7 Best Rat Foods for a Balanced Diet [Review]

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If you are anything like us, then you love to eat. Your rat loves to eat too.

Feeding your rat is one of the key ways to show them love and security. A natural bond with your pet starts with ensuring they have what they need to survive.

Feeding your rat [1] is one of the key ways in which you can show them love and security.

The only problem is that not all rat food is created equally. It may be tempting to opt for the cheaper stuff, but that stuff is exactly that. The ‘stuff’ is all filler.

Our list is packed with great food. Please look at what is out there and stick around for our handy rat food buying guide.

For a quick view, check out the summary below.

This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Our Favorite Rat Foods at a Glance

Don’t have time? Here is a quick comparison of our favorites!

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7 Best Rat Foods (Buying Guide)

#1 Supreme Petfoods Science Selective Rat Food

This is another excellent food that helps to tackle selective eating. The pellets are uniform, and all of the food is blended together.

The sweeter fruits can be in chunks with other foods, and your rat can pick through for the tasty morsels. With this food, everything tastes the same (in a good way), helping your rat eat a balanced diet.

This food is also great for their skin and coat, and, after only a few days, you will notice a big difference in how your furry little friend looks.

Key Features
Nutritionally complete
Great for skin & coat
No artificial colors
No sugar

READ MORE: Can Mice Have Pineapple?

#2 Oxbow Animal Health Garden Select Adult Rat Food

This rat food [2] from Oxbow gives your rat everything they need to survive and flourish.

They start with a non-GMO formula, which is better for your rat, and create a uniform food that is not only balanced but great to gnaw on.

The pieces are all the same size for easy mealtimes and feature rugged edges to give your rat some texture when eating.

The food is vet-recommended and features high-quality ingredients found naturally in the wild. Your rat will get the same nutrition (if not better) than the food they would find in the wild. 

Key Features
Non-GMO
Natural ingredients
Uniform edges
Balanced formula

#3 Mazuri | Vegetarian Rat & Mouse Diet

Mazuri | Vegetarian Rat & Mouse Diet

Mazuri Rat Food is an additional high-quality choice. It is a pelleted vegetable-based composition. It has far more protein than most other formulations.

While most are about 14 percent, this one was 23 percent. Fat content is somewhat more significant than in other formulae, but only significantly.

We believe this is primarily due to the first dehulled soybean meal, which is relatively high in protein.

  • Nutrient-rich ingredients
  • Pellets
  • Free from artificial colors and flavors
  • High in protein
Key Features
Nutrient-rich ingredients
Pellets
High in Protein
No artificial colors or flavors

Also Read: Can Pet Rats Have Cucumber?

#4 Kaytee Fiesta Mouse And Rat Food

Kaytee Fiesta Natural Mouse & Rat Food, 4.5-lb bag By Kaytee

This food is excellent for the health of your rat. The food has a shape and a texture that promotes excellent dental health.

When your rat is gnawing and chewing on this food, they will naturally wear down their teeth and protect their gums.

The addition of fruits, vegetables, prebiotics, and probiotics gives your rat a balanced and nutrition-packed meal. Natural antioxidants add to your rat’s health and boost the immune system.

Key Features
Textured
Prebiotics & probiotics
Fruits & vegetables
All-natural

READ MORE: Can Mice Eat Carrots?

#5 Oxbow Essentials Mouse Food/Young Rat Food

Oxbow Essentials Mouse Food/Young Rat Food - 2.5 lb.

If you have a young rat, you need food that gives them a balanced diet and helps them grow.

This food is rich in nutrients and protein, perfect for rats under six months. It also prevents selective feeding, which can be a problem in young rats.

Everything they need is in there, but it is all mixed to only pull out the treats.

Calcium and vitamins have been added to ensure that your rat develops as it should. There is also no sugar, preservatives, or colors added.

Key Features
For Young Rats
Prevents selective feeding
Helps your rat to grow
Added calcium & vitamins

#6 Kaytee Forti Diet Pro Health Small Animal Food For Mice And Rats

Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Mouse, Rat & Hamster Food, 3-lb bag By Kaytee

The draw with this food is the large pieces. Not only do the crunchy pieces feel good when your rat is biting through them, but they also aid in dental health while your rat is eating.

The large pieces help wear down the teeth [3] and clean them as your rat eats.

The prebiotics and probiotics are fantastic for enhancing your rat’s digestive health and ensuring that your rat is as healthy as possible.

