Do you reckon it will be okay for the rats to have one as a treat?

Oh fox. Only you would ask this! Apparently they can and do eat meat, but as they get older they're not as fond of it as when they are younger. Clinical studies says it supresses their appetite for a bit. They like bugs! You're supposed to give them low fat meat if you do give them any. Are your ribs low fat?!

They like bugs! :gag: bugs!!!

Oh fox. Only you would ask this! Apparently they can and do eat meat, but as they get older they're not as fond of it as when they are younger. Clinical studies says it supresses their appetite for a bit. They like bugs! You're supposed to give them low fat meat if you do give them any. Are your ribs low fat?!

Oh, behave! Low fat meat. They're rats. If they want to eat a spare rib let them eat a spare rib; they're one of the most succesful species on the planet and they didn't get where they are today by fretting about calories and eating low-fat non hydrogenated high in polyunsaturates flippin' nonsense!

What about the bone?

What about the bone?

Excellent source of calcium. Rats have been gnawing on bones for thousands of years. They love them.

Too late guys.

I put one (they were only small) in their cage ball that hangs in mid air. They went bonkers for it :hihi: The cage was a rattling for a good hour and a half.

The bone has been stripped bare like its been had by piranhas.

Too late guys.

I put one (they were only small) in their cage ball that hangs in mid air. They went bonkers for it :hihi: The cage was a rattling for a good hour and a half.

The bone has been stripped bare like its been had by piranhas.


Yay! Go rats!

Ratties of all descriptions love a bit of meat.
Mine always get any bones/meat fat that are/is left from dinner!

Just be careful of the bones, they are quite soft, but can easily get stuck.

That was my concern lindsey

Sometimes though I think we pander our pets too much I mean wild rats will eat almost anything I know these are not wild rats and you obviously dont want them to be harmed but I think we sometimes can do more harm unintentionally by worrying if a bit of meat would hurt them. Fox this is by no means a dig at you for your op I mean we all do it generally as a whole. Does anybody see where I am coming from on this. We have s similar situation with children now as we use so much stuff to clean our surfaces we are losing the resistance to fight off the simple household bugs.

Ok flame proof suit and body armour on ok Im ready

Yeah rats love chops and spare ribs. Theyre a good source of fats and protein and calcium and theyre good for their teeth.


Erm... I came in here a bit late... didnt I...?

lol jabber! What else can I feed our rats then for a bit of variety? They have water melon, cucumber etc same as the piggies, what else can I offer them?

Theyre omnivores so basically theyll eat anything. No chocolate though, although a Malteaser gives them something to play with as theyre scoffing it.

I used to like hanging spare ribs from the top of their cage by a piece of string to give them something to fight and struggle with as theyre eating. Makes it more interesting for them.

Mine go mad for grapes!

Jabber, how would you hang the ribs? Would they have to be plain ones?

Jabber, how would you hang the ribs? Would they have to be plain ones?
Any ribs will do, even raw ones. I`d just tie string around one and then tie it to the top bar of the cage and let it dangle into the cage. The rats will go mental trying to work out how to get at it but theyll get there.



This is making me want to get a rat again.

How would I go about taming them then? We have had them a while and seem to hate being touched even if you go near the cage door they go for the fingers....

Is there anything I SHOULDN'T give under any circumstances apart from chocolate?

Hand tame them--with thick gloves on if you have to, that`ll get them used to being handled. The younger they are when you start mauling them the better. After a few weeks take off the gloves and hold them in your bare hands, if they bite you then, put the gloves back on and keep training them.

Im not sure what you shouldnt give them apart from chocolate and to be honest im not entirely sure if chocolate is bad for them. I just stopped them eating it because I heared it was bad for dogs.

I would never give them raw/undercooked meat for fear of encouraging biting.

As for taming them, make sure they can come out of the cage under their own steam and at the same height as you. It sounds obvious but if you are above them all the time - you look like a predetor.

Let them come out in their own time, allowing them to run back to home when the want. Their confidence will grow, especially with a bit of help from treats...
Food is the way to a rats heart.

Avoid sugary stuff too - maybe I'm being overly paranoid but I worry for their little teeth ;)

Thats it! Im going to start nagging my other half to let me have a rat!

I'm scared of em doing one though If I let em out under their own steam, I've seen the little buggers run!

