hey small pet/dog owners, homemade treats?

[Dainty]

I know there are a bunch laying around! maybe dog owners could help too?

So, I need help.. I'm not terribly good at modifying recipes or i'd make my own, but does anyone have any good recipes for treats that their rats like? I was about to buy some oxbow veggie biscuits and I was like wait a minute... why am I spending over $4 on a tiny bag when I could MAKE my OWN??

Well, more importantly... HEALTHY treats I just invested in a few new foraging toys (those arent cheap, jeez ) I looked for treats but the majority of the ones I saw were either unbaked (I want hard biscuits that will take them a while to chew) or full of peanut butter and chocolate and butterscotch, etc etc etc

I saw these:
http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/community/viewtopic.php?f=143&t=145849

It seems like banana is a good base for treats but I dont want solely banana based treats, can I use sweet potato or something?

And i'm gonna make some but I want to make a few different types, so I can rotate them. Would love to figure out some veggie ones? This isn't going to be their main diet, but I want them to be healthy enough that if one of them ends up eating treats as more than 10% of their daily intake it wont be bad for them. I have to put enough treats in for 3 rats but i can't make them split them evenly lol! I'm just tired of spending so much on treats for them when I'm sure i can make some for way cheaper that are also way HEALTHIER.

My whole quest is because Punkin has started barbering her front paws Most likely it is just genetics because she is a pet store baby (I know, i know, i know better now ) and they have a decent amount of stuff to do plus thy get out of their cage often... but I've been worried that it IS boredom and I know the best way to keep a rat interested is with food.

Would love help, also would love to hear how you keep your small animals entertained? I like to take those willow balls you can buy in packs, and cram freeze dried fruit and other goodies in between them. Fleece ropes are a hit too, especially if you hide, yes food again, in it as you're making them

and of course since we don't have small pet threads that often,

SHOW ME YOUR CRITTERS!

[ringwraith10]

Oh man. I haven't had rodents in a while, but when I did mine were eternally entertained by toilet paper tubes, so... Also, I gave them just baby carrots? I know you want a fancy recipe and I don't have anything like that. I do remember these blocks of wood one could get for them to play with, but like I said, I haven't looked at what's out there for rodents in a long while. I would suggest browsing etsy and pinterest.

[kaoskat]

Why not try toys if what you want is time occupiers. One of the easiest, cheapest toys is a stuffed TP tube. Shove some treats in and then squish the ends and fold over the corners then they have to put effort in to get their treats. Fresh fruits and veggies work well as stuffers. *shrugs* Ours mostly got fresh things for treats so I'm not sure I'll be helpful there.

[Dainty]

 I do use paper towel tubes! They love them lol! I just have a few more more difficult foraging toys coming, I like to have some sturdy reuseable ones and rotate them out and have a bunch of ones I make out of household stuff to supplement that. they like that thing where you wrap treats up

They get fresh stuff or at least frozen veggies and fruit, but I wanna try some biscuits so that I can have something to tuck away in harder to reach areas I won't have to worry if they don't get to it for a day :--D that and they tend to squirrel away treats I give them when theyre out for playtime and.. I want to give them treats that WONT go bad at the bottom of a blanket pile because they didn't get to it before play time was over

I guess I can probably mix most anything mashed with flour and bake it, maybe? I have no idea but I guess its worth a shot

[Thunderwing]

I guess I can probably mix most anything mashed with flour and bake it, maybe? I have no idea but I guess its worth a shot

Pretty much!  Egg and flour give a cookie type base. I leave out the egg and add honey to make it sticky. I make 'cakes' for my hamsters - peanut butter, honey, flour, and seed mix. Mash together, press into a cookie sheet, and bake until (more or less) solid. They love it!  For dwarf hamsters, easy on the honey (too much sugar).

I used to make a mash for my older rats - mashed potatoes, add butter and/or chicken broth, boiled chicken, and peas. They LOVED it. The butter was for calories since the oldsters have trouble keeping weight on. The young ones I leave the butter out and they still go nuts for it. If you want to make lots at a time, you can press it into an ice cube tray and freeze. That would keep them busy awhile, and be nice in the summer.

[Dainty]

Ooooh I DO have some honey that's gotten a little grainy, I'm sure the rats wouldn't mind...

[Uninu]

I make 'cakes' for my hamsters - peanut butter, honey, flour, and seed mix. Mash together, press into a cookie sheet, and bake until (more or less) solid. They love it!  For dwarf hamsters, easy on the honey (too much sugar).

Oooh, I gotta try that! I've been itching to try some homemade treats for my critters.