• water facts
• rat nutritional needs
• what's really in your rat's food
• rat food myths
• rat food truths
• rat recipes
• rat food ingredients

 

Basically, remember that anything eaten, by itself (nothing else eaten) is going to create some havoc on anyone's system.  The key is to feed your rats a VARIED and BALANCED diet.

Myth: Chocolate is toxic to rats

Truth:  There has been research done in rats studying the toxic effects of theobromine, which is the component of chocolate that causes the toxic effect seen in dogs.

At very high doses (500 mg/kg daily for 5 to 7 days) of theobromine, the only effect on the rats' health that was noted was sterility in male rats due to damage to cells in the testes (1). No other cell populations appeared to be affected. This means that even if your rat (assuming a weight of 330g) eats two entire small bars of milk chocolate, he should be fine except for some possible effects on future fatherhood.

Even pregnant rats fed high levels of cocoa powder (5 to 7.5% of their diet every day) showed any signs of toxicity, nor did their pups (2), although they were slightly smaller than normal. In addition, some research labs even entice rats that have lost their appetites by giving them chocolate chip cookies.

The research summarized above reveals that chocolate does not offer a serious health threat to rats as it does to dogs, even in very high amounts.

(1) Wang, Y, DP Walker. Toxicology Letters. ('94) 70 (2):155-164. Friedman, L., MA Weinbergr, TM Farber, FM Moreland, EL Peters, GE Gilmore, MA Khan. J. Environmental Pathology and Toxicology. ('79) 2(3):687-706.

(2) Tarka, SM, Jr. Food and Chem Toxicology ('86) 24(5):375-382. Shively, CA, DM White, JL Blauch, SM Tarka Jr. Toxicology Letters. ('84) 20(3):325-329.

Myth: Licorice may induce neurological poisoning

Truth:  Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) in large amounts, can cause sodium and water retention, severe hypokalemia, hypertension, heart failure, and cardiac arrest because of its aldosterone-like effects (1,2).

Most licorice candy is artificially flavored and does not contain natural licorice root.

A recent negative finding regarding licorice demonstrates that it may be associated with decreased testosterone and libido in young men. (3)

(1) Penn RG. Adverse reactions to herbal medicines. Adverse Drug Reaction Bulletin, Adverse Drug Reaction Research Unit, Durham DH8 ONB, England 102: 376-379, 1983.

(2) The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics. Abramowicz M, (Ed). 21: 29-31, 1979.

(3) Armanini D, et al. Reduction of serum testosterone in men by licorice. N Engl J Med 1999;341:1158.

Myth: Blue Cheese contains toxic mold

Truth: Blue cheese does contain Penicillium roqueforti, a common saprophytic fungus, that is widespread in nature and can be isolated from soil, decaying organic substances and plant parts. The major industrial uses of this fungus are for the production of blue cheeses, flavoring agents, antibacterials, polysaccharides, proteases and other enzymes.

Frank et al. (1977) fed both a suspension of P. roqueforti and the cheese produced by the P. roqueforti to rats with no ill effect. They also gave these suspensions by subcutaneous injection without effect.

Myth:  Raw sweet potatos contain cyanide-forming compounds

Truth:  Cassava (a potato root) is where I suspect that the myth stemmed from.

Thousands of plants produce cyanogenic compounds, including several agronomically important crops such as cassava (also called tapioca and manioc), lima beans, bamboo shoots, sorghum, flax, apples and stone fruits like peaches, plums, cherries and apricots. Other sources of dietary cyanide include vitamin B12, an essential vitamin required for cell growth and the health of red blood cells, and thiocyanates, which are found naturally in milk, beer and green vegetables.

Raw yams, like lima beans, contain cyanogenic glycosides, natural chemicals that break down into hydrogen cyanide in the stomach or when the potato is heated. If the potato is pierced while it is baking or when the lid is left off the pot as it is boiling, this gas escapes off into the air.   The amounts of cyanogenic glycosides are relatively small.

