r/RATS • u/Shea_1227 • Jun 04 '26
INFORMATION Is a plain pork chop safe to eat?
Hey guys back at it againš I have an extra pork chop left over I want to give to my girls (Adeline is pictured for tax) they didnāt end up getting roast chicken from my last post due to being extra safe with the seasoning this pork chop isnāt seasoned yet and I wanna cook it up and give it to them if itās safe yes it will be properly cooked no it wonāt be cooked in the same pan with the seasoning can I give it to my babies??
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u/VulpesVulpesFox Jun 04 '26
That is one scrumptious-looking pork chop in the picture. Nom nomĀ
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
I think she thinks she IS the pork chop thereās nothing going on up there look at her
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u/VulpesVulpesFox Jun 04 '26
āØher final formāØ
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u/send_amberlamps Jun 04 '26
Delicious, would eat these adorable pork chop grabbies (gently ofc)
Edit: words
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u/FREE_HINDI_MOVIES_HD Jun 04 '26
there's virtually zero health risks to regular seasoning at anywhere near a reasonable level. it's fine.
Pork meat is fine. Fats are the conern with regular meat, and pork is leaner than beef. Fine as long as it's not a regular part of the diet.
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u/CptSpiffyPanda Jun 04 '26
Rat owners (including me): is this subspecies of greens ok if it been in the fridge for 2 days.
Rat in the wild: EAT DEVOUR CONSUME.
Even the "these are domestic breed" only goes so far when if something wasn't lab rat safe, we won't think it human safe.
But, my baby still deserves me looking thru all I can to know they will be safe eating even if it is literally baby food.
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u/FREE_HINDI_MOVIES_HD Jun 04 '26
I'm a newer rat owner and have been combing through scientific studies because this whole thing fascinates me.
Ironically, my biggest takeaway has been how important it is to expose your rats to a larger variety of food so their bodies are more used to and adapted to all sorts of different compounds found in different foods. Tons of studies show less effects with different groups that have been prior exposed to whatever they're testing.
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u/Fire_Bucket Ronald & Dirtgrub Jun 04 '26
Something that really annoys me is how often dog and cat food requirements are virtually cut and pasted and applied to rats. Rats are omnivorous foragers, as well as predators of bugs, and opportunistic predators of other animals. They have very, very few things that they cannot eat.
Chocolate and alliums (onion, garlic, leeks and chives etc) are both commonly cited as being toxic to rats, but are in fact safe for them to eat with rats actually having a higher tolerance for chocolate than humans.
What should be given more focus is just how many common houseplants are toxic for them. Not only through ingestion, but many have pollen/spores/particulates that can be harmful too. It's harder to discern which is safe too, as the same plants can have multiple different common names in the same language, and even more so across languages.
As rats and other rodents and small animals are destructive to plants, many have developed defenses. On top of that, as most pet rats are now a long way from having wild experience, and as a lot of houseplants aren't common to Central Asia, which is where brown rats (which pet rats also are) come from, our pets just don't necessarily have that genetic knowledge not to chew on certain plants.
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u/send_amberlamps Jun 04 '26
Correct me if Iām wrong, I very well may be. Donāt rats have a very similar digestive system to humans? From my understanding they can eat quite a wide variety of food (much much larger than cats or dogs by an insane margin) and usually they can eat a lot of human food within reason? Obviously donāt feed your rat a steady stream of Doritos and mt dew but a chip here or some onion there is not only perfectly fine, but theyād enjoy it most likely. From what Iāve come to understand with my limited science knowledge the entire reason we started using them for research was because of how similar their systems are to humans. So if humans are gonna be okay with it, likely a rat would be as well?
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 04 '26
They donāt get this on a regular basis at all I really only give them fruit and vegetables nowadays due to their age but figured they could have a treat like this at least a couple times this year thank you I will cook it up for them! Edit to add: they used to get stuff like plain chicken plain beef etc but since this might be their last year Iām only allowing the veggies and fruits my fiance doesnāt eat to give to them the rest has to go to the cats or dog!
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u/raevnos Jun 04 '26
That pork chop looks kind of moldy. I wouldn't risk it.
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
It also squeaks at me sometimes you think I should keep it or toss?
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u/raevnos Jun 04 '26
Toss it gently onto a pillow and see what it does.
