Cabbage is something we eat raw or in many dishes due to its nutrients but can rats eat cabbage? This vegetable can cause problems for some pets so are rats among them? Cabbage is closely related to broccoli, cauliflower or Brussels sprouts and its color can vary from white to green or purple. It was domesticated around 1000 BC in Europe and today it is pickled, steamed, stewed, sauteed, braised or simply eaten raw in salads.
Nutritional Value
Cabbage is rich in dietary fiber and it also is a great source for vitamins C and K but several of the B vitamins are also present in it and it also has small amounts of carbohydrates, sugars and minerals. The most significant minerals are calcium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium and magnesium as well as iron and zinc.
Antioxidants like choline, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin are contained in higher amounts in the red cabbage variety and they will provide anti-inflammatory properties as well as stimulate enzyme activity to inhibit the growth of tumors.
For us it is healthy since it improves our heart’s health, our immunity, it can reduce the risk of cancer and due to the fiber it can also help with digestion since the fiber will prevent constipation and allow the toxins to be eliminated.
Effects on Rats
Rats are omnivores and they will eat a large variety of foods but some of them can still do them harm and their diet should mainly consist of rat pellets since those contain most of the nutritional elements they require. As a side you can add a small amount of fruits or vegetables and cabbage can be one of these but the amounts have to be small.
It has been noticed that too much cabbage can lead to severe diarrhea for your pet so make sure you start with very small bits until you see the effects and it is important to vary the veggies so make this an occasional side-dish instead of something they eat daily. Red cabbage has more serious effects so please only offer them the white or green kind.
These vegetables contain some sulfur and produce gas for us and for our pets too so this can cause problems with their small tummies. They do not have our gag reflex so you won’t see a rat burping to release some of the gas and this means that some of the gassy vegetables or fruits can lead to choking hazards for them.
Red cabbage and Brussels sprouts contain a compound that will cause thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in rats and this can lead to some serious health problems if it persists so try to keep those plants away from your pets.
Short Answer
White or green cabbage can be fine as an occasional side dish if served in small amounts but it shouldn’t become a part of the daily menu of your pets.
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