Baby food, for rats

[Bethany]

  I want to expand my rat's diet a bit, because right now all they get is the Suebee's mix and Nutro, as well as occasional table scraps.  
     So I was at Miejers and picked up two little jars of baby food. Like a chicken dinner one, and apple/banana.  Last night I put 3 spoonfulls of the fruit stuff on a saucer and they absoulutly loved it.

     Would it be okey to give them baby food every night for dinner? As well as their constant supply of the Subees. Just to add nutrition and variety to their lives.

    Thanks!

[Cyberpawz]

 I want to expand my rat's diet a bit, because right now all they get is the Suebee's mix and Nutro, as well as occasional table scraps.  
     So I was at Miejers and picked up two little jars of baby food. Like a chicken dinner one, and apple/banana.  Last night I put 3 spoonfulls of the fruit stuff on a saucer and they absoulutly loved it.

     Would it be okey to give them baby food every night for dinner? As well as their constant supply of the Subees. Just to add nutrition and variety to their lives.

    Thanks!

Give it as a treat, it works great that way for training, or anything else you can think of. Change flavors once in a while to make it interesting.

[Ratwings]

I wouldn't give it to them every night, especially the fruit kind, as it might give them the runs. Baby food has a a high water content, so it's good for sick rats.  I give it to my rats as a treat and to give meds.  I am also giving some to the litter of 3.5 week old babies that I have right now.  They love it!

[kim]

there are a bunch of things you can add to their diet - baby food can get boring, and i reserve it as a SUPER treat for elderly rats to get some extra nutrients (even though it isnt the greatest) and to give meds in.

for some extra treats, try rotating fresh veggies and fruits in their diet, or yogurt (good to replenish gut flora).

a sample that i *try* to follow (but its harder with so many rats here) but one of our foster homes feeds is:

am: table scraps from human meals
they always have a modified suebees and lab blocks available
pm: yogurt, and then a mix of 1) fresh veggies/fruits and 2) a brown rice/veggie cooked mix that she heats up every evening.

i have a brown rice mix that i made, has lentils, other beans, etc in it and the rats love it. oh, and peas

[uk rattie]

I feed my rats baby food once a week (mainly the baby ratties), also kitten/puppy food.
Oh! And I just made soup (lentils,carrots,potato,onion) and they love it!

[Bethany]

K-thanks!  And thanks esp Kim, for that Sample

      Would it be bad to give them the baby food for a few nights in a row, just to finish off the Jar? Because it says not to let sit around longer than 3 days after opening the jar.

     And then just wait to open the other jar for a week or two??

     Also-with the yogurt, does it have to be plain? Or can I feed them like a fruity kind?

[BlueMoon]

Fruity yogurt tends to have a lot of sugar in it, so plain yogurt would be better for them. My girls love fruity yogurt as a treat, and it's fine for them to have a little, but on an everyday basis, they can do without the extra sugar.

[Squrlshell]

     Would it be bad to give them the baby food for a few nights in a row, just to finish off the Jar? Because it says not to let sit around longer than 3 days after opening the jar.

I was just wondering about this too.  I figure it's kind of similar to when we humans have birthday cake around.  We don't eat it every day normally, but when it's there, we eat it every day for about 3 days and then don't eat any for a month or more.  In the meantime we get more exercise and eat other things, so overall it's okay to eat it 3 days in a row.  Does that make sense?

[kuronezumisama]

Well, I'm not sure if you're supposed to be able to freeze it, but I do. I mix compatible kinds together (Angus seems to like them better mixed), put them in a cake decorating tube, and squeeze out drops the size of a quarter onto a cookie sheet...freeze them, then put them in a freezer bag or container....and use it a little bit at a time.

[Bethany]

Thats an awesome idea!! I'll do that! Thanks:)!

[Marybelle]

Also keep in mind, reserving it as a treat makes it easier to slip meds in later if you need to.    If they're used to wolfing it down when they get it because it's extra special, they'll go at it with gusto and get all their meds!  

[dawgaddicted]

My love the turkey flavors and the fruits. They also love the baby's first foods stuff. Like banana chips and the veggie wheeles.

[the_pumpkin_queen]

I had never heard of feeding rats baby food, til someone suggested it for Vincent. He loved it, well he loves everything and so I tried it with all the other "kids" and it was a big hit. Since Vincent has gained quite a bit of weight it is now only going to be a treat, but I recommend it if you have a rattie that needs to gain. It helped him  ALOT.
I bought the  Del Monte Natures Gifts ( I think thats the name...it was Nature's something). There are no preservatives and the stage 3 foods in the bigger jars were only .54 cents at Walmart.