I'm scared of em doing one though If I let em out under their own steam, I've seen the little buggers run!
If they have food and a couple of good hiding places in their cage they will go back when spooked.

They need a number of little houses to feel secure enough to start adventuring.

Thats it! Im going to start nagging my other half to let me have a rat!
Do it!
Took me a couple of years to wear down my other half....got 3 atm and she loves em :)

I'm scared of em doing one though If I let em out under their own steam, I've seen the little buggers run!

I was worried about that. I just rat proofed the room. I have three big cardboard boxes flat packed behind the sofa. When its playtime I turn the living room into a ratty creche to limit the escape routes. Most of the time they just run up and down the back of the sofa. :hihi:

They have a house and a hammock in the cage (the hammock is where they hide most).

I am a little wary of the rats as I am not a massive fan of the tails *shudders* They are actually my other halfs but not being able to handle them makes cleaning out a nightmare

I had a pet rat years ago .... fabulous pets:love: He never bit me once .... but he hated men and had a good gnaw at their hands/fingers at every oppertunity! He used to sit on my shoulder and play wih my hair ... aww, i miss him. .... i want another one now :(

They have a house and a hammock in the cage (the hammock is where they hide most).

I am a little wary of the rats as I am not a massive fan of the tails *shudders* They are actually my other halfs but not being able to handle them makes cleaning out a nightmare

Guess what I have as a hammock (actually I have two, one in one in the wash)
its a cat tunnel. About a foot and a half long wire rimmed at each end and fleece lined. They love it.

The one these two have is a standard one with the cage. I'm thinking of making em another one

I got mine from the 99p shop :D

:hihi: I'll have to have a look next time I'm in town (Doncaster) What else do you give to your rats ie things to keep em occupied etc

:hihi: I'll have to have a look next time I'm in town (Doncaster) What else do you give to your rats ie things to keep em occupied etc

ooh, well they have a steel cage ball which suspends from the bars I fill with treats like veggies, I know they are attacking it because it has a bell on the end.

A chocolate smelling climbing rope. Some tubes. I dont bother with proper ratty igloos. I give them a fresh box every time I change the bedding. I put it in closed and by the time its cleaning time again they have gnawed out a little door and windows :hihi: Oh and budgie toys. Swings with bells on and ladders. They love them.

Oh and a special kebab stick. I thread treats onto it (especially rodent fruit loops) and hang that quite high up. They love stripping that bare, and there are wood gnaws on the bottom.

Sounds like fun!

My babies Slinky and Rizzo (http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/fox20thc/ratties014.jpg) and Daisy (http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/fox20thc/ratties012.jpg) (rizzos sister)

:love: :love:

I'll have to do pics of ours later on, once the lazy monkeys wake up :hihi:

Sometimes though I think we pander our pets too much I mean wild rats will eat almost anything I know these are not wild rats and you obviously dont want them to be harmed but I think we sometimes can do more harm unintentionally by worrying if a bit of meat would hurt them. Fox this is by no means a dig at you for your op I mean we all do it generally as a whole. Does anybody see where I am coming from on this. We have s similar situation with children now as we use so much stuff to clean our surfaces we are losing the resistance to fight off the simple household bugs.

Ok flame proof suit and body armour on ok Im ready

I see where you're coming from with rats, they are born scavengers and omnivores and will eat almost anything.

However, with piggies, we have to be very careful as we're feeding them an artificial diet. Obviously the veggies etc. that form an important part of their diet are not of the variety they would get in the wild, and simply feeding them something which many would think was safe (iceberg lettuce is an example) can give them diarrhoea and prove rapidly fatal.

I have fed my piggies Iceberg before and have had no problems. They don't have it often though, they get a MASSIVE variety of everything

I have fed my piggies Iceberg before and have had no problems. They don't have it often though, they get a MASSIVE variety of everything

And they dont recommend oranges or raw peanuts for rats. Something to do with depleting levels of something or other... they can have garlic too.:hihi:

Mmmmm, garlic rat breath, lovely :thumbsup:

I have fed my piggies Iceberg before and have had no problems. They don't have it often though, they get a MASSIVE variety of everything

It killed off two of mine they got diarrhoea and died within 12 hours despite vet treatment :( Obviously we didn't realise the common factor until the second one died as we'd never have given it to them.

They only get the odd leaf once or twice a month. They get so much other stuff maybe its not enough to bother them