Additional Foods

In addition; to 'human' fruit and vegetables, rats and mice enjoy green foods such as dandelions, chickweed, clover, Shepherd's purse, vetch, milk thistles, nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus), comfrey, dock and grasses. Make sure you collect them from an area free of pollution, pesticides and other poisons. Wash thoroughly. Do not pick anything you are unsure of, as this could be poisonous.

Herbs; are another green food you may find your animals like. Examples of herbs to feed are basil, mint and sage.

Hay; seems to be highly recommended for mice. It provides minerals and fibre which are good for the digestion. It also gives the mice something to chew as well as entertainment as they love to make nests from it. A lovely shine to the coat can be brought about by the mice crawling around in the hay.

Mice and rats; also enjoy dairy products such as yoghurt, sour cream, cheese, milk and butter on bread. These should be fed in moderation, as they can upset the stomach of some animals and are high in fat. Milk products are a good food source for mother's with young babies, to help with milk production. Yoghurt with live bacteria (acidophilus, bifidus) can also help and return the normal stomach bacteria to animals who have just finished an antibiotic course.

Other more general additions; to the diet are commercial breakfast cereals, porridge, cooked pasta, dry pasta, fish food flakes, unsweetened biscuits, eggs (raw), hard-boiled eggs, 'egg and biscuit' (for birds), fish, chicken and other meats (raw or cooked), honey (on cereal), baby food, tofu, chicken bones and other bones, soup and other table scraps. The thing to remember with these is if they are fatty or high in protein, feed them in moderation.

Do Nots

There is often controversy about what NOT to feed your animals, here are some suggestions from several sources;

Do Not Feed;

Raw Onion - Can cause anaemia and stomach upsets in Rats & Mice.

Peanut butter - fatty, skin reaction in some mice. Rats and mice may choke on it.

Carbonated drinks - rats can't burp so they will get gas in their stomach.

Human chocolate - may be toxic in large amounts.

Non-fresh food - can give mice and rats food poisoning just like us. IE; Raw beans, raw sweet potato, raw red cabbage, raw brussel sprouts, raw artichokes, raw tofu, green bananas, and green potatoes. These are all suggested in the 'Rat Health care' booklet to be bad for rats.

Feeding; One of the most important things is to feed your animals regularly, at a certain time everyday. For rats and mice one or two feeds a day is normal. If feeding once a day, the evening is usually better as both rats and mice tend to be nocturnal (awake at night) and so they will be eating the food at it's freshest.

Large groups, pregnant or lactating (giving milk) mothers are best fed twice a day.

Mice and rats use energy up very fast in their bodies (fast metabolism). Therefore they tend to need food to be available most of the time. If they have nothing available they will start to lose condition and may not be able keep warm and so on. This can quickly lead to death. When feeding it is recommended that you feed enough food so that there is some left over when you come to feed them the next time. It is suggested for mice that you feed 8-10 grams of basic food per mouse. For rats it is suggested a 1/3 cup of basic food be fed per rat.

Food should be fed in heavy crockery dishes to separate it from the bedding and droppings. Heavy crockery dishes are less likely to get tipped over by the animals. The dry food and the wet food are usually placed in separate bowls so that they don't go 'off'. Dishes should be cleaned at the beginning of each feed. Remove unused moist food from cage each day to prevent odour and an unhealthy environment for your pet. Rats and mice tend to store surplus food (for the next ice age). Some people find dishes are not useful as some pets use them as a toilet.

Fruit and vegetables; should be fed in moderation as they can cause diarrhoea, particularly in mice. Green coloured vegetables are usually the cause.

Frozen vegetables; are suitable for feeding rats and mice and need only be defrosted. Canned vegetables tend to be high in salt so should be used infrequently.

Avoid using artificially coloured food for your animals. The food is coloured for the owner's benefit (the animals don't care). The colours may be to hide the fact that you are getting a poor mix of food. Artificial colourings may also not be good for your pet, some are suggested to cause cancer. Young animals which are still growing may need extra food, as will pregnant mothers and elderly animals. Always keep an eye on your animals weight and adjust the amount of food you feed accordingly.

To prevent being accidentally bitten, avoid feeding your rat or mouse through the wire of the cage. This sort of feeding makes the animal get into the habit of biting anything (including fingers) coming through the wire.

When feeding large numbers of cages (breeders), it is suggested you always feed cages in a set order so as not to forget a cage. If your animal has special dietary needs, write yourself a note and stick it on the cage to remind you. Always feed animals which are sick last, to prevent spreading the disease.