What can rats eat? A fridge-door chart
69 foods we have checked for rats. Treats are small: the full answer for each food gives the amount.
Yes (8)
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Courgette
- Green beans
- Kale
- Pak choi
- Peas
- Rocket
Sometimes (48)
- Almonds (now and then)
- Apples (1–2 times a week)
- Apricots (1–2 times a week)
- Bananas (1–2 times a week)
- Beans (1–2 times a week)
- Beef (1–2 times a week)
- Blueberries (1–2 times a week)
- Bread (now and then)
- Butternut squash (1–2 times a week)
- Cabbage (1–2 times a week)
- Carrots (1–2 times a week)
- Cat food (now and then)
- Celery (1–2 times a week)
- Cheese (now and then)
- Cherries (1–2 times a week)
- Chicken (1–2 times a week)
- Chickpeas (1–2 times a week)
- Cucumber (1–2 times a week)
- Eggs (1–2 times a week)
- Kiwi (1–2 times a week)
- Lentils (1–2 times a week)
- Lettuce (1–2 times a week)
- Mealworms (1–2 times a week)
- Mushrooms (now and then)
- Oats (1–2 times a week)
- Pasta (1–2 times a week)
- Peaches (1–2 times a week)
- Peanut butter (now and then)
- Peanuts (now and then)
- Pears (1–2 times a week)
- Peppers (1–2 times a week)
- Plums (now and then)
- Popcorn (1–2 times a week)
- Raspberries (1–2 times a week)
- Rice (1–2 times a week)
- Salmon (now and then)
- Seeds (1–2 times a week)
- Spinach (1–2 times a week)
- Squash (1–2 times a week)
- Strawberries (1–2 times a week)
- Sunflower seeds (1–2 times a week)
- Sweet potato (1–2 times a week)
- Sweetcorn (1–2 times a week)
- Tomatoes (1–2 times a week)
- Turkey (1–2 times a week)
- Watermelon (1–2 times a week)
- Weetabix (now and then)
- Yoghurt (now and then)
No (13)
- Avocado
- Chocolate
- Dark chocolate
- Grapes
- Guinea pig food
- Hamster food
- Iceberg lettuce
- Mango
- Marshmallows
- Oranges
- Rabbit food
- Raisins
- Yoghurt drops
Rat cage sizes
| Minimum for up to 4 rats | 80 × 50 × 80 cm (31.5 × 20 × 31.5 in) (Woodgreen) |
|---|---|
| Recommended for 2 to 5 rats | 90 × 60 × 120 cm (35 × 24 × 47 in) living space (Blue Cross) |
| Bar spacing | 1 cm (0.4 in); no rat should fit its head through (Woodgreen, RSPCA) |
| Floor | Solid, not wire mesh (RSPCA, PDSA) |
| Room temperature | 19 to 23°C (66 to 73°F) (RSPCA) |
| Hides | One more than the number of rats, each with two exits (RSPCA) |
| Number of rats | At least two; never one alone |
| Time out of the cage | An hour or so a day, supervised (RSPCA) |
Sources include ASPCA Poison Control, Blue Cross, Burgess, Burgess Pet Care, Chewy, Cornell Animal Science, NFRS, Ontario SPCA, PDSA, PetMD, Public Health England, RSPCA, RSPCA Australia, RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase, Rat Guide, Rat and Mouse Club of America, Supreme Petfoods, The Vet Desk, UK legislation, Unusual Pet Vets, VCA Animal Hospitals, Walkerville Vet, WebMD, Weetabix, Woodgreen, Woodgreen Pets Charity. Each answer and its sources: bruxlings.com/pages/what-can-rats-eat. General guidance for healthy adult animals, checked 13 November 2026.
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