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When it comes to choosing the best rat food for your pet rats, Burgess Excel Rat Nuggets comes out on top. In fact, 92% of UK vets recommend our Burgess Excel small pets range.
A good diet for your pet rats is one that’s a complete rat pellet or rat nugget food, which, along with a continuous supply of clean, fresh water, gives them all the nutrients they need to stay happy and healthy.
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Rich in protein, which omnivores such as pet rats need in their diet, Burgess Excel Rat Nuggets also support a healthy digestion, healthy coat and healthy skin. We believe that these tasty nuggets of goodness are simply the best food for rats – and will soon become their favourite food too!
Pet rats can often be selective feeders, eating only the parts of rat feed they take a fancy to, which can lead to an imbalanced diet. That’s why it’s best to avoid ‘muesli-style’ rat food mix varieties and choose complete rat nuggets instead.
As well as ensuring that your pet rats get all the vitamins and minerals they need, rat nuggets are also ideal for adding enrichment to your pet rats’ daily life. Simply hide and sprinkle nuggets around their housing to keep their brains active and encourage their natural foraging behaviour.
At Burgess, all of our high quality rat food is made at our own factory in the heart of Yorkshire, using only ingredients that meet our stringent specifications.
Got a question about choosing rat pellets or nuggets over other types of rat food? To help you learn more about feeding a healthy diet to your pet rats, we’ve put together some really useful answers from our nutrition team at Burgess, the pet care experts.
Rats are omnivores, which means they’ll eat just about anything they can get their tiny paws on – even if it’s not particularly good for them. As pets, rats can often be selective feeders, so, if you offer a rat food mix of grains, nuts and fruits they’ll choose what they like, leaving the bits they don’t fancy. This could mean they’re missing out on essential vitamins and minerals.
By focusing their diet around a complete, rat nugget mix, you can be safe in the knowledge that your rat pack is getting all the vital nutrients they need to stay happy and healthy. As well as preventing selective feeding, Burgess Excel Rat Nuggets contain prebiotics to support healthy digestion, balanced protein to support healthy growth and added linseed to maintain a healthy skin and coat.
Don’t panic if you spot your rats eating their freshly deposited droppings – this is a natural behaviour that helps them to absorb all the nutrients and minerals they need to stay healthy. Stopping this could cause nutritional deficiencies and health problems.
Fresh rat food should be given at the same time every day: once in the morning and once in the evening. As a guide, feed around one to two tablespoons a day per rat, split over two meals in the morning and evening.
Use a metal or ceramic bowl – they’re easier to clean, difficult to gnaw and harder to knock over. This allows them to pick out and carry food and handle/eat it wherever they want, which is natural ratty behaviour.
Each morning, take away any rat food that’s left over from the day before. And don’t forget fresh water – this should be provided in a bottle specially designed for rats, attached to their accommodation.
Be careful about how many treats you include with your pet rat food as they gain weight easily, which can cause health issues. Always follow the on-pack feeding guidelines and weigh their food out each day to make sure you’re not feeding them too much.
Foraging and checking out stuff can also make feeding time a whole lot more fun for your intelligent and curious pet rats.
Hide some of their tasty rat nuggets in an old rolled up sock, paper bag or cardboard tube for them to investigate, or push some into a pinecone for them to extract. Rats will happily dig in trays of chinchilla dust to find hidden food items.
Also, try out some interactive toys suitable for small animals, such as puzzle boards, feeding balls or small animal Kongs to help keep them entertained.
Foods to avoid are anything sugary or high in fat, such as dairy products. There are many household foods that should be avoided including: chocolate, onions, peanuts, walnuts, blue cheese, citrus fruits, uncooked sweet potato, grapes, raisins, and rhubarb.
If your pet rats have consumed any of these foods, then it’s essential to seek veterinary advice.
Don’t change diets overnight. Rats can be cautious of new foods, so introduce anything new on the menu gradually. If your rats haven’t eaten Burgess Excel Rat Nuggets before, you can safely transition their diet over a period of 7-10 days by gradually reducing the old food and replacing it with Burgess Rat Food.
In the first few days, start by measuring out your rats’ normal food intake for the day. Take out a small amount and replace with the same amount of the new rat nuggets. Mix them together so that your rats eat a combination of the two.
Each day, slightly reduce their old food, and replace it with slightly more of their new food. At the end of the transition period, they should be eating their new nuggets happily with no issues – and hopefully, this will have become your pet rats’ favourite food!
If you’re at all unsure about the best rat food your pet rats or have any concerns about specific nutritional requirements, ask your local veterinary practice for advice.
You can also call our expert team, available 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, on +44 (0)1405 862241 who’ll be happy to help with your query. Alternatively, use our simple online contact form to get in touch with us.
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