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The Key Ingredients: The Rodent Lab Block

For many breeders and rat owners, the main staple in a rat's diet is reformulated rat blocks, often referred to as lab blocks. These blocks are used exclusively in labatory settings for complete nutrients and consistency. As pet owners, we can also use these blocks in our pet's diets but we should also provide them with fresh foods and variety as well. There are many mills that sell their brands at various stores. Some brands are easier to obtain than others and not all blocks are created equally. The Purina Mills and Harlan Teklad companies produce several high quality formulas ideal for a daily diet.

Always be sure to check on the ingredients and percentages on the back label. You want a block that provides around 14-18 percent protein at max and around 4 percent fat at most. Be sure that the bags are keep in a cool, clean location during storage before they are sold so you do not get moldy, aged or bug infested blocks. Look at the first few ingredients listed as those constitute most of the block. Stay away from blocks that have corn as the first ingredient if possible and look for blocks that have soy or wheat listed first. Corn is a common pet food filler that is high in fat. Different blocks have varying amounts of time that they stay fresh before they begin to lose nutrients but generally it is around 6 months. Blocks need to be kept in a cool, dry place in an airtight container or bag. Blocks lose their nutrients about 6 months after manufacturing. The blocks can be placed in the freezer to keep them fresher. Blocks last for about 1 year in the freezer.

Please be advised: The FortiDiet block that is available in pet stores is NOT a suitable block as it is VERY high in fat/oil/protein and is not fully formulated for the best diet for rats.

Harlan TekLad

Harlan Teklad is a provider of lab blocks for the use in labatories but it can also be used in a rat pet owner or breeders home. They have an excellent line of formula lab blocks known as the Global Rodent Diets. "This very special line of rodent diets was developed to meet or exceed all nutritional requirements for all life stages of rodents, utilizing lower protein and energy levels to improve long-term health. The reduction or elimination of alfalfa and soybean meal minimizes levels of naturally occurring phytoestrogens such as genistein, daidzein, and coumestrol. The presence of nitrosamines (known carcinogens) are eliminated by the exclusion of animal by-products, including animal fat and fish meal." (Harlan Website, Global Teklad product information)

The most popular formulas include the Teklad Global 14% Protein Rodent Maintenance Diet (2014) and Teklad Global 18% Protein Rodent Diet (2018). The 2014 block is a good adult maintenance diet and the 2018 is good for breeding and young rats. Both of these blocks feature ground wheat as their main ingredient. Phoenix Gate Rattery feeds a main diet of Harlan Global lab block.

The Harlan Homepage

Mazuri and LabDiet

Purina Mills makes a rodent lab block called Mazuri and LabDiet is made by PMI Nutrition International. Both of these blocks have different percentages with the Mazuri containing 16%-23% protein and the LabDiet with 20% -23% protein. The Mazuri block is often a favorite among pet owners and can now be bought at select PetSmart stores and possible other pet stores. Also, any Purina dealer would be able to order Mazuri. LabDiet is available through a network of Certified LabDiet Dealers. Check your local feed & seed stores for availability of both these blocks.

The Mazuri Homepage

The LabDiet Homepage

Water Needs

The basis of every complete diet is the availability of clean, fresh water in regular amounts. Water makes up more than one-half of the total composition of a mature rat's body and approximately 80% of blood. It is used in almost every metabolic process, necessary for the regulation of body temperature, used in the elimination of waste from the body and is an efficient solvent in cells where the major biochemical processes of digestion, assimilation, metabolism and respiration occur.

Water is efficiently and cleanly delivered via water bottles which can be purchased at pet stores and other commercial sources. Rats do not do well with water provided in bowls as the water quickly becomes dirty or tipped over. Water bottles need to be kept full and clean. A weekly washing with a water/bleach solution will help kill bacteria and other pollutants that may grow on the bottle. Be sure to adequately wash out the bottles and lids to remove all traces of the bleach before use.

It is encouraged to provide clean water that has been filtered instead of directly out of the tap depending on where your water comes from. Bottled water or water that runs through a filter is best.

Protein and Growth

Protein, or amino acids, provides the nitrogen required for growth, tissue maintenance, reproduction and lactation. When a baby rat gets too little protein, its growth is stunted and energy intake is thwarted causing a protein-calorie malnutrition. Protein intake requirements vary with age and the performance the rat is expected to do.Adult rats require lower protein requirements (recent studies by Harlan have found that adult rats only need roughly 9%) than young or baby rats. Rats that are breeding, pregnant an nursing, and thus require high energy, need a greater percentage of protein in their diet.

Sources of protein vary in their nutrient value, depending upon the content and availability of the 10 essential amino acids needed for growing rats. Vegetable seed proteins (such as soybean meal) contain more essential amino acids than cereal grains or by-products and is a major source of protein. Animal proteins derived from fish meal, meat and bone meal, and dried milk products are also sources of essential amino acids.

