A food dish is not absolutely vital - a rat will be just as happy to eat its food from the floor and actually sprinkling the food on the floor is more natural for the rat and provides the rat with extra stimulation in foraging for its food. However, using a food dish does enable you to use this as a measure of food you are giving and it is easier to see how much food the rat is eating.

If a food dish is provided it is best to use a ceramic or metal food dish. Plastic dishes are easily chewed by rats.