What to feed a rat: food chart and foods to avoid

What to feed a rat: the short version

Pet rats need a complete food made for rats, with small amounts of suitable fresh food as part of their daily allowance. Provide fresh water at all times and use some of their food for foraging. The RSPCA says rats are omnivores and can have small amounts of fruit, veg, cooked egg, grains and seeds, counted within the daily allowance. Keep treats small, monitor weight, and avoid grapes and raisins in line with RSPCA advice.

How much to feed depends on the rats, their weight and what they leave behind. Woodgreen gives an example allowance of about 15 g of dried food per rat per day, but it is not a universal portion. Ask a rat-savvy vet about a suitable amount if weight or appetite changes. To check a single food fast, use our rat food checker or the full what can rats eat list.

Rat food chart

"Every day" means suitable in a small, varied fresh-food rotation, not every food every day. Where sources disagree, this chart follows the UK RSPCA avoid list, including grapes, raisins, citrus and walnuts. Other sources' lists are not adopted wholesale.

You are welcome to copy this chart into your own care sheet, forum post, school project or club page. Please credit Bruxlings with a link back to this page.

Can rats eat…? The rat food chart

Pellets first, fresh bits second, and the never list always. Fresh food comes out of the daily allowance, not on top of it. Pop it on the fridge.

Fresh veg in small, varied portions, and take away anything left before it spoils. Fruit is sugary and seeds are fatty, so keep them tiny. Not as the main food: rabbit, guinea pig or hamster food, which is made for other animals. Not sure about a food? Leave it out and ask a vet who treats rats. Sources differ on a few single foods, such as grapes; this chart follows the more cautious advice.

Test yourself: play Safe or Not?, our rat food game, and sort 12 foods into every day, sometimes or never.

How much does a rat eat per day?

A pet rat eats about 15 g (half an ounce) of dried food a day, roughly two level tablespoons, according to Woodgreen Pets Charity. That is a starting point, not a rule. Follow the feeding guide on your nugget packet, and the PDSA advises measuring the food out daily because rats gain weight easily. The National Fancy Rat Society gives adult males as around 500 g (1.1 lb) and adult females around 300 g (10.5 oz), so a big buck may need more than a small doe.

There is no single spoonful that suits every rat, age and food. Start with the manufacturer's allowance and discuss body condition with an exotics vet. Watch individuals at feeding time, especially one that is quieter or slower than its companions. Weigh weekly and record it, so a trend is easier to spot. Unplanned weight loss, difficulty holding food or a sudden change in appetite needs a vet, not just a different flavour. Our guide to rat teeth care covers eating changes caused by teeth.

Best food for rats: pellets or seed mix?

Complete pellets (also called nuggets, blocks or lab blocks) are the best food for most rats, because every piece is the same blend of protein, fat, fibre, vitamins and minerals, so it doesn't matter which piece a rat picks up first.

Seed mixes look appealing, but they allow selective feeding: rats pick out the tastier, fattier parts and leave the rest. That is why welfare guidance puts a complete rat food at the centre of the diet. A colourful mix is not balanced once a rat has picked out its favourite pieces. A seed mix can still be useful as scatter feed for enrichment, sprinkled around the cage or hidden in a foraging toy, as long as the complete food stays the main meal.

What is the best staple rat food?

Choose a complete food labelled for pet rats and follow its feeding guide, adjusting with your vet's advice for the individual. RSPCA NSW suggests aiming for a food with at least 16% protein and around 4% fat. Two examples of uniform complete rat foods are Burgess Excel Rat Nuggets in the UK, which add linseed and prebiotics, and Oxbow Essentials Adult Rat Food in the US, with at least 15% protein and 4% fat and a uniform nugget designed to stop selective eating. Both companies' care pages say to feed alongside a little fresh veg.

• Labelled complete for rats, not for rabbits, guinea pigs or hamsters
• Uniform nuggets or pellets rather than a loose mix
• A clear feeding guide on the packet
• No added sugar coatings or coloured pieces
• Keep the packet so you can identify the food and its ingredients later
• Change foods gradually, mixing old and new over a week or two, rather than swapping a familiar staple overnight

Keep track of what is actually eaten, not just what disappears into a bed: rats stash food, and the NZ Fancy Rat Society sees stashing as a personal habit, not a sign of under- or overfeeding.

Homemade mixes: where sources disagree

Woodgreen Pets Charity also gives a homemade mix based on the Shunamite diet: 10 scoops of a base mix, 5 of processed grains, 2 of a protein source, 2 of dried herbs and veg and 1 of healthy seeds, fed at about 15 g per rat a day and used within three months. Its suggested bases include some rabbit mixes, which sits awkwardly with the RSPCA's advice that rabbit food does not meet a rat's needs. For most owners we would follow the RSPCA and use complete rat nuggets as the base. If you want to build a mix, follow one tried recipe exactly and ask a rat-savvy vet to check it.

Fresh foods to offer

Fresh food adds variety and gives rats something to work at. Offer small amounts that will be eaten within a few hours, and remove anything left before it spoils. Introduce new foods one at a time so you can spot anything that doesn't agree with them. Burgess suggests portions such as a slender slice or a small cube.

Vegetables

• Broccoli (small amounts)
• Kale and pak choi (bok choy)
• Peas, fresh or thawed
• Cucumber
• Cooked sweet potato (never raw)
• Carrot
• Sweet pepper (bell pepper)
• Cooked butternut squash
• Spring greens and romaine (cos) lettuce
• Cauliflower and white cabbage
• Cress, and herbs such as basil, sage, parsley and coriander (cilantro)

Fruit, as a smaller extra

• Banana, ripe, in small pieces
• Blueberries
• Apple, with the pips removed
• Strawberry
• Melon
• Pear, cored
• Peach, stone removed

For single foods, see can rats eat broccoli, can rats eat bananas and can rats eat eggs.