Fats and Energy

Fats are basically a concentrated form of energy and contain more than two times more energy per unit of weight than carbohydrates or proteins. Because of this, fat is useful to increase dietary energy but 1 to 2% fat will supply the necessary amount of essential fatty acids. The remainder of the dietary fat is used as an energy source. A diet should ultimately only contain around 4%. This fat need is generally provided with a well balanced quality block.

Updates to the Phoenix Diet

Please Note: In Jan 2007, I stopped feeding adults the dry mix. The mix is useful to supplement with nursing females and their pre-weaned litters. However, by 2-3 months, I do not feed them this mix or any other dry mix. They stay on the diet of Harlan 2018 until about 5-6 months and then are moved to Harlan 2014. From there, they begin a restricted diet of hand fed small amounts of blocks with no free feeding. This is especially important for males that they have a restricted calorie and protein diet. The adults then get a good healthy mix of fresh veggies and fruits alogn with the block diet.

Homemade Diets

These are diets that re created and feed at home by yourself. However, it is of great importance that anyone deciding to feed their rats on a solely homemade diet be sure that they provide as complete a diet as possible. This can, in fact, be quite challenging and is generally not recommended as a single diet. The completeness of these diets can be better ensured by using a quality lab block in addition to this diet as well as fresh foods several times a week. The addition of a homemade diet or dry mix will decrease the amount of block that the rats intake. Our dry mix consist of the following dry foods:

Puffed rice

Puffed oats

Raisin Bran cereal

Bran flakes

Cheerios

Total cereal

Granola - small amount

Extra raisins (white and regular)

Dried Fruit: Coconut, papya, pineapple, mango, cranberries, cherries, apricots

Nuts: walnuts, almonds, pecans - sparingly

Uncooked pasta: Multi color, egg noodles

Soy nuts

Banana chips

Zupreme parrot

Unsalted sunflower seeds - sparingly

Unsalted pumpkin seeds - sparingly

Oatmeal

Flax seeds

Veggies and Fruits

A daily diet of fresh fruit and veggies is a great way to provide the needed nutrients and fibers for rats in a very healthy way. They also enjoy these types of foods. The following are some of the favorite fruits and veggies that ratties love:

Fruits

Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Plums, Kiwifruit, Cranberries, Mango, Watermelon, Apple, Grapes (red and green), Peaches, Apricots

Veggies

Carrots, Tomato, Cauliflower, Turnips, Corn (cooked), Peas, Spinach, Kale, Bok Choy, Turnip greens, Brocolli, Eggplant (with skin), Lima beans (cooked)

Diets That Are Not Recommended

There are several commercially available rodent foods that are not suitable nor complete diets for rats. The most widely distributed (found) and least encouraged diets are the seed mixes that are sold in most all pet stores. There are several reasons why these mixes are not suitable for rats. Mixes tend to contain a lot of fillers such as corn and alphapha pellets. Many of these ingredients are things that rats would not eat and others are very high in protein and fats. The mixes are also not complete diets as rats will pick out the better tasting foods (which are usually the most fattening ones) and not eat anything else. What is providing in general is also not what would constitute any form of a complete diet. Finally, the mixes tend to have an over abundance of preservatives and chemicals which may cause adverse health effects when concentrated in the body. Other inappropriate diets include rodent blocks that have too much protein and fats, causing overweight or unhealthy rats. Some of these blocks are not very complete in their composition and are not quality blocks. Most of the Forti Diet block and seed mixes are not able to meet the healthy nutritional needs of rats.

Human diets and foods are often not suitable for rats either as a lot of the foods we eat are over processed, filled with preservative and chemicals and tend to be fattening and not complete. Rats that receive a lot of unhealthy people food often become too fat and unhealthy.

Moderation and Off-Limits Foods

Things to Feed in Moderation

plain popped popcorn

Vitakraft yogurt drops

avocado

chocolate

chicken or beef bones (cooked or boiled)

Kaytee chew biscuits

fruit Nutra*Puffs

vegetable Nutra*Puffs

dried corn

Nylabones for chewing

Foods high in nitrates: beets, celery, eggplant, lettuce, cucumber,

radishes, spinach, collards and turnip greens

coffee

Things To Never Feed

carbonated/fizzy drinks

foods (in excess) that cause gas

Orange Peels/Orange Juice (for males) - Pieces of the orange "fruit" are okay after washing

raw dry beans/Peanuts (contain anti-nutrients that destroy Vit. A

& digestion enzymes, causes red blood cell clumping)

raw sweet potato

green bananas (inhibits digestion of starch)

green potato skin and eyes (contains a toxin)

wild insects

raw bulk tofu

mouldy Cheese

liquorice (suspicions of neurological poisoning)

raw red cabbage (contains anti-nutrients that destroys thiamin)

raw artichokes (inhibits digestion of protein)

raw olysters/clams