: What waste foods are safe for a pet rat? My rats have rat food and raw veg. etc, however, are there any foods that I would throw away that would be good for rats? Waste-not-want-not, as my Nan used to say! e.g. Citrus

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Rats can eat most things. Read this Rat diet, especially the forbidden foods section.

Citrus peel or seeds - Peel never. Seeds definitely not for male rats, can cause cancer. As a side note, never feed apple pips, they contain small amounts of cyanide.

Meat bones - a big fat yes, they'll love you for it

Stale bread - yes, but not mouldy

Tea - mine steal tea all the time, though make sure it isn't too sugary or milky.
Meat fat - waaay too fatty for them, though they will gladly eat it.

Plant leaves - I wouldn't recommend it, they'd be more likely to build a nest from them.
Bark & Twig - yes, but only if properly cleaned and driedas these can bring in microscopic parasites.
Berries - nope, not unless they're human-safe ie blackberries etc.

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As stated in the answer above, rats are omnivores and will eat almost anything.

I'd personally stay away from foodstuffs that are going off or mouldy. If I wouldn't eat it, I wouldn't give it to my rat.

Avoid giving rats pizza. The bread in pizza tends to be quite doughy and can get stuck in their throat.

Giving rats bark and twigs isn't a good idea, especially with pine and cedar wood as they contain phenols which can be bad for your rats health.

Left overs can make a great treat for rats though. Whenever I make a salad there are always a few bits of veg left over and the rats just gobble them up.

Remember rats need a healthy balanced diet the same as humans do. So why it might be perfectly acceptable to give them a few leftover french fries, you might not want to give fatty or high calorie scraps to your rats every day.