Foods to avoid

The RSPCA's avoid list is onion, citrus fruit, walnuts, rhubarb, grapes, raisins and chocolate, plus sugary and high-fat foods such as dairy except as rare treats. Burgess adds garlic, blue cheese and avocado. Also avoid raw dry beans, alcohol, caffeine and sticky sweets. RSPCA NSW adds green bananas, green potato skins, liquorice, raw artichokes, raw Brussels sprouts, raw red cabbage, raw sweet potato, seaweed, and sticky foods such as dried fruit, peanut butter and some sweets (candy). FOUR PAWS warns to cook potatoes and avoid ornamental pumpkins. See can rats eat grapes, can rats eat raisins, can rats eat chocolate and can rats eat avocado for the detail.

Can rats eat raisins?

No. Raisins are dried grapes, both are on the RSPCA and Burgess lists, and raisins are sticky and sugary too. If your rat has already eaten one or two, don't panic: remove the rest and watch over the next day or two for eating less, lethargy, hunching or changes in droppings or urine. The RSPCA says to contact your vet straight away if you think a rat has eaten something harmful, so ring for advice and tell them roughly how much.

Treats and training

Rats are very food-motivated, which makes training easy. Use tiny, pea-sized pieces so a whole session adds up to very little food. Treats are for bonding, training and variety, not a replacement for the main diet, and count them in the daily allowance. Sugary shop-bought treats such as yoghurt drops are best kept occasional. A peanut or sunflower seed in its shell makes a good treat because the rat has to work at it. Our guide to training pet rats uses this method.

What do pet rats like to eat?

Most rats love cooked egg, peas, sweetcorn (corn), banana and seeds or nuts in the shell. The RSPCA notes rats develop individual food preferences, and even share food, giving the hungriest rat the largest share. Find each rat's favourite and save it for training and recall.

How often to feed

Feed twice a day, morning and evening: the RSPCA says rats feed mainly at dawn and dusk. Take away uneaten fresh food and adjust the amount so they finish it and stay a healthy weight. Burgess suggests removing leftovers every morning.

How can I make feeding more interesting?

Keep back part of the normal dry-food allowance for simple searching games. The RSPCA suggests mixing food into fresh bedding, scattering it, hiding it in sand trays or cardboard tubes, and offering whole foods such as a cooled, unpeeled boiled egg to work at. Burgess adds a rolled-up old sock, a paper bag or a pine cone.

1. Start easy. Scatter part of the morning nuggets across the cage floor so every rat finds some quickly.
2. Make it a little harder. Once all your rats join in, hide food in paper parcels, tubes or a dig tray.
3. Use several places. Spread the food so one rat cannot guard the only reward.
4. Check afterwards. Clear hidden fresh leftovers and look for wear on toys.
5. Keep an easy option. A rat with reduced mobility should always have a bowl it can reach, not only puzzles.

Water

Fresh water must be available at all times. The RSPCA recommends bottles rather than bowls, because bowls collect bedding and droppings. Give a group several bottles so every rat can drink at once and there is a backup if one blocks; Woodgreen suggests one at each end of the cage. Check each bottle morning and evening for blockages and leaks, refill twice a day and clean regularly to stop algae. Check the flow, not just the level: tap the spout to make sure water comes out. Our guide to rat drinking water covers bottles, bowls and daily checks.

Signs the diet needs a look

• Pellets left untouched while treats vanish: cut back the extras until the main food is being eaten
• Weight gain, trouble grooming or a waddling walk: review portions and treats, and add more ways to move and forage
• Dull, thinning or greasy coat or soft droppings: think about what changed recently, and see a vet if it continues
• Weight loss or eating less: check teeth and see a vet

Weighing your rats regularly makes changes easier to spot; the RSPCA suggests doing it during cage cleaning. Any sudden change in weight or appetite is a reason to see a rat-savvy vet. Weight matters more than it looks: the MSD Veterinary Manual links high-calorie diets with pituitary tumours, which are common in pet rats, especially females, and links protein and calorie intake with kidney disease. Our rat health checks guide shows what else to look for.

Can rats eat common human foods?

Use common human foods as tiny extras, not the main diet. A complete rat food stays the base, with small fresh-food portions for variety and enrichment. Burgess's rule is simple: if in doubt, leave human food out.

• Avoid avocado, grapes, raisins, onion, garlic, chocolate, alcohol, caffeine and sticky sweets
• Fruit such as peach should be a small occasional treat, not a daily staple. We skip mango, which some rat food makers list as a food to avoid: see can rats eat mango
• Peas, rice and leafy greens can be offered in small amounts when prepared plainly, but variety matters more than one single food
• Plain cooked chicken, boiled egg, dry bread and low-sugar cereal are fine in small amounts (Woodgreen)
• Rabbit, guinea pig or hamster food is not a proper staple for rats: the RSPCA says these foods will not give rats the nutrients they need. See can rats eat hamster food and can rats eat guinea pig food
• If a rat is unwell, very young, elderly, pregnant or has breathing or weight problems, ask an exotics vet before changing its diet

Quick comparison

Further reading

For feeding at different ages, read caring for rats at every age. If you are new to rats, start with the complete first-time rat owner guide, your first 30 days with pet rats and our pet rat supplies guide. Everything else is on the pet rat care hub. This guide is general pet care information, updated November 2026 from RSPCA, Woodgreen and other welfare guidance, and is not a substitute for advice from a vet.