Can rats drink milk or eat dairy?

Best avoided. Dairy is high in fat and sugar and can upset a rat's digestion. Skip milk; at most, offer a teaspoon of plain, unsweetened yogurt as a rare treat.

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Serving

Skip milk; at most a teaspoon of plain yogurt

How to prepare

Plain, unsweetened yogurt only

Benefits

None needed — rats get what they need from a balanced diet.

The details

The RSPCA advises avoiding sugary and high-fat foods such as dairy, keeping them for occasional rewards, for example during training. Rats don't need dairy at all — a balanced pellet diet gives them what they need. Blue cheese is a separate case: never feed it.

How treats fit into a rat's diet

Most of what a rat eats each day should be a complete rat pellet or nugget, weighed out from the pack guidelines. Fresh fruit, vegetables and treats come out of that daily allowance, not on top of it: the RSPCA warns that extra sugar and fat lead to obesity and health problems, and rats gain weight easily. Remove any fresh food that hasn't been eaten within a few hours.