Red dye in dog food for freeders?

Ask if any of them can order the mazuri, and check with feed stores too. Was on lab diet but will be switching to mazuri in a week or so when what I ordered comes in. Where in Mi. are you?

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Originally Posted by Rhasputin

Cheerios are good, make sure they're just plain. Rice crispies are good too but make sure you're just getting puffed rice and no added sugar as well. Raisin bran might not be good, the flakes are probably healthy, but the raisins are probably junk food to mice. Also most raw veg should be given very sparingly, because mice are not really made to digest vegetables.

Here's an approximate idea of what a homemade mouse mix should be...

60-70% grains (oats, barley, whole grain pasta, etc. Avoid corn)
10-20% holistic dog food (nature's recipe I think is a cheap holistic food)
10-15% seeds (millet, pumpkin, thistle etc. Avoid sunflower seeds)
10-15% lentils (any colour lentils are fine)


The numbers are aproximate, but it gives you a good idea of portions. :)
You can go to a feed store near you, and ask them to order it into the store. You don't need to pre-pay, just go pick it up when it comes in, and you can pay cash. You can also do what I do, and buy 'sow and piglet' hog food. It has almost the exact same nutrition as rat block, just in smaller pellets. Make sure you pick out the hog food with the highest protein content (I think mine is just right at 16-18%). It's about $15 for 50lbs, so it's comparable to lab block in every way. I pick it up at tractor supply once a month or so. :)

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wow thank you very much & I am in Lincoln park.

Grains are really cheap at feed stores. I think when I bought oats and barley they were $10-$15 per 50lbs, and I would buy my seeds from wild birds unlimited for about $15 for 40lb bags of millet.

I also buy beef suet nuggets I think they're called 'no melt dough' or something like that, from WBU to give to my pregnant or nursing does for extra umph. :)

A number of very reputable fancy show rat breeders feed Doggie Bag brand Dog Food. I'm not saying it is or is not the most optimal diet possible but those same breeders prefer it over Mazuri and other formulated blocks. Just sayin'

That 'red food dye' myth has been making the rounds for decades. But nobody I've ever asked has been able to show any scientific studies proving it to be true.

If you just can't get a feed store or somewhere to order it for you, there is a show very close to you every month, and one of the vendors there sells the mazuri. Get it from a feed store if you can though, it will be about 10 bucks a bag cheaper. And I may be wrong, but I believe that my feed store said it's distributed by purina, so if they sell purina products they should be able to order it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rhasputin

Cheerios are good, make sure they're just plain. Rice crispies are good too but make sure you're just getting puffed rice and no added sugar as well. Raisin bran might not be good, the flakes are probably healthy, but the raisins are probably junk food to mice. Also most raw veg should be given very sparingly, because mice are not really made to digest vegetables.

Here's an approximate idea of what a homemade mouse mix should be...

60-70% grains (oats, barley, whole grain pasta, etc. Avoid corn)
10-20% holistic dog food (nature's recipe I think is a cheap holistic food)
10-15% seeds (millet, pumpkin, thistle etc. Avoid sunflower seeds)
10-15% lentils (any colour lentils are fine)


The numbers are aproximate, but it gives you a good idea of portions. :)
You can go to a feed store near you, and ask them to order it into the store. You don't need to pre-pay, just go pick it up when it comes in, and you can pay cash. You can also do what I do, and buy 'sow and piglet' hog food. It has almost the exact same nutrition as rat block, just in smaller pellets. Make sure you pick out the hog food with the highest protein content (I think mine is just right at 16-18%). It's about $15 for 50lbs, so it's comparable to lab block in every way. I pick it up at tractor supply once a month or so. :)

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I noticed you wrote mouse does it make a difference if I have rats cause I do?

Should work just fine for rats. I fed all my different rodent species the same mix. :)

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/stor...pig-feed_facet
This is the pig feed available in my area out of all of these I should pick the 1 with the highest protein value. The highest out of all of those is 20%. Is there a maximum protein value I should not exceed?

20 is about as high as you want to go, any higher and your mice can have skin problems. I get one that's 16-18%.
Also it's best if you can find one that has several mixed grains in it, and not just corn. Some have the grains listed out, and others just say 'grains'