The food is nutritionally-balanced to give your rat everything they need and naturally preserved so that the food stays fresh for longer.

Key Features
Large pieces
Balanced
Prebiotics & probiotics
Aids dental health

#7 Supreme Tiny Friends Farm Reggie Rat and Mimi Mouse Tasty Mix

This is one of the tastiest foods which your rat will eat.

As long as your rat is not a selective eater, they will love to forage through the food for the treats while taking advantage of everything they need to live a long and healthy life.

The blend of maize, oats, and peas with vitamins, vegetables, and fruits gives your pet rat everything they need for a balanced meal.

Linseed has also been added to the food. This natural oil is excellent for the skin and coat of your pet rat and will help the coat to shine.

Key Features
Nutritionally-balanced
No added sugar
Great for skin & coat
Promotes foraging

Things To Consider When Buying Rat Bedding

Not all rat food is created equally. While it may be tempting to save a few dollars, a couple more dollars can do wonders for the life and longevity of your rat.

Take the time to make an informed choice when considering rat food, and consider the points below.

Seed Vs. Pellet Rat Food

When it comes to rat food, you have two main choices. You can opt for food that has been turned into pellets or food that is kept and mixed. Both will give your rat what they need, but not all rats will eat both.

The disadvantage to the seed food is that your rat may pick through it and eat only what they want (usually the sweet stuff).

When this happens, your rat is not getting what they need to survive. Pellet food solves this by blending everything. If your rat is a selective eater, then pellet food is the way to go.

You can opt for food which has been turned into pellets or food which is kept as it is and mixed.

The downside to pellet food is that it does not have the same texture as seed food and does not mimic the natural foraging they would have in the wild. If your rat is not a selective eater, seed food is worth looking at.

How Much Food Should You Give Your Rat?

There is no hard and fast rule about how much to feed your pet rat, and we always recommend following the guidelines on the packaging of your food.

Having said that, if you are in doubt, then give them 10% of their body weight each day. As you are doing this, monitor their weight.

If they put on a lot of weight, then cut down the food a little. If they eat all of their food and lose weight, then add in some more food.

Check out this video on what you should feed your rat.

How to Make Feeding Fun

Feeding your rat is more than just putting food in a bowl. Rats are wild creatures and like to search for their food. Instead of placing the food in one place, try scattering it around the cage or play area.

Rats love to sniff out their food, and the exercise is always good for them.

Rats are very smart, so hide their food and treats in tubes or boxes. They will love solving your little puzzles and searching out the food. 

You can buy toys to hide treats inside, or you can make your own.

Rat-Safe Treats

You can supplement your rat food with the following rat-safe treats:

  • Carrot, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, zucchini, and peas
  • Apple, pear, peach, melon, and banana
  •  Basil, sage, parsley, and cilantro

Our Top Choice

Your rat will love all of these foods, but the one which we love best is the Kaytee Forti Diet Pro.

All foods on our list have everything your rat needs for a healthy and balanced diet, but this one goes a little further.

First, it does not matter if your rat is a selective eater. All the pieces are the same size and are packed with the same nutrition. Second, the large pieces are great for dental health.

A great bag of food that is delicious and will promote digestive, dental, and general health.

Brown rat nibbling on nuts under title best rat foods

Did you feed any of the above-listed food to your rat? Please let us know in the comments below!

Resources

  • 1. Contributors WE. What Can Rats Eat? [Internet]. WebMD. [cited 2022 Mar 2]. Available from: https://pets.webmd.com/what-can-rats-eat#:~:text=Rats%20are%20omnivores%2C%20meaning%20they
  • 2. Your rat’s diet [Internet]. www.pdsa.org.uk. Available from: https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/small-pets/your-rat-s-diet
  • 3. Mancinelli E, Capello V. Anatomy and Disorders of the Oral Cavity of Rat-like and Squirrel-like Rodents. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2021 Nov 21];19:871–900. Available from: https://www.vetexotic.theclinics.com/article/S1094-9194(16)30012-3/pdf
Ben Roberts
Ben Roberts

My name is Ben Roberts, and I absolutely love animals. So, naturally, I love writing about them too! As far as my animals, I have a Pit-bull, a Beagle-lab mix, a Chihuahua, and one old cat. Each one of them provides me with a new adventure every day. And the best part is they’re all best friends. Well, except the cat when he gets a little annoyed.
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