Rodents are fun and affectionate pets. And being the caring and loving pet owner that you are, you like to reward their love by giving them treats. But the store bought treats are full of preservatives, artificial flavors and colors, which aren’t always good for your rodents’ health.
So what can you give your frisky little buddy as a treat instead? You can actually make your own healthy treats at home.
Here are five recipes that are packed with healthy natural ingredients and flavors your rodent loves that you can make at home.
Always remember to give treats sparingly (2 times a week) to reduce the risk of obesity and other weight associated health problems that will shorten your fur baby’s life span.
Quick Rodent Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup natural peanut or almond butter
- 1 banana or 1/2 cup 100% canned pumpkin
- 1/4 cup dry old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 to 1 cup almond or whole wheat flour
- 1 Tbsp honey
Directions
- Peel and mash the banana (or use canned pumpkin) and put into a mixing bowl.
- Add the honey and the nut butter and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Now, add the flour 1/4 cup at a time and mix until a stiff dough forms.
- Take pieces of the dough and roll into 1/2 inch balls, then place the dough balls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 250F oven for 45 minutes.
- At this point, you’ll turn the oven off and leave the treats in the oven until it fully cools.
- Remove from the oven and place in a freezer bag or container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week and keep in the freezer for longer storage.
Sweet Potato Berry Blend Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond or whole wheat flour
- 2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potato or 100% canned pumpkin
- 1/2 cup chopped frozen berry blend (mix of strawberry, blueberry, raspberry)
Directions
- Put the flour into a mixing bowl and add the mashed sweet potato or pumpkin and berries and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Place the mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and spread into a ¼ inch layer.
- Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 25 minutes, then remove and allow it to cool.
- Now cut into portion sizes best for your rodent’s size before taking each piece and turning them over, so the bottom is now the top and place back into the oven and allow baking for an additional 10 minutes, this step allows the biscuits to dry out and be crunchy.
- Remove and let cool completely and place into a freezer bag or container and store in the fridge for up to one week or and keep in the freezer for longer storage.
Dehydrated Fruit Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat or almond flour
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 2/3 cup dehydrated or freeze-dried fruits (you can easily dehydrate fruits at home)
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup 100% pure apple juice
Directions
- Chop the dried fruit into tiny pieces and place in a mixing bowl.
- Add the flour and cornmeal and stir until well combined.
- Now add the oil and apple juice and stir until a stiff dough forms.
- Take a small amount of dough and roll into ½-inch balls and place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake in a 250F oven for 45 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave the treats in the oven until it cools.
- Remove and place in a freezer bag or container and store in the fridge up to one week and freeze for longer storage.
Crunchy Seed Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat or almond flour
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup of your rodents seed mix or a cockatiel seed mix
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 3/4 cup 100% pure apple juice
Directions
- Put all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
- Add the oil and apple juice and mix until a stiff dough forms.
- Roll out 1/2-inch balls of dough and place the dough balls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake in a 250F oven for 45 minutes.
- Turn off the oven and leave the nuggets in the oven until it cools, allowing the nuggets to dry out and become crunchy.
- Remove from the oven and place in a freezer bag or container and store in the fridge for up to one week and place in the freezer for longer storage.
Almond Butter Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat or almond flour
- 1 Tbsp 100% natural almond butter (you can also use 100% natural peanut butter)
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/3 cup water
Directions
- Place the water, honey and almond butter into a mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Add the flour and mix until a stiff dough forms.
- Take a small amount of the dough and roll into 1/2-inch balls and place the dough balls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake in a preheated 250F oven for 45 minutes.
- Turn off the oven and leave the biscuits in the oven until it’s fully cooled.
- Remove the nuggets from the oven and place in a freezer bag or container and store in the fridge for up to one week and place in the freezer for longer storage.
You now have healthy homemade natural treats to give your rodent buddies!
We do have one more recipe for you, it’s not ours, but it’s so good and easy (and healthy) that we had to share it! Now, while this recipe is for hamsters, it’s great for any rodent!
You can rest assured that each time you watch them gobbling up their treats that they are eating only healthy and all natural ingredients and none of the preservatives and artificial ingredients of the store bought treats.
And if given sparingly, they won’t cause any of the health issues that those additives can cause, such as digestive problems, or obesity.
HAPPY HEALTHY BAKING!!!