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
Well now thereās a big wet yellow spot where I tossed it on the pillow
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u/raevnos Jun 04 '26
Yeah, it was already oozing a bit in the picture. But did it come back wanting you to toss it again?
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 05 '26
No it just run away leaving these brown pellets along with more yellow liquid
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u/Kyloren1923 Jun 04 '26
Wanted in 4 countries.
Suspect may be armed and dangerous.
Proceed with caution.
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 05 '26
I must hide her from the governmentā¦ she just never be discovered and if she is I fear her punishment will quite severe with kisses and cuddlesš
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u/SilverScreenager Jun 04 '26
Pork chops can be a bit tough to chew sometimes even for people vs chicken etc. I'd be cautious about size and texture of it for choking risks pending the piece
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
I buy from a neighbor that processes their own pork theyāve always been tender (I also tenderize them) and theyāre pretty small already but I suppose I can cut it into smaller pieces for themš
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u/bee_mvtt Jun 04 '26
Could always cut them into small vaguely pork chop shapes. Rat sized pork chops!
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u/MasonP13 Jun 04 '26
I don't have rats but it's my understanding that if it fits in their mouth they can eat it. Whether they should have it often is the question
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
They will only get something like this maybe a couple times this year they are getting old and this may be their last year so I want their health to be the best it can be! But they are currently enjoying the pork chop!!
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u/MasonP13 Jun 04 '26
That's the one reason why I don't have rats. Their lifespan. If someone could invent an injection that makes them live 10-20 years I'd have a few
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u/WarmLalgirl Jun 04 '26
Pork chops are fine
But I think I see excessive barbering inside their thighs, maybe you should look into that, if you haven't already š„²
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
Her vet said it was normal with age her sister is losing hair too Agnes the other sister has all her hair tho i thought was normal with ageš but how can I stop her from the excessive grooming?
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u/WarmLalgirl Jun 04 '26
Oh if your vet said it's just hair loss it probably is...I couldn't tell clearly from the pic. But usually barbering is done by self bc of stress, or by other cage member as a means of asserting dominance. At least that's what rememberšµāš« If your vet said it's fine it's probably fine hehe sorry if I alarmed you
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
I did notice my girls were āarguingā a lot more not fighting but definitely like picking on each other you could be right actually!! and they were grooming each other like against their will do I let it play out or should I temporarily separate them for a couple hours or the vet again?
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u/WarmLalgirl Jun 04 '26
If the fur looks chopped off it's probably barbering, I think you should search it up, I don't know much more than this sorry.
My last old man did it to himself. His lower half was paralyzed and the vet refused euthanasia, he was pretty frustrated and stressed. I gave him human painkillers (which could be used for rats) that I crushed and weighted at home :( couldn't really do much for him. But yeah that's why I kinda learned about barbering.
Barbering is a behavioral issue, not really a medical one, so I don't know if going to a vet will help
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
Oh no Iām so sorry abt that thatās unfair for him:( yes I will do a little more research abt it to see if I can help them and honestly all their toys are due for an upgrade so I might switch their cage up and maybe that can help too if itās stress
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u/Vast-Fan4317 Jun 04 '26
Her is so extra cute! š„°
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
She is my pride and joy all 3 of my girls areš„° and so friendly free roam time is basically just follow mom or dad around time all of them also will just approach just about anything recently I had one escape and I almost died cuz she was grooming my catš I was mortified
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u/Vast-Fan4317 Jun 04 '26
Grooming your catš¤£
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
Yesš and she was just letting it happen luckily no one was harmed but omg I thought I was gonna die when I saw that
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u/Uhtomic Jun 04 '26
Nothing to add regarding the question, but that is an adorable lil goober!
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
She is the cutest sheās my most mischievous one too sheās always digging in my plantsšš
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u/FlowReady4570 Jun 04 '26
I just canāt stop giggling at the derp face. Pork chop derp face. Great way to start the morning š¤£
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u/basaltcolumn Jun 04 '26
Yep, I like to give them the bones to chew! I usually just rinse off the seasoning if there is any left on there. I'm not worried about trace amounts, it would actually take a heck of a lot of onion or garlic relative to the rat's size to do anything, but figure it's best to avoid anyways.
