What Do I Feed My Hairless Rat?

Hairless rats are much like rats that have fur in diet -- they get colder and have a higher metabolism, so they must eat a bit more often, but they eat the same food. Hairless rats are opportunistic omnivores, like furred rats, and they will eat most things that humans will eat (and many things humans will not).

  1. Lab Blocks

    • Lab blocks are large cylindrical pellets. This type of rat food has been specifically designed to be fed to rodents like mice and rats. This gives the animal all the nutrients it needs without the hairless rat having the ability to pick and eat what it wants over what it needs. Lab blocks or a mix should make up about 80 percent of your hairless rat's diet.

    Fruits and Vegetables

    • Hairless rats, much like humans, need a varied diet to stay healthy. While the bulk of their diet should be lab block, they need fresh fruits and vegetables as well. The nice thing is you can feed them scraps -- if you peel an apple or zucchini, give your rat part of the peel. Stay away from items with a lot of juice to them, and don't overfeed them fruits and veggies -- 10 to 15 percent of their diet, at the most. Too much fresh produce will cause diarrhea, which can kill hairless rats quickly.

    Meat and Protein

    • Hairless rats benefit from extra protein due to their higher metabolism. Nuts and seeds are favorites, with healthy fats and proteins. You can give your hairless rats some bones to chew on. This provides marrow with protein and gives them a hard surface to grind their incisors on -- which is healthy for their teeth as well. Bites of any kind of meat would be fine, as well; rats love fresh meat.

    Mixes

    • Seed mixes are popular for rats, and they will provide the required nutrients. One of the problems that comes with seed mixes is that rats will not eat all of the mix -- they will pick and choose their favorites out of the bunch, meaning they miss some nutrients. Hairless rats, being more delicate, cannot afford to miss out on nutrients. Seed mixes also can have a lot of filler and preservatives. Some mixes have things a rat cannot use, or even digest properly. Mixes will provide nutrition on an emergency food basis, but most rat owners avoid them.