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SAFE FOODS TO OFFER RATS

There are many foods that rats CAN eat but are a potential chocking hazard, such as sticky foods( peanut butter for examples) or very stringy foods. Make sure to dilute sticky foods and chop up stringy foods into finer bits. As scavengers, rats can eat most things. This doesn't mean everything they can have is healthy. When giving your rats foods, be mindful of the sugar and salt content.

VEGETABLES

MUSHROOMS

FRUITS

BERRIES

HERBS

FLOWERS

MEAT & BONES

FISH

FISH EGGS/ ROE

MOLLUSCS

INVERTEBRATES

VEGETABLES

Dark, green leafy veggies are fantastic for rats! Vegetables are a great source for vitamins, minerals and fibre! Many other types of veggies are also great.

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  • Asparagus

  • Aubergine/Eggplant (Bitter when raw)

  • Avocado (No Skin or Seed)

  • Bamboo shoots

  • Bean Sprouts

  • Bok Choy

  • Board Beans (Canned or Boiled)

  • Broccoli

  • Brussels sprouts (Cooked)

  • Butternut Squash (Raw or Cooked)

  • Carrots

  • Cauliflower

  • Celeriac

  • Celery

  • Chick peas (Roasted, sprouted, Canned, Boiled)

  • Chicory

  • Clover leaf

  • Coconut

  • Collard greens

  • Courgette/Zucchini (Bitter when raw)

  • Cress

  • Cucumber

  • Dandelion leaves

  • Eggplant (cooked or Raw)

  • Endive (IN MODERATION)

  • Fennel

  • French beans (Cooked)

  • Gala

  • Globe artichoke

  • Green beans (Cooked)

  • Jerusalem artichoke

  • Kale

  • Kohlrabi

  • Leek (COOKED)

  • Lentils (raw, cooked, sprouted)

  • Lettuce (SMALL AMOUNT)

  • Mange trout

  • Mung beans (spouted, raw, canned, boiled)

  • Okra

  • Olive

  • Onion (Cooked)

  • Peas

  • Peppers

  • Potato (COOKED)

  • Pumpkin

  • Radish

  • Rocket

  • Runner bean (COOKED)

  • Spinach (IN MODERATION)

  • Swede

  • Sweet chestnuts (COOKED)

  • Sweetcorn (fresh, frozen, on the cob, canned)

  • Sweet peppers

  • Sugar snap pea

  • Swiss Chard

  • Turnip

  • Water chestnut

  • Watercress

Safe foods: Text

MUSHROOMS

Mushrooms can be fed raw, dried and cooked. Dried mushrooms are a great source for copper. Do not forage mushrooms for rats as it is very easy to mix up mushrooms without experience and many are dangerous. Stick to store bought mushrooms as these will be safe and clean. Not all rats like mushrooms, but those who do like them go crazy for them!

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  • Button mushrooms 

  • Chestnut mushrooms

  • Lion Mane/bears tooth 

  • Aborted entoloma 

  • Shaped puffball 

  • Blewit

  • Velvet foot 

  • Shaggy manes 

  • Pink/meadow bottoms 

  • Brown honey/Strumper 

  • Hen of woods 

  • Oyster 

  • Chicken of woods 

  • Reddening lepiota

  • Deer/fawn 

  • Chicken foot 

  • Woodears 

  • Gilled bolete

  • King bolete

  • Green quilted russula 

  • Purple Gilled laccaria

  • Angel wings 

  • Red cracked bolete

  • Orange latex milky 

  • Man on horseback 

  • Sweet tooth 

  • Shaggy parasol 

  • Lobster mushroom

  • Black trumpets 

  • Pheasant backs 

  • Late fall oysters 

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Safe foods: Text

FRUITS

Fruits are a tasty and fun treat with a lot of good vitamins. Fruits are naturally high in sugar, some less than others, so for this reason fruit should not be given as often as vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, etc. Contrary to a popular belief, citrus is safe for rats, both male and females. The studies that started the myth of citrus being dangerous were poorly conducted, if you wish to read an educational breakdown of these studies, click here.


  • Apple (Remove seeds)

  • Apricots (No stone)

  • Banana

  • Cantaloupe

  • Cherries (No stone)

  • Chocolate pudding fruit (No stones)

  • Damsons (No stone

  • Dates (No stone)

  • Dragon fruit

  • Figs (No stone)

  • Grapes (Red and green)

  • Kiwi

  • Lemon

  • Melon

  • Nectarines (No stone)

  • Honeydew Melon

  • Passion fruit

  • Peach (No stone)

  • Pears

  • Physalis

  • Papaya

  • Pineapple

  • Plums (None stone)

  • Pomegranate

  • Prickly pear (Peal first)

  • Prunes (No stone)

  • Raisins

  • Tomato *All varieties*

  • Watermelon

  • Mango

  • Oranges

  • Grapefruit (peeled & washed)

  • Guave fruit (both flesh and seeds)

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Safe foods: Text

BERRIES

Berries are a great healthy treat for rats. Berries are high in fibre, antioxidants and are lower in sugar than most fruits. Frozen berries can be a fantastic treat on hot summer days!


  • Bill berry

  • Blueberries

  • Blackberries

  • Cranberries

  • Loganberries (Leaves are safe)

  • Raspberries

  • Strawberries

  • Elderberries

  • Goji berries

  • Gooseberry

  • Hawthorn

  • Juniper

  • Mountain ash

Safe foods: Text

HERBS

Herbs are a fun and healthy treat with low sugar content and a rich source of antioxidants. Not all rats care for herbs. Growing herbs on your windowsill can be a fun little hobby you and your rats can enjoy together.


