Food Always buy a diet which is made specifically for rats. Rats have specific nutritional needs which are very different from rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, ferrets, etc... You will want to stay away from "seed mixes" or other "mixed" rat food diets that contain a variety of different bits of seeds and food items to choose from. Although these forms of diets seem like a good choice, they are known to be less nutritious. The other major problem with these diets is that a lot of rats won't eat all the different bits of food contained in the diet, picking only the tastiest items to eat. Granted you could watch the bowl and not fill it again until they eat every last bit, but your still not sure if they are all eating everything they should. One rat could be eating all the sunflower seeds, while another rat is eating all the dried fruit, while another rat is eating all the kibble, etc... With "mixed" diets it is simply impossible to guarantee a balanced diet. On the other hand, "rat blocks" or "rat kibble" is an all in one piece of food, similar to how dog and cat food is made. Each piece of food is packed with complete nutrition and so every piece that your rat eats provides them with a balanced diet, eliminating the problem of selective eating. Usually "rat blocks" look like giant green pellets, but Oxbow makes a "rat kibble" which is heart shaped as well. Provide your rats with "rat blocks/kibble" freely at all times. Try to buy a brand of "rat blocks/kibble" that has a larger proportion of soymeal over corn in it's ingredients. Soymeal is more nutritious than corn. 75-80% of your rats' diet should consit of these "rat blocks/kibble". For the other 15-20% of their diet, you should provide fruits and veggies. Give a portion of fruit, and a portion of veggies, each and every day to your rats. You can buy fruits and veggies in many forms; fresh, frozen, canned (although stay away from sugary syrups, and high salt content), and even as baby food. Wash all your fresh fruits/veggies to remove pesticides before giving them to your rats. The general portion size of fruits/veggies we give each of our rats each day is equal to that of the size of a large strawberry. (Anything more liquidy, like baby food, we give about one tablespoon full each.) A medium sized strawberry is a good representation of the general size portion of fruits/veggies each rat should receive every day. Some of Our Rats' Favorites Include... Veggies Broccoli (fresh) Carrots (the fresh mini peeled ones) Corn (frozen or on the cob) Peas (frozen) Spinach (fresh) Sweet Potato (baby food) Bok Choy (fresh) Grape Tomatoes (fresh) Asparagus (cooked) Squash (baby food) Cauliflower (fresh) Green Beans (frozen) Fruits Bananas (fresh or dried) Watermelon (fresh) Musk Melon (fresh) Cantaloupe (fresh) Pineapple (canned) Peaches (canned) Raisins Craisins Apples (fresh without the seeds or dried) Grapes (red or green without seeds) Strawberries (fresh or frozen) Blueberries (fresh or frozen) Raspberries (fresh or frozen) Cherries (fresh without the pits or dried) (All frozen food, is of course, thawed out first.) Beans (canned) Garbonzo Beans Lima Beans Pinto Beans Miscellaneous... A good diet is critical for your rat's good health. So is a healthy weight. Do not let them get obese. Rats under four months of age can use a little extra protein while growing. You can offer them nuts, cheese, yogurt, or small pieces of meat. But don't over do it. Adult rats do not need any extra protein beyond what they get in their "rat blocks/kibble". In fact, too much protein in their diet can cause them to itch. So avoid giving too many protein enriched treats to adults. Never feed your rats junk food. It's as bad for them as it is for us. Never let your rats eat spoiled, moldy, or rotten foods. Finally, do not get depressed if your rats don't seem overly anxious about the new food choice your presenting to them. In the wild, as a protective instinct, rats will only sample a tiny taste of a new food. Then they will wait a period of time to see if they become sick from it. They do this because they cannot vomit it up if it is a bad food for them. Once they are confident it is safe, they will go back and eat the rest of it. So it might take some time before your rats become comfortable with any new foods which you introduce to them. Be patient.