Diet

Feeding

I feed my rats on a diet similar too the Shunamite Diet which is a mix of foods to help provide them with the nutition they need. The diet was made by Alison Campbell from Shuamuite Rats.

Ingredients
50% Base Food
10% Dog kibble (Burns Chicken & Rice or James Wellbeloved Ocean are the most popular) or uncooked pasta
15% seeds, vegetables and herbs
25% of human breakfast cereals

Please note that the percentages are volume based NOT weight!

Alpha Herbal

Rupert Rat

Harrisons Banana

I have changed this diet slightly and this list below shows you what I use in my mix. I do vary the base and cereals to give my rats some variety. Please bare in mine that I am currently feeding 30+ rats so go through 15kgs quite quickly.

Base Food (50%) - 1 of the following:
Harrisons Banana Bunny Brunch - 15kgs
Alpha Herbal Deluxe -12.5kgs
Crofts Special Rabbit - 15kgs

Kibble (10%) - 1 from the following (or a 250/250g spilt):
Burns Chicken & Rice
JWB Ocean Fish & Rice
Uncooked Pasta

Cereal (25%) - 3 or 4 of the following:
Tesco Value Cornflakes
Tesco Value Wheat Biscuits
Tesco Value Rice Snaps
Tesco Malt Wheats
Tesco Puffed Wheat
Tesco Value Bran Flakes
Oaibix bites
Weetabix Oatiflakes
Weetabix Minis Fruit & Nut Crisp
Shredded Wheat Bitesize
Kallo Thick Organic Rice Cakes
Tesco Cream Crackers
Ryvita Dark/Multigrain

Seeds, dried vegetables or herbs (15%) - 1 of the following:
Carrot Flakes
Dried Leeks
Mixed Bell Peppers
Mixed Vegs
Bunny herbs (dandelion, plantain, meadow mixes and herb mixes)

Plus:
30g Seaweed Powder
30g Garlic Powder

Nursing mums and rats 13 weeks & under get the above mix with the addition of:
Pasta Spirals 100g per 3kg of mix
Monkey Nuts 50g per 3kgs of mix

Shunamite Diet using Alpha Herbal

Sneyds Fruity Rabbit

Rupert Rat Mix

Bespets Fruity Rabbit

Crofts Rabbit

Albert's Apple Mix

My rats get fresh food 5 times a week (I found that by giving them it every night they didn't seem to eat their dry mix) which I have written a 6 week rota for. This is for 2 reasons - 1. to monitor what they have had and 2. so my husband knows what to buy when doing the shopping

This weekly rota isn't set in stone as giving them Baby Food or Cat/Dog food isn't something I like to give them very often. Occasionally they get table scraps but this depends on if there are any!

I do make things out of the The Scuttling Gourmet book which is very good for ideas. A list of suitable Fruit, Vegatables and Beans can be viewed here

PLEASE NOTE: This isn't textbook, this is a guide to help give you some ideas!

WEEK 1
1. Mash & Avacado
2. Fresh Fruit (Apple, Grape, Banana, Pear & a type of berry)
3. N/A
4. Spag Bol
5. Toast
6. N/A
7. Fruity Mix (from the Scuttling Gormet book)*

WEEK 2
1. Cumber, Pepper, Carrot & ??
2. N/A
3. Recipe from Scuttling Gormet*
4. Cous Cous, Beans, Tuna
5. N/A
6. Fruity Mix (from the Scuttling Gormet book)*
7. Cat/Dog Food**

WEEK 3
1. N/A
2. Fresh Fruit (Apple, Grape, Banana, Pear& a type of berry)
3. Boiled Egg
4. Brown Rice, Beans & Chicken
5. N/A
6. Fruity Mix (from the Scuttling Gormet book)*
7. Mash & Salmon

WEEK 4
1. Porridge
2. N/A
3. Fruity Mix (from the Scuttling Gormet book)*
4. Spag Bol
5. N/A
6. Recipe from Scuttling Gormet*
7. Broccoli & Cauliflower

