Can rats eat cat food?

The ';wet'; stuff, not the biscuits. If anyone has the time, could you also direct me to, or type me, a list of safe rat treats/food, e.g. human food, or other animal food. Ta. =)Can rats eat cat food?
Heres a list of safe food


http://www.prrr.org/ratcare/feeding/safe鈥?/a>


and heres a list of unsafe food


http://www.prrr.org/ratcare/feeding/unsa鈥?/a>Can rats eat cat food?
rotaska choc treats are good or maybe some locutst beans





here is a few more ideas





CAN EAT:


Banana


Blackberries


Blueberries


Cantaloupe


Cherries


Cranberries


Grapes(seedless)


Mango


Melon


Peaches (no stone)


Plums (no pits)


Raspberries


Raspberry Leaves (helpful for diarrhea)


Strawberries





VEGGIES:


Asparagus


Bean Sprouts


Broccoli


Cabbage (Limited amounts)


Carrots


Cauliflower


Celery


Chard


Chestnuts


Clover


Corn on the Cob


Cucumbers


Dandelion Leaves


Green Beans


Kale


Parsnips


Peas


Lettuce


Spinach


Squash


Sweet Potatoes


Sweet bell Peppers


Turnip


Water Chestnuts


Zucchini





MEATS AND PROTEINS FOODS


Cooked Ground Beef (Rinse well in hot water to remove any grease)


Cooked Chicken or Turkey (Steamed or baked)


Low Fat Cottage Cheese


Bread(whole grain no white bread) soaked in milk ( Low Fat, Skim, Soy)


Eggs ( boiled or scrambled)


Plain Tofu


Plain Low Fat Yogurt


Dog Biscuits (No Garlic, onion, or onion powder)








OTHER FOODS


Cheese (mild cheeses in moderation)


Cooked Plain Brown Rice


Cooked Pasta(Wheat or Spinach would be better)


Dry toast(Also helpful for diarrhea


Flax seed


Low or Sugarless Cereals


Pumpkin Seeds (unsalted)


Nuts (No almonds)


Sesame Seeds


Soybeans(Roasted no salt)


Squash seeds


Lentils


Oatmeal(dry or soaked in skim, soy or lowfat milk)


Nutritional Yeast


Bran and Wheat Germ (Refrigerated goes bad fast)


Peanuts (unsalted)


Alfafa


Unsalted Popcorn (no butter)


1 week ago


Source(s):


CAN'T EAT:


Almonds (Contains Cyanic Acid)


Apple Seeds


Canned food


Chocolate


Candies


Chips and Junk food


Pork Products


Potatoes (Raw)


Raw Kidney Beans


Eggplant


Fool's Parsley


Grape Seeds


Avocado (Contains Cardiac Glycosides)


Raw Rhubarb


Tomato leaves


Oranges or Tangerines(no citrus fruits)


No watermelon (the water content is high causes diarrhea)


Cherry Stone


Peach Stone %26amp; Leaves


Apricot Stone


Lemon or Lime


Jams and jellies


Spices


Garlic


Onions


Leeks


Scallions


Chives


Pickles
Cat food has too much protein for adult rats. It's only appropriate for when you've got a pregnant or nursing doe, since she needs the extra to replace what she's losing to her babies.





You can find a list of foods that rats should NOT have here, http://www.petratscanada.com/forbidden_f鈥?/a> along with a list of things that should be fed with care.
Well here is a simple answer:





Yes they can and they do love it but DO NOT give them too much of it as it is full of protein and if they have too much of this they will start to loose their fur, give the a small amount say two thumbnails of it per 2 days!! That will keep them healthy!!





