is it healthy to feed rats dog food?

[babigirl72]

well i was talking to one of my friends and he told me that if u feed rats dog food they get bigger over time.. he has a friend to dose that so he could feed his snake.. well i wont my rat to be big and healthy but i wonted to know from yall is it ok??

[Christmas_Hamster]

From what I understand it is a huge debate amoung rat owners but most of them agree that it cannot be a main source but an addition to their current diet. I cannot remember any brands that were suggested though, sorry.

[moosmom]

I fed Winkie canned cat food now and again. Not alot, just a teensie bit.

[lute]

Dog food is made for dogs. NOT rats. It's ok as a snack. I fed my ratties Canidae dog treats sometimes. Never as a main food. Who cares if your rat is big. It only matters if they are healthy.

[Christmas_Hamster]

Are you feeding them a seed mix? If so it really should be avoided for rats. Lablocks are best like mazuri or harlan teklad or if you must then living worlds hamster blocks. or if you google subees rat mix then that mix is safe and wonderful for rats.

[molucass]

http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html

If you read this article on Suebee's diet, she uses Solid Gold Holistique Blendz dog food as the staple diet. She uses the grain mix (ingredients listed on site) along with the dog food.

I don't recommend using dog food that is low quality as food for your rats. If you use something like the dog food (with comparible ingredients) Suebee uses, then I think it would be fine.. But you have to feed a high quality grain mix along with it.

When I had rats, this is what they were on.. I used the Solid gold and the grain mix as well.. All of my rats were very healthy.

[IRescue452]

My rats get a modified suebee's diet with dog food. They aren't any bigger than they should be, I don't allow my rats to get obese.

I think your feeder friend is under the impression that they get bigger because he compares his rats to rats who are starving off seed mixes. A seed diet is not nutritionally adequate for a rat in any way.