EVO Rat Diet Base Mix

I get asked what I feed my rats all the time, so decided to put the answer in one place. Here you will find the mix I have fed my rats since 2016. We free feed a commercial rat block to all our residents and the mix is only refilled once the bowl is empty. This page is updated as changes/improvements are made to their diet.

The ratio of the following 3 ingredients is as follows in whatever unit of measure you choose (cup, scoop, mug, etc):
  • 4 x Grain
  • 1 x Sunflower Seeds
  • 1 x Kibble

Grains
Rats are primarily Granivores so this is the main ingredient in my mix. I personally buy large bags of rolled mixed grains. Here are some suppliers I have used:
  • Azure 50/25/5lb bags. This company sells certified non-gmo, and offers drop shipping if there is a stop near you (to Charleston it is around $5) .  There may be a wait for the next scheduled shipment to your area, so plan in advance. You can earn referral credit, so anyone who purchases using this link will be generating credit that will be used for purchasing quality food for EVO rats. THANK YOU! Azure is the primary supplier for our grain.
  • ​Honeyville.com 50lb bags.
  • Rainy Day Foods 50lb bags, 10lb can, and 5 gallon bucket

Sunflower Seeds
  • Tractor Supply Bulk 35lb bags. We use hulled sunflower seeds to avoid a lot of mess because sunflower hulls look like poop! They also have a smaller bags available.
  • Azure market also sells sunflower seeds, they are slightly more expensive, but probably worth it if you are already purchasing their grain blend.

Kibble
  • Purina One Salmon for Sensitive Stomachs is our preferred dog kibble. We recommend you shop around for the best price. Fish-based kibble is less processed than animal protein, and the rats skin and coats benefit from the Omega-3's and essential fatty acids in fish protein.
  • Petcurian If you prefer a brand of kibble produced from organic, human grade ingredients, you might wish to check out this or similar brands. 

An alternative to the separate Grains and Sunflower Seeds that we have used is this Four Flaked Grain Blend with sunflower seeds already in it from Country Life Natural Foods. 
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​If you choose to use this brand the ratios are:
  • 4 x Flaked Grain Blend
  • 1 x Kibble

Forage Mix

Rats gain lots of enrichment from foraging for food. We scatter a fun forage mix several times a week. We use the mix in dig boxes filled with shredded paper, fluffy bedding, ripped up paper tubes, crumpled paper, etc.
*This forage mix is NOT a balanced, complete diet and should only be used for enrichment and not a sole source of nutrition.

Ingredients vary on what I find available or on sale, and may include but is not limited to:
  • Love My Girls 5 Grains & Worms - Chewy, but check prices. This variety is nut free
  • Love My Girls Corn Free Scratch - Sams Club if you have a membership this is an AWESOME deal
  • Boondi Unsalted - Our resident go nuts for this treat
  • Canine Caviar - dehydrated veggies
  • Lentils - dried split, any variety is fine
  • Rice - uncooked any variety
  • Flattened Rice - good source of fiber, iron and carbohydrates, is relatively low in calories and fat and it's easily digestible. You can use white and/or red varieties.
  • Pearl Barley - available in most grocery stores. We shop at our local Indian Grocery for a lot of our grains and seeds.
  • Pastini - e.g., Acini di pepe, Alphabet pasta, Anelli, Ditalini, Fregula, Orzo, Stelline
  • Raw Unsalted Pumpkin Seeds ​​

Treats

Our residents love 'puffed' cereals which we use as treats. We mainly purchase from our local Indian Grocery store but have linked to general searches for reference.