Is there any brand of cat or dog food i can feed my RATS?

Question

I have 3 pet rats but lab blocks are expensive where i live and i have been feeding them Ol roy dog food is there any brand of cat or dog food at all that is ok for them to eat?

Answer 1

Wow, that is some expensive food. Mine costs about $5 every three months for four rats. Then again, I'm in Australia. Maybe have a look online? Harlan Teklad, Hagen Nutri-blocks, Oxbow and Mazuri are all good if you can get them.

There are dog foods you can use, if lab blocks simply aren't an option - which at that price, is understandable. You need to choose one that is as low in fat as possible and has protein between 14 and 18%. Innova Senior Dog Food is one such brand. Check the ingredients on your dog food.

Just to warn you, this may be an expenive option too. Good quality dog food is the only type you can use and that can be expensive. It also needs to be supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables to try and get in all of their dietary requirements.

I hope this helps. :)

Answer 2

I'm not sure about dog or cat food being fed to rats but it doesn't sound like it would provide all the nutrients that are necessary for a rat. If the lab blocks are too expensive I would suggest researching a little online to see what it would cost to make your own mix of rat food. Any recipes I've seen are always common foods and it doesn't seem like it would be all that expensive to make. Maybe you could even mix in some lab block with the homemade food and only spend a fraction of the money. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Ol roy is one of the worst foods you can feed a dog or rat. Its all fillers and sugar. You can only feed a dog food if you feed subees grain mix along with it.

http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html

You cannot just use any dog food. That website gives a list of dog foods you can use.



How are lab blocks expensive? When I fed my rats lab blocks it cost me about $5 a month for 3 rats.



EDIT: $40 for 3 rats every month! I used to get it at a feed store. You can look around and see if you have any feed stores by you. They have things for cheaper than at pet stores. You can also order it online. This website sells Harlan Teklad, which is a good brand, for $1 a pound. http://www.mainelyratrescue.org/rattieblog2/

Answer 4

The reason it's not a good idea to give a dog cat food is because dogs and cats need completely different things in their food to keep them healthy. It's just like it if you fed dog food to a human... Cats diets and dogs diets need different amounts of vitamins and nutrients. My suggestion would be to feed your dog her regular dog food but mix in some cheese and full fat plain greek yogurt. Not only will this be very tasty to your dog, but it will hopefully cause them to eat more food AND the cheese and yogurt will add some fat to their diet. Any dog I have ever had has LOVED cheese and yogurt. Also, does she have a kong? If not, a long is basically a piece of rubber with a hollow centre that you can fill with peanut butter. Also, you can mix yogurt and her kibble and then fill the long with that and freeze it. She might like too and it will help add more calories and fat to her diet. Also, would it be possible to always keep food in her bowl rather than offering it to her twice a day? The reason most people don't keep food in the bowl at all times is because most dogs will overeat but it might help your dog. Have you talked to her vet about this? It sounds serious if she is missing days at a time from eating... Good luck!

Answer 5

Do not feed them cat food, it has ash in it which will irritate their already sensitive lungs. You can do a really good quality dog food, but it's not recommended. Dogs require much more protein than rats. Too much protein in a rats diets can have bad side effects. I would recommend Harlan Teklad which you can order online from here: http://www.theratshop.com. It's cheaper than dog food and you can buy large quantities to save money and freeze it to keep it fresh. Otherwise I would recommend feeding them what you are eating. A rats diet is directly related to their health and is very important.

Answer 6

The first link Cheyann gave you, I was going to give until I realized she had already..



It actually LISTS several brands of dog foods you can give your rats. But I do not, at all, recomend Ol Roy. I won't feed it to my rats or dogs.

I was feeding Harlan Teklad, but had some trouble finding it (even online) for awhile... And I was ordering from the Mainly Rat Rescue... So I found a suitable dog food to use as the staple.. Out of what was listed, I was able to find Natural Balance Vegetarian, and my little guys just LOVE it. They cast aside their veggies to dig it out of the bottom of the bowl even.....

Answer 7

Nooooo that's terrible for them! Its not even healthy for a dog. If you don't want to feed them commercial food any more give a try at feeding them fresh fruit and veggies and add whole grain cereals and some sunflower seeds. There are a lot of good recipes out on the internet and you can just prepare a big batch at once and keep it in your freezer so you don't have to prepare every day. Also, please get them a checkup at the vet after taking them off of the dog food, you may have unknowingly caused harm to them. I hope this helps. C:

Answer 8

i don't think so, im pretty sure they would make them sick, since they werent designed for rats

i only pay around $8 for a three or four lbs bag, and that lasts around two weeks to a month

i get my food at petsmart

you could try making ur own food

maybe u are feeding ur rats too much, are they overweight?

you could order a few bags of food from the website, and for like the regular $40 you already spend you can get like three or four months of food, including shipping, and i also feed my rats another food mixture, full of seeds and lab blocks and corn and stuff, on top of the regular blocks, and they love it

Answer 9

no there is isn't any brand i use but i went to a pet store a few weeks ago and they said you can mix cat or dog food in you rats food but don't give your rat just dog or cat food

Answer 10

I would NEVER feed them something that is made for another animal!! You need to feed them the food that is for them. They have different digestive systems and you could be hurting them! I think that you need to have them looked at by a vet to make sure that you have not hurt them!!!!!!