Basic Rat & Mouse Diet Recipe Guide

What I feed my rats (& mice!)

Looking for a list of foods to feed to your rats and what to avoid? Head on over to this page for a guide on what to give them.

I feed my crew a staple diet of Oxbow Essentials Adult Rat Food mixed half-and-half with high end grain free dog kibble and various grains and seeds for added health benefits. My rats don't do well on just plain Oxbow or Mazuri rat food, so I always recommend adding grain free dog food for added food value. I also highly recommend using fish based dog foods for the additional skin and coat benefits, for furred rodents but especially for your hairless and patchwork friends.

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​Mouse Diet:

I feed the same mix of rat and dogfood mixed with with lots of seeds and grains. Mice love to forage for their food, so scatter it all over their habitat. They will tend to bury and sometimes pee on the food, so make sure you refresh their food daily. Mice can eat a surprising amount, so don't skimp and skip days!

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My top favorite dog kibble brands that you can buy at PetCo are:

• Taste of the Wild Grain Free Pacific Catch

• Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon & Freeze-Dried Raw Pieces Dry Dog Food

• Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Grain Free Pacific Catch Recipe

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Recommended additives to your rat's staple diet:

• Dried vegetable-based pastas

• Plain Cheerios and unsweetened cereals

• Uncooked thick rolled oats (not quick oats)

• Rolled barley flakes

• Uncooked, raw sunflower seeds in the shell

• Raw peanuts in shell

• Raw pumpkin seeds

• Dried lentils (red or green)

• Dried split peas

• Millet grain

• Quinoa grain

• Amaranth grain

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I buy these ingredients in bulk at King Soopers and Natural Grocers in Fort Collins, CO.