EDIT:





And Juicyxco.. lettuce is poisonous to rats!
im not sure about cat food - my brother has a rat - for treats he gives it nuts. he also feeds it left over pizza which it likes and it doesn't do them any harm. it also eats bits of salad.
I am pretty sure rats can eat anything. The problem may be if they are getting the proper nutrition that they need.
rofl ! rats will eat ANYTHING,including humans !
Yea they can my hamster eats dog food and he is still alive.
why r u asking that? :J
hi there


im sorry but rats r unable to consume cat food of any type ...cat food has ash in it and ash is bad for even cats and ferrets to eat ....


i own 5 normal rats and 2 natal rats at this time and i feed them a mixture of different types of human foods like bread oats freash veggies (eg. carrots lettuce brockoli potatoes some table scraps (as long as they dont have any meat or citrus in it )(eg.cooked veggies breads etc...)i also feed them the occasional sweets like very very very small peices of dark chocolate (but only once a week or so)...cookies cakes pies etc but not often


i alwats feed them a mixture of other animals food to like some hard dog feed and some types of dog biscits and rabbit food chinchilla food rats food rat blocks rat and hamster chow hamster feed and the ocasional cricket


i feed them all that mixed up into a daily diet


i spend alot on my rats and i love them very much lol











here a few care sheets from other different sites that could help








Choosing a Healthy Rat





Even before you bring your rat home, you should check to make sure there are no obvious problems. Even seemingly minor sniffles can turn into something worse. If you get your rat from a petstore, the first thing to do is see what bedding it's on. If the rats are on pine or cedar bedding, most likely they will develop respiratory problems later in their life (if they haven't already). Some people haven't had problems if they bring their rat home and put it on better bedding, though it's always good to check. You should also see what kind of food they're on. Most pet stores will feed their rats any rat/mouse mix from a bag, because it is, after all, what they sell. Some pet stores feed their rats dry cat/dog food, but that is not a good choice. Not only will the rats not get the nutrition they need from that, but they will get rather fat. If you ask to hold the rat, take notice of how friendly it is, because that is often a result of how often they get handled by the pet store employees. You should also check for any porphyrin (also known as ';red tears';) around the eyes or nose, because that is a sign of illness or stress. Your rat's eyes should be bright and shiny, and it should be interested in its surroundings. Check its skin for scabs or bite marks, as they would indicate fleas or mites. You also might want to check its teeth, to make sure they're not chipped, or too long. Last but not least, listen to the rat's breathing. If it is labored and wheezy, the rat has already developed a respiratory problem. If you decide you absolutely can't live without that rat despite its health problems, be ready to fork over a large chunk of change to a vet.








Healthy Surroundings





For the first few days, your rat is going to want to chill out, and not be held much. It's best to place its cage in a quiet part of your house/apartment and only attempt to hold it or play with it when you feed it. If you choose to put your new rat in with rats you already own, you should quarantine your new rat for atleast two weeks. You should put it in a clean cage, prefferably not even in the same room as your other rats. Be sure to wash your hands before AND after handling your new rat. When setting up the cage, check to make sure nothing in it could injure your rat. If there are wire ladders or wheels, you might want to consider weaving paper in between the rungs so your rat can't get its feet caught. If you have wire levels in the cage, it would be better in the long run to cover it somehow, so your rat doesn't develop Bumblefoot, which can be very serious. I'll devote a section to bumblefoot later on. Also watch for the spacing of the bars on the cage - if they are set too far apart, your rat could easily slip through. If you have a wire mesh cage, be sure the spacing isn't so small your rat could get its feet caught.


You should also check that WHERE you have set up your rat cage will be appropriate. It should not be in the direct sunlight, because you don't want to fry your rat, but it would be nice if it was in a room with some sort of natural lighting. If your rat is in an aquarium, be especially careful of where you place it, because heat could easily build up in one. Aquariums are also NOT known for their ventilation, so you'll probably have to clean it more frequently (if not, ammonia will build up and could give your rat a respiratory infection). Be sure, obviously, to make sure no other animals or small children could reach the cage.








Respiratory Infections





Rats can very easily develop respiratory infections, including the dreaded Mycoplasma pulmonis otherwise known as Myco. There are a few ways to go about preventing some respiratory infections, though it is believed nothing can truly prevent Myco.





Bedding: Pine and cedar should never be used as bedding. That includes the green ';Chlorophyl'; bedding-which has been known to turn lighter rats' tails green. These beddings have an aromatic smell to them, and that oil on the bedding can irritate rats' lungs and give them respiratory infections-especially cedar. An appropriate bedding to use would be Aspen, or even better, CareFresh.


Ventilation: As explained earlier, aquariums are not known for their ventilation. Ammonia builds up in aquariums (resulting from urination) and can grow so strong it will also irritate the delicate respiratory tracts found in rats. Usually at this point, if you stand over your rat's aquarium you'll be able to smell the burning ammonia.


