Foods to Avoid:
• Bleu Cheese – the mould in it is toxic to rats
• Carbonated Beverages – rats cannot burp, so the gas can cause severe discomfort.
• Green Bananas – inhibits starch-digesting enzymes
• Green Potato Skin and Eyes – contain solanine, a toxin.
• Licorice – suspected to cause neurological poisoning in a rat.
• Orange Juice – forbidden for male rats only, d-limonene in the skin oil, which gets into the orange juice during squeezing, can cause kidney damage and kidney cancer due to a protein that only male rats have in their kidneys. Pieces of the orange fruit are okay if you wash the orange-skin oil off of it after peeling it.
• Raw Artichokes – inhibits protein digestion.
• Raw Bulk Tofu or Meat– can contain bacteria, packaged raw tofu is safe.
• Raw Dry Beans or Peanuts – contains antinutrients that destroy vitamin A and enzymes needed to digest protein and starches and causes red blood cells to clump.
• Raw Red Cabbage and Brussel Sprouts – contains antinutrient that destroys thiamin.
• Raw Sweet Potato – contains compounds that form cyanide in the stomach.
• Rhubarb – contains high levels of oxalates. Rhubarb leaves contains oxalic acid and is poisonous if taken orally. It causes the heart to stop and it can be fatal.
• Sticky foods such as Peanut Butter, some Candy, and Dried Fruits – poses a choking hazard. Peanut butter can be “cut” with jam or honey to make it more liquid, and reduce the possibility of choking.
• Wild Insects – can carry internal parasites and diseases.
| avocado |
Foods to be Cautious Of:
• Onion/Red Onion – is rumoured to be toxic in high doses but is currently unconfirmed.
• Dried Corn – can contain high levels of fungal contaminates which has been shown to cause liver cancer in rats.
• Mashed Potatos – Choking hazard due to the pasty texture.
• Avocado Pear – Be very careful when feeding avo to rats – avoid the area by the seed/stone and the dark green bits by the skin.