My Pet Rat Basil...

[Dame Babs]

I have a lovely pet rat called Basil, a female!  Just wondering, is there ANYTHING that rats won't or can't eat?  I don't give basil anything fatty but i am curious....many thanks....

[Lindy Loo]

The one thing that rats can't digest is the lactose in dairy produce which includes cheese.
Our two rats will eat almost anything they're offered.... including chilli con carne, roast pork and the occasional bit of curry!! They always have a dish of their dried mix available, and are offered small pieces of a dog chew or a dog biscuit now and then.

[PurplePixie]

I've always thought it is probably a bad idea to give them sugar laden things such a chocolate that get stuck round their teeth. Also you're going to shorten their life if they get too fat.

But it's so hard to resist seeing if there is anything that they would actually turn down for dinner. Mine would always run off with anything that was left out, and he also got into my knicker drawer & ate some of those!

[Dame Babs]

Thank you.....I found out today that Basil likes a little bit of banana!....didn't know about the cheese thing tho'...thanks for that!

[nrmatth]

when i worked for a breeder for rats, a few were given an especially fatty diet.  These poor things were riddled with tumors at an amazingly young age, and the others got tumors occasionally, but probably at the normal average for rats, so definately stay away from lots of fats.

[Urlilshawtey]

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