolls and gnawing bars

You will find gnawing sticks from Zolux in various flavours, such as carrot, vegetables, oats, Jerusalem artichoke, beetroot, plum, peanut and orange, always in packs of two. From JR Farm there are, among others, the Gnawing Carrot, the Double-Roll, the Wooden gnawing roll with carrot, the Gnawing bar with strawberry and various grain-free gnawing rolls, gnawing drops and gnawing sticks. Sticks and rolls like these give your rats something to keep busy with for a long time. Do bear in mind: they are still snacks with nutritional value. For a small group of rats, it is better to give one stick that they share than one per rat.

Playful snacks and foraging games

Some products are half snack, half toy. Think of the JR Farm Fruit Tree (a pine cone filled with fruit and seeds), the Sniffing Box, the Sniffing Bush, the Play wheel with snacks and the Gnawing Bowl, the Flamingo Tubez gnawing tunnel with fruit or carrot and the birch wood Fruit Bowl. Rats have to make an effort for these: pulling, gnawing, searching. Ideal for a clever rat that gets bored quickly.

Biscuits, crackers and small rewards

For small, quick rewards there are, among others, the Flamingo vegetable biscuits with carrot, pumpkin and parsley, the Trixie Crackers, the JR Farm Nibble Hearts, Nibble Pillows and Vegetable Rings, the Trixie Forest Fruit Drops and the JR Farm Sushi rolls. These are handy to break into pieces for training.

Hay rolls, bunches and grass growing kit

The Esve Pet Bouquets and Timothy hay rolls consist mainly of grains, grasses and hay and are primarily made for rabbits and guinea pigs. Rats nibble on them now and then and like to use the hay as nesting material. With the Trixie grass growing kit you grow your own fresh grass; a small tuft is a fun, fresh change for rats.

Using snacks to tame your rats

A new rat is often a little cautious at first. Sit calmly by the enclosure, talk softly and hold a small piece of snack between your fingers. Let the rat come by itself and take the piece. Repeat this for a few days, and then put the snack in your open hand, so the rat has to step onto your hand. That way it learns that your hand means something good. Dried insects and a small piece of Zooply Millet Spray work well here, because they smell strongly and are small.

Rats are also easy to train. They learn their name, come when they hear a sound, run through a tunnel or jump from your hand to the cage. Work in short sessions of a few minutes with small rewards. Break a biscuit or stick into pieces the size of a grain of rice to a pea; more isn't needed. If you use rewards often, set aside part of the regular evening portion of rat food and use those pellets as rewards. That way you train without extra calories.

How many snacks can a rat have?

There is no fixed rule, but keep the total amount of snacks small compared to the rat food. Above all, look at your rats themselves. If they leave their regular food, or get heavier, you are giving too many extras. Pay particular attention to fatty and sweet snacks. Nuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, fruit and fruit-flavoured snacks are tasty, but full of energy. Snacks based on vegetables, herbs or insects are better suited to a daily reward moment.

Weigh your rats regularly. A rat that is slowly getting heavier is only noticeable to the eye late on. With a kitchen scale you notice it straight away, and can cut back the snacks in time.

Giving snacks in a group

Rats live in a group, and in a group not everyone has the same position. If you give one snack to the whole group, the boldest rat often snatches it straight away. So give each rat its own piece by hand, or spread the snacks over several spots in the enclosure. Keep an eye on whether the calmer rats get something too. A larger snack that they have to work on together, such as a gnawing stick or a Zooply bunch, can actually be fun too, as long as there is enough room for everyone to get to it.

Handy combinations

Snacks work best as part of a complete menu and a challenging enclosure:

• Rat food: Zooply Rat Food as the daily basis; you can also use part of it as a training reward.
• Dried herbs: Zooply herbs and vegetables to scatter around the enclosure, with fewer calories than many snacks.
• Gnawing material: gnawing without it immediately being food.
• Dried flowers and grasses: to hide snacks in for a treasure hunt.
• Toys: for foraging games with a few small rewards.

Frequently asked questions about snacks for rats

Which snack is best for taming a rat?

Choose something small, strong-smelling and that your rat likes to eat. Dried insects such as Zooply Crickets or Silkworms are very suitable for that, as is a small piece of millet spray or a piece of vegetable biscuit. Give it between your fingers first and then in your open hand. Be patient: one rat gets used to it after a few days, another needs a few weeks.

Can rats have insects every day?

According to the product information, the Zooply insects are suitable for giving daily, provided it is in a small amount. A few per rat is enough. Alternate insects, for example, with a piece of vegetable or a Zooply herb, so that the whole stays varied. The main food is always the rat food.

Are nuts and peanuts good for rats?

Rats love nuts and peanuts, but they are very fatty. So give them sparingly and in small pieces, for example as a special reward for a new trick. A rat that gains weight easily is better off with snacks based on vegetables, herbs or insects.

Are snacks for rabbits and guinea pigs also suitable for rats?

Many snacks in this category are made for rabbits and rodents in general. Check the product page to see which animals a product is intended for. Hay rolls and grain bunches are mainly for rabbits and guinea pigs; rats sometimes nibble on them, but more often use them as nesting material. Products that also list rats can simply be used as an extra.

My rats only eat snacks now and leave their food. What now?

Stop all snacks completely for a few days and only give rat food in a fixed portion. Only top up when the bowl is empty. After that you can give very small rewards again. If a rat also leaves its regular food, is sluggish or is losing weight, contact a vet with rat experience.

How should I store snacks?

Store snacks dry, cool and dark in well-sealed packaging. The Zooply insects and walnuts come in resealable packaging. If a snack smells musty or rancid, or has become damp, throw it away. Nuts and seeds in particular can go rancid over time.

Snacks for rats at Knaagplaza

At Knaagplaza, the webshop of 't Knaagplein, you will find snacks to reward, train and occupy your rats. Zooply is our own premium brand, which we use every day for our own animals. Combine small snacks with Zooply Rat Food as the basis and plenty of challenge in the enclosure, and your rats will stay fit, curious and easy to handle.