The Hairless Rat's Diet

Despite the bad rap rats often get, they can make excellent pets under the right circumstances. These animals provide the personality and affection of a pet without requiring the investment necessary for dogs and cats. Hairless rats make particularly interesting and unique pets.

  1. Importance of Diet

    • The diet of hairless rats is especially important because their lack of fur requires that they have a higher metabolism in order to keep warm. Because of this, it is crucial that you feed your rat a balanced diet with more calories than you would give a typical rat. Your veterinarian will be able to provide you with the most specific information about your hairless rat's needs.

    Packaged Food

    • Packaged rat foods from the pet store provide an excellent start for meeting your hairless rat's nutritional needs. A few common name brands include Lab Blox, Rodent Chow and Pet Blocks. Burgess Supa-Rat and Reggie Rat, two leading brands of rat chow, are made up a variety of pellets that each contain different nutrients. While both these products are nutritionally complete, it can sometimes be a challenge to keep rats from only eating certain parts of these formulas.

    Other Options

    • If your local pet store does not usually carry rodent pellets you might want to consider requesting them, as many stores will order products for loyal customers. You can also opt to feed your hairless rat certain brands of dog food, provided that they have less than 8 percent fat, as more fat may be unhealthy for your rat. Some recommended brands include Nutro, Science Diet and Iams.

    Protein

    • In addition to (or in place of) rodent pellets, you will also want to supplement your hairless rat's diet with a variety of protein-rich foods. Some options include chicken, nuts, eggs, cheese, yogurt, mealworms, dog biscuits and leftover meat. Don't worry about bones in your rat's food, as their teeth are strong enough to chew them.

    Grains

    • Your hairless rat's diet should also include grains such as oats, brown rice, bread and healthy cereals like Cheerios. Packaged rat foods are also rich in necessary grains, but be careful to only give small portions at a time. If you feed your rat large portions of rodent pellets, he is likely to sort through the food, choosing only his favorite items and leaving the grains behind. Giving your rat small portions will help promote a balanced diet.

    Fruits and Vegetables

    • Hairless rats enjoy fruits and vegetables, as well. Some favorite fruits include bananas, cherries, apples, grapes and avocados. You may also wish to incorporate vegetables like greens, carrots, broccoli and potatoes. Be careful to remove any produce from the cage when it is no longer fresh.

    Treats

    • As with any pet, be sure not to give your hairless rat sugary or fattening treats. However, you may give them soy nuts, sunflower seeds and popcorn on occasion.