Rats are highly motivated to explore novel objects and environments for long-term survival and population establishment. Rats are social animals that learn different dietary behaviors from one another for determining their own feeding behavior. In addition, the nutritional value of the food encountered can influence feeding behavior. Since rats learn social and feeding behavior through associative learning and exploratory behavior, it is unclear if they are inclined towards familiarity or novelty. Therefore, our objective is to understand how familiar and novel conditions pertaining to the food and social aspect affect exploratory and feeding behavior. Through the food context, the food treatments of safflower seeds were considered familiar while the cheese-flavored yogurt drops food treatments were considered novel. Through the social context, placing two rats in the y-maze was considered familiar while placing one rat in the y-maze was considered novel. A total of fourteen, five-week old Rattus novergicus (Sprague Dawley) male rats were used in this experiment. Twelve rats, in groups of three, were randomly assigned one of the following treatments: solitary with cheese-flavored yogurt drops (cheese), social with cheese, solitary with safflower seeds, and social with safflower seeds. While the other two rats were used as “accompanying rats”. The twelve rats were either placed in a Y-maze individually or in pairs. Exploratory behavior was observed and measured by rat movement and latency to food reward. Feeding behavior was observed and measured by mouth contact with food, and food intake. In addition, the correlation between the behaviors body contact with mate and mouth contact with food was measured. No significant differences were observed between the social and solitary treatments for the behaviors food intake, latency to food reward, mouth contact with food and rat movement. However, over time rat movement was significantly higher in the social treatments. Between the different food treatments, no significant differences were observed in the behaviors: latency to food, mouth contact with food, body contact with mate, and rat movement. Though, rats significantly consumed nearly three times for safflower seeds than cheese-flavored yogurt drops. Lastly, there was no correlation between the behaviors body contact with mate and mouth contact to food. In conclusion, familiarity in the food and social context did have an effect in feeding and exploratory behavior.