  • Basil

  • Parsley

  • Dill

  • Coriander

  • Sage

  • Tarragon

  • Saffron

  • Echinacea/Purple Cone Flower

  • Dandelion (Flower and Leaves)

  • Mint

  • Thyme

  • Oregano

  • Chervil

  • Chives

  • Rosemary

Safe foods: Text

FLOWERS

Flowers are a fun and cute summer treat for both people and rats. Its best to grow these yourself to make sure they are pesticide free, or buy food grade flowers from a store.


  • Apple blossoms

  • Basil flowers

  • Biennial Clary flowers

  • Busy Lizzie

  • Cape jasmine

  • Carnations

  • Coriander flowers

  • Cornflowers

  • Courgette flowers

  • Dandelion flowers

  • Dill flowers

  • Echinacea flowers

  • Evening primrose flowers

  • Feijoa sellowiana flowers

  • Fennel flowers

  • Fuchsia flowers

  • Gladiolus flowers

  • Hibiscus blossoms

  • Hollyhock flowers

  • Hyssop flowers

  • Japanese basil flowers

  • Lavender flowers

  • Lemon balm flowers

  • Lilac flowers

  • Marigold flowers

  • Marrow flowers

  • Mint flowers

  • Bergamot flowers

  • Mooli radish flowers

  • Nasturtium leaves and flowers

  • Spring onion flower

  • Oregano flowers

  • Ornamental Kale flowers

  • Pansy flowers

  • Vegetable pea flowers

  • Pumpkin flowers

  • Purple radish flowers

  • Rocket flowers

  • Rose flowers

  • Rosemary flowers

  • Sage flowers

  • Salsify flowers

  • Scented pelargonium flowers

  • Squash flowers

  • Strawberry flowers

  • Sunflower flowers

  • Sweet cicely flowers

  • Sweet mace flowers

  • Sweet Marjoram flowers

  • Sweet rocket flowers

  • Viola flowers

  • Yucca flowers

Safe foods: Text

MEAT, INCLUDING BONES.

Meats are a rich source of protein and should be fed in moderation. Meats can be fed both cooked and raw, but if raw, the meat must be frozen beforehand. Many local butcheries will give away bones and other left over cuts for a very low price, sometimes even for free.


  • Alligator

  • Alpaca

  • Bison

  • Camel

  • Cattle

  • Chicken

  • Crocodile

  • Deer

  • Duck

  • Elk

  • Goat

  • Goose

  • Grouse

  • Kangaroo

  • Llama

  • Moose

  • Ostrich

  • Partridge

  • Pheasant

  • Pig

  • Pigeon

  • Quail

  • Rabbit

  • Sheep

  • Turkey

  • Water buffalo

  • Yak

Safe foods: Text

FISH

Fish are a great source of omega 3 (great for the coat) , minerals and B2. Fish is great for the heart and can be fed more often than red meats. Fish can be fed both cooked or raw, but if fed raw, the fish must be frozen beforehand.


  • Bass

  • Black cod/ Sable fish

  • Blow fish

  • Bluefish

  • Bombay duck

  • Bream

  • Brill

  • Butter fish

  • Cat fish

  • Cod

  • Dog fish

  • Dorade

  • Eel

  • Flounder

  • Grouper

  • Haddock

  • Halibut

  • Herring

  • Ilish

  • John Dory

  • Kingfish

  • Lamprey

  • Ling cod

  • Mackerel

  • Mahi Mahi

  • Mullet

  • Orange roughy

  • Patagonian tooth fish

  • Pike

  • Pollock

  • Pomfret

  • Pompano

  • Sable fish

  • Salmon

  • Sanddab

  • Sardine

  • Sea bass

  • Shad

  • Skate

  • Snake head

  • Snapper

  • Sole

  • Sturgeon

  • Surimi

  • Sword fish

  • Tilapia

  • Tile fish

  • Trout

  • Tuna

  • Turbot

  • Wahoo

  • White fish

  • Whiting

Safe foods: Text

FISH EGGS/ ROE

Can be fed raw without freezing


  • Caviar (sturgeon roe)

  • Ikura (salmon roe)

  • Kazunoko (herring roe)

  • Lumpfish roe

  • Masago (capelin roe)

  • Shad roe

  • Tobiko (flying-fish roe)

Safe foods: Text

MOLLUSCS

These can be fed both raw and cooked.


  • Cockle

  • Conch

  • Cuttlefish

  • Loco

  • Mussel

  • Octopus

  • Oyster

  • Periwinkle

  • Scallop

  • Squid

Safe foods: Text

INVERTEBRATES

Invertebrates can be a fun treat but should be given in moderation. These can be fed both live or dries, but must ALWAYS be bought from a store or bred from non wild breeding stock. Wild Invertebrates can carry various parasites and make your rats very sick.


  • Blood worms

  • Butter worms

  • Calci worms

  • Chapulines

  • Cockroaches

  • Crickets

  • Earthworms

  • Fruit beetle grubs

  • Grass hopper

  • Horn worms

  • Locusts

  • Maguey worms

  • Meal worms

  • Morio worms

  • Silkworms

Safe foods: Text
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