WEEK 5
1. Vitalin with EMP and Lactol
2. N/A
3. Fresh Fruit (Apple, Grape, Banana, Pear & a type of berry)
4. Cous Cous, Beans, Avocado
5. Mash & Tuna
6. N/A
7. Recipe from Scuttling Gormet*

WEEK 6
1. Chicken Leg
2. N/A
3. Rat Pizza
4. Brown Rice, Beans & Sardines
5. N/A
6. Broccoli & Cauliflower
7. Pasta, Beans & Egg (Scrambled)

Nursing Mums and Kittens
In addition to the dry mix which is topped up as soon as the bowl is empty, mums and babies need a higher amount of protien so they get the same meun as above plus they are fed in the morning. I have added their foods below. Both meals are served with Curly Kale.

The food on this list may change depending on what I have available.

WEEK 1
1. M - Vitalin
1. E - Mash & Avocado
2. M - Egg (Scrambled)
2. E - Fresh Fruit (Apple, Grape, Banana, Pear & a type of berry)
3. M - Porridge
3. E - Chicken Leg
4. M - Vitalin
4. E - Spag Bol
5. M - Egg (Boiled)
5. E - Toast
6. M - Porridge
6. E - Cat food
7. M - Vitalin
7. E - Fruity Mix (from the Scuttling Gormet book)*

WEEK 2
1. M - Egg (Scrambled)
1. E - Cumber, Pepper, Carrot &
2. M - Porridge
2. E - Broccoli & Cauliflower
3. M - Vitalin
3. E - Recipe from Scuttling Gormet*
4. M - Egg (Boiled)
4. E - Cous Cous, Beans, Tuna
5. M - Porridge
5. E - Pasta, Beans, Avocado
6. M - Vitalin
6. E - Fruity Mix (from the Scuttling Gormet book)*
7. M - Egg (Scrambled)
7. E - Cat/Dog Food

WEEK 3
1. M - Porridge
1. E - Egg (Boiled)
2. M - Vitalin
2. E - Fresh Fruit (Apple, Grape, Banana, Pear & a type of berry)
3. M - Egg (Scrambled)
3. E - Baby Food
4. M - Porridge
4. E - Brown Rice, Beans & Chicken
5. M - Vitalin
5. E - Chicken Leg
6. M - Egg (Boiled)
6. E - Fruity Mix (from the Scuttling Gormet book)*
7. M - Porridge
7. E - Mash & Salmon

WEEK 4
1. M - Vitalin
1. E - Baby Food
2. M - Egg (Scrambled)
2. E - Pasta, Beans, Avocado
3. M - Porridge
3. E - Fruity Mix (from the Scuttling Gormet book)*
4. M - Vitalin
4. E - Spag Bol
5. M - Egg (Boiled)
5. E - Cat Food
6. M - Porridge
6. E - Recipe from Scuttling Gormet*
7. M - Vitalin
7. E - Broccoli & Cauliflower

WEEK 5
1. M - Egg (Scrambled)
1. E - Vitalin
2. M - Porridge
2. E - Chicken Leg
3. M - Vitalin
3. E - Fresh Fruit (Apple, Grape, Banana, Pear & a type of berry)
4. M - Egg (Boiled)
4. E - Cous Cous, Beans, Avocado
5. M - Porridge
5. E - Mash & Tuna
6. M - Vitalin
6. E - Baby Food
7. M - Egg (Scrambled)
7. E - Recipe from Scuttling Gormet*

WEEK 6
1. M - Porridge
1. E - Chicken Leg
2. M - Vitalin
2. E - Pasta, Beans, Avocado
3. M - Egg (Boiled)
3. E - Rat Pizzas
4. M - Porridge
4. E - Brown Rice, Beans & Sardines
5. M - Vitalin
5. E - Baby Food
6. M - Egg (Boiled)
6. E - Broccoli & Cauliflower
7. M - Porridge
7. E - Pasta, Beans & Egg (Scrambled)

I only top my adults dry mix up once every 24 hours. Otherwise they leave the bits they like expecting more!

Fresh water is always avialable and is changed every day.

Twice a week I give the adults a bottle of Dr. Squiggles mixed in a seperate bottle which is mutli-vitamin and mineral supplement for small animals