Rats eat a wide variety of foodThey have voracious appetites and will eat almost anythingThey are true omnivorous scavengers, but mostly prefer grain, livestock feed, and meatRats have also been known to eat soap, leather, furs, candy, milk, meat, vegetables, poultry, eggs, grain, seeds, fruit, nuts, snails and other rodentsA rat can eat a third of its body weight each dayThe rat's main important consumption is water, as it cannot survive long without itRats need 1/2 to 1 ounce of water daily.

Two main types of rats, brown rats and black rats eat about the same thingsBut there are slight differences in preferences between the twoBrown rats or Norway rats eat nearly any type of food, but they prefer high-quality foods such as meat and fresh grainThese rats require 1/2 to 1 fluid ounce of water daily when feeding on dry foodRats have keen taste, hearing, and sense of smell.

Roof rats or black rats generally prefer vegetables, fruits and grain, and consume 1/2 to 1 ounce food per day from various sourcesThey do not readily accept meat or fishThey like cereal grains, chopped apples, sweet potatoes, melons, prunes, pineapple, cookies, doughnuts, sweet chocolate candy, peanut butter, and tomatoesThey also consume an ounce of water per day.

Rats are nutritionally a little better than miceUnlike the mouse that nibbles a little at a time, rats eat much more food in one sittingLike mice, rats can live in freezers and they love to eat frozen food.