Of course rats can eat watermelon flesh – just like us humans. It is very simple as foods go with no complex nutritional considerations
There may be issues with it if your rats have pre-existing health issues – as with any treat – but offering your little guys a small triangle of home-grown or shop-bought watermelon is totally fine.
And makes a great picture too!
Watermelon Facts For Your Rat:
As a member of the curcubitaceae plant family (melons, squashes and cucumbers) – we know that this fruit are scrambling vine-like plants that produce water-filled yummy fruits of amazing flavours and colors.
This tropical and temperate plant produces a huge fruit (a berry in this case called a ‘pepo’). With a hard outer mottled or stripy green rind and a pinky-red soft centre with black pips – the watermelon is unmistakable. They are available in other colours though (including orange and black) and sizes (up to 150+kg).
Nutrition-wise they are pretty much water-based (around 92%) and as a result – very low calorie – so great for adult rats instead of sweeter treats.
They still contain various vitamins (most noticeably Vitamin A and C), minerals (mainly potassium) and phytochemicals (including lycopene – the thing that makes red fruits red) that can be of benefit alongside a balanced diet, but in low levels versus the amount eaten.
They are usually only found as whole fruits in the stores – but can be found in other things for sure. You can also grow your own – so what about all the different parts and types of watermelon treats for rats – are they safe?
So, Can Rats Eat All Parts Of A Watermelon?
Fresh Flesh – the most common way you will consider feeding – and usually the best! Cutting a whole watermelon into teeny rat-sized pink cubes is the best way to feed them – but can get messy – so make sure you aren’t feeding on any furnishing you want to keep!
Unlike a lot of fruits, the juice isn’t very sticky as they are very low sugar – but they are SO juicy that you can guarantee they will have wet arms and faces by the time they have finished!
Dried Watermelon isn’t really a thing – as when you dry fruit – your take away the moisture. And as watermelon is over 90% water – you really wouldn’t have anything left?
You may find watermelon sticks or strips – but these may well be mixed with other less-favourable ingredients to get that watermelon ‘look’. And I can guarantee none of the extra ingredients will be as healthy as the watermelon itself. It will most likely say ‘watermelon flavor’ anyway – meaning it doesn’t even have to contain ANY watermelon at all.
Roasted Watermelon however, IS a thing – and gently roasting or grilling large slices of watermelon is really a common human treat? It doesn’t gain or lose any key nutrients either way as it doesn’t really have any in the first place – it just mixes up the feel and temperature of the fruit.
Watermelon Desserts & Smoothies are all fine – as long as the other fruits and ingredients in the dish are also rat-safe – and nothing is too concentrated or processed. Always remember that dried or concentrated fruits will always contain higher sugar concentrations than the whole fruit.
Can Rats Eat Any Other Parts Of The Watermelon?
So, you decided to grow them yourself and were wondering about feeding your rats more natural things – so let’s have a look;
Watermelon Skins – these are usually thick and pretty tasteless – but not harmful. So if you wanted to feed your rat clan a whole chunk of watermelon to share instead of tiny pieces each, then totally you can give them the whole section. They most likely won’t eat the green flesh – but it is edible for humans (although we usually pickle it first).
Watermelon Pips – totally safe – they are just like any other curcubite pips – best dried and roasted though (for us humans for sure as they can be quite nutty indeed) – but raw isn’t an issue at all for your ratties. There are watermelon varieties that are now pip-less – so if you are worried about the pips – just buy the variety without them in! The white pips are fine too – they are just under-develped/unripe.
Watermelon Flowers – these are so tiny – but usually in great numbers early on in the plant’s growth. You will want to only feed the ‘male’ flowers (as you need the female ones to produce the fruits obvs), but they are easy to tell apart – so this shouldn’t be a problem. The image below shows a male flower in the space between the thumb and finger on the hand and a female flower with swollen chamber at around 10 oclock to the larger front fruit.
Watermelon Leaves and Vines – although they look awesome with their unique shape leaves and crazy tendrils – just like most other vines in their family – they are spiky! Take a look at the vine above the female fruit in the image below to see the spikes!
Not really bad like brambles, but you will certainly get a scratch from them. Perhaps not best to feed them to your rats as there is nothing to say that they are safe if digested: there are notes to say that young leaves and vine tips of squash and cucumbers are safe – but nothing on watermelons that we could find – so best avoid.
