Rat Food Questions

[Raven Paw]

I just have a few questions about feeding my future ratties.

Is it sufficient to feed a home made mix like Marwin's or Suebee's plus a good lab block, or is it important to feed dog food too?

If giving them soy beans, do they have to be roasted?  So far I've only been able to find raw, but I'll keep looking.  If I can't find them, how would I roast them? (I don't know how to cook anything if it doesn't involve a microwave )

[Dearpie]

It would be sufficient but perhaps a bit boring if ya dont add some additional human food like veggies and stuff.  The dog food and lab block are good not only nutritionally for your rats, but also for their teeth so they don't become over-grown.

Soy nuts can be found roasted and unsalted in most health food stores like Trader Joes.  I even found them now at my local Fry's Grocery store.  If you're not finding them, ASK.

[Raven Paw]

Yes I am planing on adding lots of supplements and treats to my rat's diet.  I'll probably spoil them rotten, but I'll try to keep the treats healthy.  What I'm wondering is if I need to feed them lab blocks and dog food.  I really don't care for dog food as it's expensive, greasy, and I worry about all the weird stuff they put in it.  But of course if it will make my rats healthier and happier I'll get it.

[Meghan]

I seem to remember reading somewhere NOT to feed raw soy nuts.  I know for sure that you shouldn't feed raw tofu.

[Suebee]

If you have a good lab block, dog food is not at all necessary.

I wouldn't feed them raw soybeans, either. For the most part, raw beans contain antinutrients that interfere with various enzymes in the body. I'm not sure if soybeans qualify, but I am willing to bet that they do.

I went to my favorite search engine, Google, and typed in "recipe roast soybeans," and came up with this link on the first page of results:

How do I roast soybeans?

[Anmllvr731]

If you have a good



I went to my favorite search engine, Google, and typed in "recipe roast soybeans," and came up with this link on the first page of results:

How do I roast soybeans?

man Suebee, you amaze me. You're so efficient and knowledgable, and full of references and all over evrything! Da_ _ your good!! We're so lucky to have you!

[Suebee]

[Raven Paw]

Yeah Suebee, thanks a lot!  I'll keep looking for roasted soybeans, but if I can't find them I'll be sure to roast them first.

Harlan Teklad qualifies as a good lab block, right?  I'm getting the 2018 formula.

[ckhs]

I seem to remember reading somewhere NOT to feed raw soy nuts.  I know for sure that you shouldn't feed raw tofu.

Whats this about raw tofu?

[Raven Paw]

But without dog food in their diet, they won't be getting any animal protein.  Of course I'd give them the occasional meat treat anyway.  But without meat in their staple every day diet, how much and how often should I supplement with meat?  And what kinds of meat?  Is lunch meat like turkey or ham ok?  Sorry I'm just so full of questions.

[BabyBlue]

ckhs,
If I remember correctly, someone already explained this in a different thread. Raw tofu can cause food poisoning even in people, so to be safe you should at least microwave it. The tofu that comes in those pre-packaged containers are safe though, because althought they are not COOKED, they are processed to get rid of bacterias and such.

[Piper]

I was going to make Suebee's mix with the dog food and add a few Harlan Teklad lab blocks in their food dish every day to get in some rodent specific food in there. Is that good?

[Suebee]

They really don't NEED meat as a dietary staple... but they can eat it. I wouldn't worry about making sure they get meat.

Harlan Teklad blocks are the best... if you're using them, you don't need the dog food (though personally I would still include it just for variety...). I can't easily get good lab blocks in my area, and can't afford to order them online all the time, so the dog food is really a replacement for the lab block.

[serenade]

I just have a few questions about feeding my future ratties.
If giving them soy beans, do they have to be roasted?  So far I've only been able to find raw, but I'll keep looking.  If I can't find them, how would I roast them? (I don't know how to cook anything if it doesn't involve a microwave )

I could only find roasted/salted or raw.  I bought some raw (soooooooooo much cheaper!  33 cents a pound!) and then I just followed these super simple instructions (minus the seasonings of course!):  

http://soyfoods.com/recipes/SpicyRoastedSoybeans.html  

I just found this one tho: http://soyfoods.com/recipes/RoastedSoynuts.html  so you can use your microwave!  

[Dearpie]

mmm they may like the chili powder!  

[Deedles]

Well... I went to the grocery store, and found soy (tofu) yogurt. If you cant get the soy beans, or cooked tofu, from what I understand, you can give them this. (Its healty and it probably tastes better).

I had the same question about the lab blocks earlier. Yes Harlan Teklad lab blocks are really good, in fact ive been told they are the best lab blocks you can get as far as nutrition goes.

-D