I added a few foods in the unsafe and caution lists. They're not on Debbie Ducommun's list but the list I found sounded good enough to listen to. I'll post the list here so you can read the reasoning behind it for yourself.
Here is a list of foods and their effect on rats. This is not to be considered a complete listing, just a guideline. Please feed your rats responsibly.
Bitter Almond – Bitter almonds may yield from 6 to 8% of hydrogen cyanide, a deadly substance.
Blue Cheese – Contains Toxic Mold
Fats (from meats) – Rats do not have gall bladders and therefore they do not have the enzymes needed to digest the fat of meat
Green Bananas - Inhibits starch digestion
Green Potato Skin and Eyes - Contains solanine, a toxin
Licorice - Contains a suspected neurotoxin
Orange Juice - May contain d-limonene which can cause kidney cancer in male rats
Poppy Seeds - Can cause neurological damage, or may cause death!
Raw Artichokes – Inhibits protein digestion
Raw Bulk Tofu – May contain bacteria (packaged tofu is safe)
Raw Dry Beans or Peanuts - Contain anti-nutrients, causes red blood cell clumping (note: the peanuts that you buy in stores are almost always roasted so are okay. Frozen beans from veggie mixes are okay because they have been pre-cooked)
Raw Onion - Can lead to anemia and an upset stomach
Raw Red Cabbage and Brussel Sprouts - Contains an anti-nutrient that destroys thiamin
Raw Sweet Potato – Contains cyanide-forming compounds
Rhubarb - Contains high levels of oxalates which bind up calcium
Wild Insects - May carry parasites
Foods to be Used with Caution When Feeding Your Rat
Apples – Apples are fine, except for the seeds. Apple seeds contain a cyanide derivative that is deadly.
Avocados - Avocados are high in fat and are a good treat to feed rats that need to gain weight quickly (make sure the fruit is ripe). However, the pit, rind, skin and leaves of avocados are toxic. The part of the fruit in contact with the pit has a higher concentration of toxins.
Carbonated Drinks – Rats Can’t Burp!
Carob – Contains vitamin A, B vitamins, and lots of protein. Contains vitamin A, B vitamins, and lots of protein. Carob pods have been used to treat diarrhea for centuries. Carob should be taken with plenty of water. Too much Carob will produce the opposite effect and cause constipation.
Chocolate – Contains stimulants that can lead to heart failure or neurological poisoning in high quantities. A very small bit of chocolate is okay and can actually temporarily alleviate respiratory distress.
Dried Corn - Can have high levels of fungal contaminates which can lead to liver cancer. Make sure to inspect commercial seed mixes with dried corn. A little fresh corn is fine.
Iceberg Lettuce - Full of water (which can be good), but has no nutritional value
Peanut Butter – This can cause choking in rats. If you want to give your rats peanut butter, mix it with jam or something liquid to make it less sticky, or spread it in some bread.
Plums – Good source of potassium, Vitamin A and fiber. The pit of the Plum has cyanogens in it, which are bound molecules of sugar and cyanide. When this bond is broken, the cyanide becomes free and able to act. The cyanogens don’t leak at all into the flesh of the fruit, for some reason, but should it ever occur to you to try fermenting Plum pits, or to break them up and roast them as snack food, it might not be such a great idea.
Here is a list of foods and their effect on rats. This is not to be considered a complete listing, just a guideline. Please feed your rats responsibly.
Bitter Almond – Bitter almonds may yield from 6 to 8% of hydrogen cyanide, a deadly substance.
Blue Cheese – Contains Toxic Mold
Fats (from meats) – Rats do not have gall bladders and therefore they do not have the enzymes needed to digest the fat of meat
Green Bananas - Inhibits starch digestion
Green Potato Skin and Eyes - Contains solanine, a toxin
Licorice - Contains a suspected neurotoxin
Orange Juice - May contain d-limonene which can cause kidney cancer in male rats
Poppy Seeds - Can cause neurological damage, or may cause death!
Raw Artichokes – Inhibits protein digestion
Raw Bulk Tofu – May contain bacteria (packaged tofu is safe)
Raw Dry Beans or Peanuts - Contain anti-nutrients, causes red blood cell clumping (note: the peanuts that you buy in stores are almost always roasted so are okay. Frozen beans from veggie mixes are okay because they have been pre-cooked)
Raw Onion - Can lead to anemia and an upset stomach
Raw Red Cabbage and Brussel Sprouts - Contains an anti-nutrient that destroys thiamin
Raw Sweet Potato – Contains cyanide-forming compounds
Rhubarb - Contains high levels of oxalates which bind up calcium
Wild Insects - May carry parasites
Foods to be Used with Caution When Feeding Your Rat
Apples – Apples are fine, except for the seeds. Apple seeds contain a cyanide derivative that is deadly.
Avocados - Avocados are high in fat and are a good treat to feed rats that need to gain weight quickly (make sure the fruit is ripe). However, the pit, rind, skin and leaves of avocados are toxic. The part of the fruit in contact with the pit has a higher concentration of toxins.
Carbonated Drinks – Rats Can’t Burp!
Carob – Contains vitamin A, B vitamins, and lots of protein. Contains vitamin A, B vitamins, and lots of protein. Carob pods have been used to treat diarrhea for centuries. Carob should be taken with plenty of water. Too much Carob will produce the opposite effect and cause constipation.
Chocolate – Contains stimulants that can lead to heart failure or neurological poisoning in high quantities. A very small bit of chocolate is okay and can actually temporarily alleviate respiratory distress.
Dried Corn - Can have high levels of fungal contaminates which can lead to liver cancer. Make sure to inspect commercial seed mixes with dried corn. A little fresh corn is fine.
Iceberg Lettuce - Full of water (which can be good), but has no nutritional value
Peanut Butter – This can cause choking in rats. If you want to give your rats peanut butter, mix it with jam or something liquid to make it less sticky, or spread it in some bread.
Plums – Good source of potassium, Vitamin A and fiber. The pit of the Plum has cyanogens in it, which are bound molecules of sugar and cyanide. When this bond is broken, the cyanide becomes free and able to act. The cyanogens don’t leak at all into the flesh of the fruit, for some reason, but should it ever occur to you to try fermenting Plum pits, or to break them up and roast them as snack food, it might not be such a great idea.
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