3. The nutrition of rat
Rat’s nutrients
Rats are omnivors- they can eat various types of food. They eat both- plant and animal food, including meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, mushrooms. Rat’s digestive system is short, they lack the specialized teeth.
Nutrition is the study of the organic process by which an organism assimilate and use food and liquids for normal functioning. There are six major classes of nutrients: water, protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins.
Water is vital for rat. It forms the basis of fluids in the body and is essential for processes such as digestion, blood circulation, and waste elimination. Water dissolves nutrients and regulates temperature of the body.
Protein is made up of amino acids. Protein is needed for healthy growth, reproduction, and maintenance. Protein can be obtained from both plant and animal sources.
Carbohydrates provide energy for growth, maintenance, and reproduction and they help produce body heat. Carbohydrates come from plants. The rat's diet should contain corn, rice, oats, wheat.
Fats or lipids, fats are needed in small amounts. Fats are found in both plants and animals. Fats need to be split into fatty acids and glycerol.
Minerals provide material for growth of bones, teeth, and tissue. Rates needed in macro minerals, for example calcium, chlorine, magnesium, sodium, and sulfur and micro minerals chromium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iron, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, silicon, and zinc.
Vitamins are essential for normal body functions such as digestion, cell metabolism, growth, and reproduction. Rats need vitamins such as fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K and water-soluble vitamins C and the B.
Rat’s diet
The diet of rats should be varied and balanced in order to provide them with all the necessary nutrients for health and active life. The basis of the rat diet should be carbohydrates (more than 60%). They need a little less protein – 25% of the total diet. The decorative rat needs only 10% fat. For high-quality vital activity, a rodent needs about 30-40 g of feed per day.
The diet of rats should include:
1. Grain: corn, wheat, barley, oats.
2. Fruits: apples, pears, bananas, grapes.
3. Vegetables: carrots, pumpkin, cabbage, broccoli.
4. Meat: chicken, beef, pork.
5. Fish: raw or boiled fish.
6. Eggs: boiled eggs or eggshells.
7. Milk and dairy products: yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese.
8. Bread and cereals: whole grain bread, rice, buckwheat, barley.
9. Nuts and seeds: hazelnuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds.
It is also important to ensure that rats have constant access to fresh water to prevent dehydration. [1, p. 53]
Your pet's diet should contain natural vitamins. Of course, they can be taken from vegetables, fruits and berries. Vegetables are best given boiled.
The diet of a domestic rat should not include certain types of vegetables, legumes and greens:
• cabbage: turnips, radishes and radishes. They lead to increased gas formation in the intestine. Also, any kind of cabbage causes bloating in a rat.
• potatoes contain a huge amount of starch, which is difficult to digest in a rodent. It can be boiled in small quantities.
• legumes (peas, beans, lentils and others) disrupt the gastrointestinal tract. If the animal has no digestive problems, it is allowed to give chickpeas or peas in dried form.
• beets are allowed to be given only in small quantities in boiled form. It has a laxative effect.
• Raw eggplant contains a toxic organic compound called solanine. You can give a vegetable, pre-peeled and cooked.
• tomatoes, due to the content of oxalic acid, can be eaten in small quantities and not on an empty stomach. garlic and onions irritate the gastric mucosa, so it is not advisable to give them.
• rhubarb contains a large amount of acid, it is excluded.
Do not forget that fruits and berries contain a large amount of sugars, so they need to be given in small quantities. Citrus fruits are possible, in small volumes and not on an empty stomach (tangerine, orange). Dried fruits can cause gas formation.
Alcohol, juice, tea, chocolate, chips, sweets are strictly prohibited. [6]