I got my rats a mini pumpkin and just gave them raw chunks, guts and all, after rinsing off the outside. They love it! A pie pumpkin is going to have more sugar than your average vegetable, but it's not as sweet as many fruits, so it's not even that bad as a treat. The seeds of course will have lots of both protein and fat, so you might want to scoop those out in order to control how much they eat regardless of how you feel about the possibility of slimy rats. (My pumpkin was really mini, so there wasn't much inside to bother scooping out- a full sized pie pumpkin will probably be a different story)

 

The ratty owners in the Facebook forums I'm on all give mini pumpkins or pie pumpkins to their rats whole. They may cut a chunk out of it to get them started, but the rats have a hay day with it and usually don't need much help. Looks like someone went pumpkin smashing, LOL!! Messy messy messy!!

 

Oh Rats!

Hey Rat Forum!I got a small pie pumpkin for the rats to play with on Halloween because I'm a sucker for holiday fun with pets and I was wondering:What's the best way to give it to them?Should I clean and cook it first, or can they have it raw?Do rats like the pumpkin guts, if so should I leave them in or will that be too big a mess?I was going to clean it and cut a couple large holes in it then let them loose on it. I'm not going to let them have it inside the cage because honestly I don't want to deal with it getting super nasty, so whatever they don't eat I'm thinking of making little itty bitty rat cookies out of for treats!

I cannot stress this enough DO NOT GIVE YOUR RATS A PUMPKIN GUTS. I gave my Edgar some of the guts of the pumpkin last year after I was done carving it because I figured why not? Here's why: aggressive rat sharts. My Edgar was an absolute mess for days just because I gave him a little bit of pumpkin. I figured my Edgar would be OK because I gave my iguana some and he absolutely gobbled it up and loved the dickens out of them. But Edgar, however; for the next 11 days had a line of doodoo coming out of his little hole that seemed never-ending.

 

I cannot stress this enough DO NOT GIVE YOUR RATS A PUMPKIN GUTS. I gave my Edgar some of the guts of the pumpkin last year after I was done carving it because I figured why not? Here's why: aggressive rat sharts. My Edgar was an absolute mess for days just because I gave him a little bit of pumpkin. I figured my Edgar would be OK because I gave my iguana some and he absolutely gobbled it up and loved the dickens out of them. But Edgar, however; for the next 11 days had a line of doodoo coming out of his little hole that seemed never-ending.

OMG - I keep seeing a clown with those scarves that never end, only with rat poop. Poor Guy!

 

Oh no, poor little dude!!!

I wonder if possibly the water content plus the fiber in the pumpkin guts might have been too much for him? I have heard pumpkin can give rats some absolutely wicked poopies, thus why people give it on purpose for a rat who is 'stopped up'.

 

Update on the pumpkin situation: The rats had a great time!

I posted some pictures on my twitter: https://twitter.com/shibezone/status/1057848186407215105
And a video: https://twitter.com/shibezone/status/1057848351402704897

 

Awwww, Shibezone! That's freaking adorable XD! Looks like they had a blast!

 

I think so!! Also, turns out they LOVED destroying the pumpkin stem, who knew?