How Much Food to Feed Small Rat Per Day

Rats are omnivorous rodents, eating pretty much anything that is offered to them. This makes it easy to find something to feed them, but it may not be as easy to figure out how much food a rat needs each day. For the best health, they need a balanced diet that includes vegetables, fruit and proteins. These are available in commercial pelleted foods or a rat owner can create his own rat food from the following ingredients.

  1. Varied Food Requirements

    • Rats should be fed enough to keep their energy levels up and to help them to maintain their weight. Avoid overfeeding rats, as this can cause health problems associated with obesity. If a rat is very active, it needs a little more food for the energy it needs. If the rat is pregnant or nursing babies, the rat will need extra calories to meet its nutritional needs. If rat food is not available, puppy food with a high protein level can be substituted for young, growing rats.

    Basic Guidelines

    • The general guideline is each day to feed a rat food that weighs about .5 to .75 ounces. This can be increased to an ounce for some of the exceptions above.

    Finicky Tastes

    • Most rats aren't very choosy about what they eat, but it is possible for a rat to develop some food preferences. If your rat is picking and choosing from among its foods and leaving certain items behind, a change of feed may be in order. To make sure that a picky rat gets enough nutrients, a commercial pelleted food supplemented with small pieces of fresh produce will insure proper nutrition while still giving the rat some variety in her diet.