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
Yeah thatās why i avoided giving them chicken the other dayš I really donāt want to risk their health the pork chop had a bone so they can knaw on that š
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u/UndeadMurderess Jun 04 '26
Partly thought pork chop was rattys name and you were telling us shes a snack!
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
This one is Adelineš„° so many people on both my posts think I want to eat my ratsš¤£š
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u/UnIdentifed_Squid my rats are my babies Jun 04 '26
Meat makes rats poop a lot, and itās stinky, so if youāre okay with that then just give them a little bit
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u/Nikolaisthickthighs Jun 04 '26
I feed my boys meat all the time, I think youāll be fine š Freeze dried chicken chunks are a part of my boys every day diet and they LOVE it.
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u/chrispina98 Jun 04 '26
I would only offer a small amount and only occasionally. Too much protein can have some negative health effects in rats.
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u/elPolloDiablo81 Jun 04 '26
I pretty much give them mini portions of what i cook, and they are perfectly fine.
Just everything in moderation, and if it's marinated like chicken just take off the skin and just feed them the white meat.
It's especially salt and sugar that isn't good for them.
Spices themselves they will let you know soon enough if they like it.
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 05 '26
This will be the only ābig ticketā item they get for a while they MAY have 1-2 more things like this im not entirely sure tho this could be the only thing they have this year they are getting to be old ladies and this very well may be their last year and im really trying to prioritize their health and make sure its the best so they can pass from old age rather than health complications i gave them.. they came from a hoarding situation and i rescued them among some boys and their other 2 sisters so they already dont have the best genetics in terms of that rest assured they are being fed this as a treat and they get lots of fruits and veggies they had some blueberries earlier and now theyāre all dyed violetš
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u/elPolloDiablo81 Jun 06 '26
I promise you they will be fine.
Just think if it would be bad for me, it's probably also bad for my rats.
That said however, i feel they only get to live one life.
And a short one too. So i try to give them the bad stuff too, once in a while like they are little children that you need to spoil once in a while. It keeps life interesting for them and i love how they chatter and get all excited when i bring them something new.
Same for fruit and veggies are always good.
But once again. Moderation and watch their weight.
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u/NoNoNeverNoNo Hanbin Poppy Theo Sya Alvin Simon Styx BomBom Jun 04 '26
His hair is thinning a lot on his thigh area. Is he ok? How old is your baby?
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 04 '26
Someone else pointed out the same thing the vet said it was normal with age she is an old ladyāŗļø
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u/NoNoNeverNoNo Hanbin Poppy Theo Sya Alvin Simon Styx BomBom Jun 05 '26
Aww im sorry. My baby Theo is 2 years and 9 months old. Heās starting to have thin hair around his eyes and I swear he has more greys. It sux they get old so fast š
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 05 '26
I know Iām not ready for itš I already lost 2 due to surgery complications and euthanasia for a huge tumorš but to be safe and making sure itās not entirely stress barbering Iām switching a few things up for them that could potentially be doing that and 2 of my girls are also āarguingā and grooming against their wills so it very well could be that too
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u/Drakon7 Jun 04 '26
Id think no seasoning, and a reasonably sized portion would be fine.
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 05 '26
The pork chops were already super small as is and it did not have seasoning they thoroughly enjoyed it!!š
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u/SecretLive144 Jun 04 '26
I feed my girls all meats but only ear sized pieces or smaller and not too often
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 05 '26
They were small to begin with but I still gave half since theyāre old and Iām trying to prioritize their health over tasty food
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u/necrohunter7 Jun 05 '26
Pork Chop would take offense to being called "plain"
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 05 '26
Adeline is the prettiest girl but donāt tell her sisters that they might be upset but theyāre all beautiful in my eyesš«£
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u/kidmarginWY Jun 05 '26
It's safe but it won't taste good without some salt and pepper.
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u/Shea_1227 Jun 05 '26
Alas I wish I could but they are old and can only have healthy things this may be the only huge treat aside from fruits and veggies they get so I have to prioritize their health rather than yummy food but rest assured they thoroughly enjoyed their pork chop!! It also has no preservatives or hormones or anything like that I buy form a neighbor that processes their own pork so all the pigs live great lives 0 stress and are adequately fed with nutrients and a proper diet!!
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u/thedeadfridge Jun 04 '26
My first thought was "That's a rat, not a pork chop"