Cyanide most commonly occurs as hydrogen cyanide and its salts--sodium and potassium cyanide. Cyanides are both man-made and naturally occurring substances. They are found in several plant species as cyanogenic glycosides and are produced by certain bacteria, fungi, and algae. In very small amounts, cyanide is a necessary requirement in the human diet. Cyanides are released to the environment from industrial sources and car emissions (ATSDR, 1989).  http://www.frot.co.nz/sift/cyanide.htm

Myth: Rubarb and Spinach contain high levels of oxalates which bind up calcium (remember the myth relates this to rat consumption)

Truth:  Oxalate:  A salt of oxalic acid, an acid found in many plants and vegetables; A chemical that combines with calcium in urine to form the most common type of kidney stone (calcium oxalate stone).

These contain oxalates, which among other effects inhibit calcium absorption. Again, they are not hazardous unless large quantities are eaten. They don't accumulate in the body, and are not destroyed by heat.

Our bodies always contain oxalates, and our cells routinely convert other substances into oxalates. For example, vitamin C is one of the substances that our cells routinely convert into oxalates. In addition to the oxalates that are made inside of our body, oxalates can arrive at our body from the outside, from certain foods that contain them.  Please refer to below link for more information.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=48

From an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for Oxalic acid, LD50 (LD50 is the Median Lethal Dose, which is the dose of a drug or chemical predicted to produce a lethal effect in 50 percent of the subjects to whom the dose is given) in rats is 375 mg/kg. So for a person about 145 pounds that's about 25 grams of pure oxalic acid required to cause death. Rhubarb leaves are probably around 0.5% oxalic acid, so that you would need to eat quite a large serving of leaves, like 11 lbs, to get that 24 grams of oxalic acid. Note that it will only require a fraction of that to cause sickness. 

Myth: raw red cabbage and brussel sprouts--antinutrient that destroys thiamin

Truth:  Thiamin is part of the Vitamin B group.   Thiamin is also knows as B1.  I have found nothing that even suggests that eatiang raw cabbage or brussesl sprouts of any kind will destroy thiamin.

The majority of Vitamin C is derived from fruit, vegetables and citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons. Vegetables of the cabbage family are the richest sources among the everyday foods we eat. Tomatoes, brussel sprouts, watercress and peppers are also good sources of vitamin C.

What I did find was "The major glucosinolates in cabbage and Brussels sprouts—sinigrin, progoitrin, and glucobrassicin—are toxic to rats (1)."  What does this mean...once again, these are small tiny part of those plants, once these parts are individually separated and given high amounts to rats, they can be toxic...it does NOT say that brussel sprouts and cabbage are toxic.

(1) Fenwick GR, Curl CL, Griffiths NM, Heaney RK, Price KR. Bitter principles in food plants. In: Rouseff RL, ed. Bitterness in foods and beverages; developments in food science 25. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1990:205–50.

Myth:  Raw artichokes inhibit protein digestion

Truth: Artichokes contain 22% protein. 

The substance silymarin, found in the milk thistle family (which includes artichokes), may inhibit UVB-promoted cancers in animals.

Jerusalem artichokes are in the sunflower family.   Again, I have found nothing but good things about eating them.

Green Potatoes:

The green color is caused by the presence of chlorophyll. This is a natural plant pigment which is tasteless and harmless. The concern with greened potatoes should not be the color but the fact that solanine, a potentially toxic alkaloid, develops in the same area along with the chlorophyll. Green potatoes, therefore, are often higher in solanine than those not green. The bitter taste associated with green potatoes is caused by solanine, not chlorophyll. The concentration of solanine is greatest in or directly beneath the peel. Peeling is effective in removing most of the affected tissue. Cooking in steam or water reduces solanine to 60%-70% of the value in raw material.

What does this mean?  Solanine is toxic if consumed in large quantities, so cut away and discard any green portions of potato before you cook with them.

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For more information on Rattie Express or any of our animals, please email me (Tara) at rattie.express@comcast.net.