Preventative Meds: Working at Petsmart has given me an idea of how difficult it can be to keep so many animals in such close contact healthy. Unfortunately, at times we'll get in sick animals that we have to treat. Often times I'll use a product called Multi-Pet that's a general vitamin source good for preventing minor respiratory problems as well as other things. There are also medicines available from vets (Tylan and Baytril, for example) that are good preventatives.


If your rat developes a repiratory infection, check to make sure none of the above apply, and take it immediately to a vet. Too often have I taken my rats to the vet only to find out they are too far gone in their sickness to be helped much.





Healthy Food





Everyone has different opinions on what rats should be fed. I feed my rats mostly lab blocks (a.k.a. rat pellets) because they contain the basic minerals and other healthy stuff rats need, and I'll also mix in a small amount of a rat seed mix. I do this because rats will pick and choose what they want from the seeds, and they're obviously going to pick the food that tastes good (sunflower seeds) yet that may not be too good for them. With my method of feeding, the rats get the diet they need, along with some tasty stuff. Usually I'll buy 2 bags of lab blocks (my rats prefer anything but the Kaytee brand) and mix it with one bag of rat and mouse seed mix. I also have a policy that every evening when I feed the rats, they get one yogurt drop each, along with some form of human food like celery, apple peels or peanuts.





Other rat owners have many different preferred feeding habits. Unfortunately, some people just buy a bag of a store-brand rat food that is often way too high in its seed content, as well as ';crude protein'; - too much of which could make your rat fat. Other people (fewer in numbers, thankfully) will only feed their rat dog food. Dog food is exremely high in sodium and crude protein for such small animals, and rats fed a diet of dog food tend to develop weight problems easier. There are rat owners out there, however, who are marvelous chefs when it comes to rats. Ask anyone on the AOL rat message boards what they feed their rats, and you'll most likely get a list of what's okay and not (everyone's opinion is different) as well as what gets fed to which rats on what day, at what time, etc. Ask for a recipe and you'll get dozens.


As far as my opinions go on what's not suitable for rats, I've already discussed most of it. Dog food is a definate no-no (unless used for an occasional treat) but almost all human food is okay by me. The only things I won't feed my rats are peanut butter, bananas and oranges. There's nothing wrong with these foods in themselves, but more how the rats use them. Rats are so eager and excited when they get a treat, that they could choke on the peanut butter and bananas, (I hate learning by experience) and rats don't need the vitamin C found in oranges. Too much vitamin C could cause rats to get skin sores (as well as too much sodium, which limits the number of sunflower seeds I make available to my rats). Many people are unsure whether chocolate is alright for rats, so I'll give my opinions and experiences on the topic. In the past, I've given chocolate to all my rats, and not a single one has died from it. Some people believe that chocolate contains a certain chemical that will open the air passages in a rat's lungs or throat and allow them to breathe easier. I'm not so sure about that, but I don't believe chocolate is bad for rats as it is for dogs.





Bumblefoot





Rats have awfully small feet for their large body, so consequently there's a lot of weight on those small feet (especially hind feet). If those feet should for some reason get cut and infected, it can present a big problem. An easy way for this to happen is by walking on wire floors. Many cages sold in pet stores will have wire ladders, extra floors, or even a single-floor cage with a wire floor. I cringe when seeing that. Imagine living your live on a wire floor and not wearing any socks or shoes to protect yourself.


Bumblefoot starts out as a small red bump on the heel of the hind feet. If untreated, this can turn into a sore, and if it progresses even farther, it will b
Rats eat anything, theyre rats. They eat out of garbage cans like they are dining at the Ivy or something.





Just keep an eye on your rat because if it gets into anything it isnt supposed to (paper, cardboard, etc) it will die. My friend's guinea pig ate all the newspaper in its cage and died. Having said that, make sure you do not have any paper or dangerous toys (such as small wooden blocks) in your rat's cage or it will eat them and kill itself. They don't know any better. Non-toxic mulch is always the best bet when it comes to the cage.





As far as treats go... anything will work. Lettuce and other fresh produce are healthy and yummy for rats. Good luck =]
I don't know. maybe.