In the morning our rats get a bowl fileld with organic produce consisting of things like cilantro, brocolli, kale, chard, dandelion greens, spring mix salad mix, diced apples, cut carrots (not baby carrots as they are cured in a chlorine solution), beet greens, collards. They also get avocado a few times a week and bananas on occasion. They also get rotational protein added, grassfed hamburger, scrambled eggs, raw sunflower seeds, chicken breast pieces. At night they get grains like Trader Joes organic barley bread, Wagatha's dog bisuits, Alvarado Street Bakery cinammon raisin sprouted whole wheat bagel pieces, puffed rice or puffed kamut, millet or oats. I try to rotate all the food but remain consistent enough that their diet is not too much of a surprise. Many of the high end foods they get are leftovers from what my kids are eating (hence the bagel pieces) and we juice & make green smoothies so we get the organic greens for us and share with them.

I am not a believer in lab blocks as they contain mostly wheat & corn & synthetic vitamins & minerals. They are not organic and from everything I am studying the GM (genetically modified) corn, soy, & canola are taking over most of the non organic processed products. Unless the companies producing lab blocks certify that their products contain no genetically modified ingredients I am steering clear. I realize that a fresh food diet is hard on some people and I have heard that Oxbow's Regal Rat is a good compromise, but I have never bought any myself. I have also seen recommendations for organic dog foods that are lower in protein and have mostly grains. I feed my dogs meat based dog foods as I have decided from my research that grains cause inflammation in dogs, leading to joint problems. Many of the organic grain based dog foods have joint supplements listed in the ingredients. The Wagatha's dog biscuits can be bought in bulk and on sale from their web site, saving money for a larger purchase than several small purchases.

Below is a document I have written for tips on people nutrition. Rats can benefit from the info by helping rat owners find less expensive sources of quality foods.