Are there unsafe foods?
Forbidden Foods
Citrus juice is forbidden for male rats. Pieces of the orange are fine if you wash them after peeling it.
Mango is forbidden for male rats. Be aware that many pre-cut fresh fruit mixes available at grocery stores may contain mango.
Green potato skin and green bananas are forbidden. Ripe of either is fine.
Raw dry beans or peanuts. Cooked beans and roasted peanuts are fine.
Raw bulk tofu may contain bacteria; packaged raw tofu is fine.
Raw sweet potato is forbidden. Cooked or canned sweet potato is fine and is actually recommended.
Wild insects could carry internal parasites and diseases so they are not recommended.
Bitter almond, blue cheese, licorice, poppy seeds, raw artichokes, raw onion, raw red cabbage, raw Brussels sprouts, and rhubarb should probably also be avoided as they may have harmful effects.
Foods to Feed with Caution
Carbonated beverages are not suggested. Rats cannot burp, so a large number of bubbles would be uncomfortable going all through the digestive tract.
The pit, rind, skin and leaves of avocados are toxic. The part of the fruit in contact with the pit is also unsafe.
Peanut butter can cause choking so mix it with something liquid to make it less sticky or spread it on some bread.
Dried corn is not suggested as it may cause liver cancer.
Limit These Foods
Corn, beets, celery, eggplant, lettuce, cucumber, radishes, spinach, collards and turnip greens are high in nitrates. In higher concentrations these foods could lead to cancer. Feeding some of these foods are fine but feeding them daily is not recommended.
Only feed chocolate in very small quantities.
Mold Warning
Would you eat moldy or spoiled food? Neither should your rats. Even cutting away a moldy part of a food and feeding the rest is not recommended.
For more information about why these foods are forbidden or should be limited, click here.
Citrus juice is forbidden for male rats. Pieces of the orange are fine if you wash them after peeling it.
Mango is forbidden for male rats. Be aware that many pre-cut fresh fruit mixes available at grocery stores may contain mango.
Green potato skin and green bananas are forbidden. Ripe of either is fine.
Raw dry beans or peanuts. Cooked beans and roasted peanuts are fine.
Raw bulk tofu may contain bacteria; packaged raw tofu is fine.
Raw sweet potato is forbidden. Cooked or canned sweet potato is fine and is actually recommended.
Wild insects could carry internal parasites and diseases so they are not recommended.
Bitter almond, blue cheese, licorice, poppy seeds, raw artichokes, raw onion, raw red cabbage, raw Brussels sprouts, and rhubarb should probably also be avoided as they may have harmful effects.
Foods to Feed with Caution
Carbonated beverages are not suggested. Rats cannot burp, so a large number of bubbles would be uncomfortable going all through the digestive tract.
The pit, rind, skin and leaves of avocados are toxic. The part of the fruit in contact with the pit is also unsafe.
Peanut butter can cause choking so mix it with something liquid to make it less sticky or spread it on some bread.
Dried corn is not suggested as it may cause liver cancer.
Limit These Foods
Corn, beets, celery, eggplant, lettuce, cucumber, radishes, spinach, collards and turnip greens are high in nitrates. In higher concentrations these foods could lead to cancer. Feeding some of these foods are fine but feeding them daily is not recommended.
Only feed chocolate in very small quantities.
Mold Warning
Would you eat moldy or spoiled food? Neither should your rats. Even cutting away a moldy part of a food and feeding the rest is not recommended.
For more information about why these foods are forbidden or should be limited, click here.