This page contains recipes for home made rat treats and tips for foraging for rat safe weeds
For my adoption packs I love to include homemade rat treats, and I'm not one to gatekeep things I've made for my rats.
Most of it is eyeballed and there really is no right or wrong way to make them, as the rats dont seem to care if they're super bready or more like a muffin.
The baking process is the same, so I'll pop that in last. But these are some of the recipes I like to use.
Peanut & banana rat treats
2 tablespoon of peanut butter - this must be sugar and salt free, as some artificial sweetners are potentially dangerous for rats to consume.
2 mashed bananas
Cup of flour (any type is fine)
1 egg (optional)
1 cup of milk (any type is fine)
Banana berry treats
1 cup of frozen berries - either mashed or whole
1-2 mashed bananas
Cup of flour (any type is fine)
1 egg (optional)
1 cup of milk (any type is fine)
Chocolate treats
1 tablespoon milo powder
1 cup of dark chocolate chips
Cup of flour (any type is fine)
1 egg (optional)
1 cup of milk (any type is fine)
Pumpkin treats
1 cup of mashed pumpkin
1 cup of flour (any type is fine)
1 egg (optional)
1 cup of milk (any type is fine)
These recipes are SO chaotic - I mostly just muck around with making them every time. But I do try and follow a similar process every time.
I preheat the oven to 160C on fan bake.
Onto a baking tray lined with baking paper you can either:
Spoon blobs the size of a $2 coin
Use a piping bag to pipe small cookies
Add to a silicone mould
If using a silicone mould, just grease it in your preferred way (butter, oil, flour etc).
Pop baking tray into the oven for around 10-20 minutes.
Typically the biscuits dont keep super well, like any other kind of fresh baking. But if in doubt, keep them in the fridge and dispose of any uneaten snacks within a few days.
For extra longevity you can dehydrate them until crispy.
There are actually so many rat safe weeds that are easy to find in your garden, and can be beneficial to add to your rats diet.
You can either feed it fresh or you can dehydrate it, and sprinkle in your rats food
Puha is an abundant weed that you can find in almost any garden.
It is a rich source of vitamins (A, C, K, B vitamins), as well as potassium and folate.
With its high antioxidant levels, its beneficial to the immune system, can reduce inflamation and improve gut health.
Rats can eat leaves, stems and flowers
Dandelions are another abundant weed and a huge crowd pleaser with my rats.
Dandelion as is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron.
Its said that the health benefits of liver health, blood sugar control, and blood pressure.
Rats can eat leaves, flowers and roots (once cleaned thoroughly)
Plantain is a really fabulous weed, as it has so many medicinal benefits.
It is rich in vitamin C, E, and K, as well as calcium, iron, and potassium
It is often used in traditional medicine to treat respiratory issues due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and astringent properties.
Rats can eat the leaves and flowers, although the flowers are not too popular!
Just like narrow leaf plantain, wide leaf is another a really fabulous weed, as it has so many medicinal benefits.
It doesn't seem as abundant as the narrow leaf variety, but when its available I will give it to the rats as well.
It is rich in vitamin C, E, and K, as well as calcium, iron, and potassium
Rats can eat the leaves and flowers, although the flowers are not too popular!
This is the most abundant plant growing in my garden, and I love letting it grow wild as the rats LOVE it.
I mostly use it for enrichment in the cage or play table, as its rambling leaves and vines are so much fun.
It is beneficial as its high in Vitamin C.
I find my rats aren't too keen on eating nasturtium as it has a very strong flavour.
Rats can eat the leaves, stems, flowers and fresh seeds.
Yarrow is a weed that is pretty common to find, but is often hidden amongst much bigger weeds.
It looks a bit like fennel, but its growth is completely different.
It has a wide variety of medicinal uses, and it can help with immune support and respiratory health
Come spring & summer, red clover is everywhere! Its pink flowers make it super easy to spot, and the leaves grow much bigger than white clover.
It has so many medicinal benefits. Too many to list here!
But some benefits include respiratory relief, cardiovascular health and bone health.
Rats can eat the flowers and leaves
This is an abundant weed in most gardens, but is important to verify that it is chickweed and not a similar looking weed.
Its worth checking on google for an ID if this is one you're not familiar with.
Chickweed is high in Vitamin C.
It is medicinally used to aid with respiratory health, and as a natural demulcent and expectorant
Occasionally I see borage pop up in my garden randomly, but I dont think its a super common one. You can easily source from places like Bunnings or Mitre 10 in the herb section.
Medicinally, borage is beneficial in decreasing inflammation and lung health
Rats seem to enjoy the flowers. I haven't fed them the leaves, as they're kind of prickly and I dont want to hurt them.
These are more beneficial as a decoration in the cage than anything medicinal.
They do make for a fun enrichment item