An appropriate food is synonymous with better health. To prevent maximum tumor (thanks to anti-oxidants in certain fresh foods), heart problems or nutritional deficiencies resulting in problems of growth, it is important to feed the rats with a diet that suits their case (a rat is not a rabbit or a guinea pig or a hamster, etc..)

Do not be mad, that suitable food will not prevent all illnesses, but some multi-generation studies have shown that appropriate food possible to reduce the risk of disease (in short, as in humans).
What is an appropriate food?

It’s a food that meets nutritional needs of rats! They evolve according to the age of rats. The first thing to watch on the food package is the rate of protein and fat.
For adult rats, the rate should be around 14.5% protein and 4% fat (these rates are different for pups to pregnant rats and for old rats).

These rates are calculated based on the caps that are given to laboratory rats, which were made to suit better to the nutritional needs of rats.
For more information, please visit the laboratory Harlan or the plug caps 2014 Teklad Global 14%, ideal for rats (they were designed for them).

However, monitoring these two rates is not enough. Indeed, a suitable food is also a varied diet, because the rat is an omnivore! It needs different foods which provide all the varied and complementary nutritional (minerals, vitamins, etc..). A rat fed with a single food, even if it complies with the rate of 14.5% protein and 4% fat, suffer from severe deficiencies.
Plugs or a mixture of seeds?

Corks, or extruded food are “compact”, obtained from various foods. Although their appearance may put off, they can cover all the nutritional needs of rats (they contain meat, vegetables, etc..).

The seed mixes are produced from a mixture of different types of seeds. It allows the rat to have a varied diet (which is more comfortable for him), but it also allows him to sort out what he eats (and thus be deficient on specific nutritional needs).

Attention plugs or seed mix found in the trade do not generally comply with the rates of protein and fat recommended.
To overcome this drawback, it is possible to make himself his own blend. The ingredients can be used in the mix are various plugs, mixes for rabbits / guinea pigs / parrots, puffed rice, raw noodles, sunflower seeds, etc..

Making a mixture itself still requires a minimum of reflection: it takes more food “low end”, more mixing is poor and poses a risk to the rat. It is also best balance the various ingredients. But with a good recipe, you can give pleasure to your rat while meeting their nutritional needs.

For beginners, it is possible to choose a combination of commerce and the complete example with puffed rice and raw pasta to decrease the rate of protein and fat. Or integrate plugs squarely into the mix, to be sure that all the nutritional needs of rats are respected.
A good mix is a mixture meeting the nutritional needs of rats and rats that eat all the ingredients without complaining!

Please use the calculator mixture made available to help you calculate the rate of protein and fat.
Ration doses or food at will?

Rats do not suffer from bulimia and eat only what they need. It is therefore possible to leave a bowl filled permanently in the cage.
However, some rats can not stop, others show signs of obesity, we must be careful before filling the bowl and rationing of food daily doses.
Others will enjoy hiding their food in their nests or houses, it will then check in their “attic” that the food they have available is not contaminated.

It is important to adapt to each rat, for all have a character, behavior with food, different genetic predispositions.

If your rats have a bad tendency to sort out what you give them, fill the bowl once it completely empty, and prefer to give them small doses of food (a little in the morning, a little at night, this avoid an unbalanced diet maximum). A rat does not let itself starve, and eventually they will eat what they had left out (watch anyway … Every rat is different and the rules are made to be broken!)
Conclusion

An appropriate food is a varied diet that meets the rate of 14.5% protein and 4% fat (for a healthy adult rats).

The caps will give your rat all he needs, but are less appetizing than a homemade mixture (which, if done properly, will meet all the nutritional needs of your rat). There is no “best choice” made according to what you and your rats!