Can Rats Eat Popcorn? [And How To Serve It]

Can rats eat popcorn? In this post, you will find out. If you are a rat owner, I’m sure you struggle with food choices every day! Can he eat this, can she eat that? I had these questions very frequently when I owned a rat, and I bet most owners do. Luckily, the whole internet is filled with great information, and you can find the answer to almost any rat-related question in articles like this one. A quick google search will help make sure you don’t feed your rat something it is not supposed to have.

If you are just here for a simple and fast answer to the question: Yes, rats can eat popcorn. Just make sure it unbuttered and unsalted. Be wary of feeding them too big pieces, though. They should be able to chew it without a problem.

Rats eat a very wide variety of things in the wild, and if they were to find popcorns laying somewhere, you can be sure they’d eat them. There are few foods that are seriously bad for rats, and popcorn isn’t one of them. As I’ve said, though, it is very important that it is unbuttered and not salted. 

Can popcorn be dangerous for rats?

Yes, popcorn can sometimes be dangerous for rats. If the popcorn is buttered, too salty, or in big bits, it is not recommended that rats eat it. If you do plan on feeding your rat popcorn, just make sure to keep these three points in mind. 

As you probably know, too much salt is bad for rats and other animals. It can cause them to dry out, and make them sick in general. Any popcorn you feed a rat should be unsalted or salted in very small quantities. Are you unsure if it is too salty? A simple taste test should do the trick. Unsalted popcorn won’t taste very much, which is why we typically don’t eat it this way.

The high amounts of fat in butter make it an equally unsuitable thing to feed your pet in large quantities. Rats are quite prone to putting on some extra grams (hehe!), and especially when they live a relatively un-active lifestyle as a caged pet. So, how do you make sure that popcorn is unbuttered? It is actually quite easy to spot this just by looking at it. If it has butter on it. it will be yellow, while the unbuttered kind is plain white.

Lastly, the size of the popcorn you feed is very important to get right. I’m sure you can see that too big pieces of this hard food can be cause problems for a little rat’s mouth and throat. I’ve found the best way to counteract this is by breaking the popcorn up into small pieces. You should make sure the hard parts (typically located in the middle) are broken off and not fed to the rat. The softer parts of the popcorn will be easier for the rat to eat, and much more enjoyable. 

How to serve popcorn to a rat

We’ve already covered that rats should only eat unsalted, unbuttered, and in small pieces. I always found that my rats loved popcorn if I just made sure to feed him small pieces that would be easy for him to chew. But you already know this by now. 

Do keep in mind that popcorn should be fed to rats in moderation. Too much of any food will have bad consequences, and as I’ve covered in all of my articles about rats, it is very important that their diet is varied.

The trick with popcorn is to cook it with as little fat as possible. This might be challenging since we usually pop it in oil. We want to avoid this, as popcorn popped in oil contains huge amounts of fat (and therefore calories), even if it is unbuttered. 

Popping popcorn at home without using oil is hard. You’ll likely end up with burned cookware. I’ve found the best way to get around this is to use a popcorn machine. They pop with heat alone, without relying on oil or butter. I had one of these at home, and often popped a bowl for myself, and shared some with my rat on occasion. He loved it!

Remember that popcorns should be seen as a treat, and not as a big part of a rat’s diet. If your rat appreciates this food, you can experiment with how often you feed it. I would probably not go above 1 time per week, but your mileage may vary! 

Other good treats for rats

Popcorn isn’t the only treat that rats love. There are uncountable other alternatives that you can try to incorporate into your rat’s diet. These range from blueberries to pasta, and I will list a few of them down below!

• Blueberries
• Peas
• Corn
• Rice
• Oatmeal
• Yogurt treats
• Apples
• Pears
• Green beans
• Pasta

Of course, this is by no means a conclusive list. There are hundreds of treats that are suitable for rats, and I liked to try lots of different ones. Look around on the web to find other ideas from like-minded rat owners!

Is popcorn safe for mice?

Yes, popcorn is safe for mice to eat. As long as it is unsalted and unbuttered. Keep in mind that mice are small animals, so they won’t be able to chew and digest whole popcorns. As long as you take these precautions, your mouse will love it!

I’ve heard of a few mice owners who use mice as treats for their pets with good success. If you haven’t tried it yet, I recommend that you do. I bet it will become one of your mouse’s favorite treats. 

Conclusion

Rats can definitely eat popcorn. As long as you follow the three rules that I’ve listed in this post, it isn’t harmful at all. My rat loved popcorn, I even think it was his favorite treat. Try popping it with a so-called Air popper. With these, you don’t have to use oil in the process. 

Avoiding oil and butter is preferable since they provide most of the fat in the popcorn we eat. Too much fat for such a little pet will have consequences.