Lab Diet 5012 vs Mazuri 6F

so , I went to pick up some more food for my ASF's yesterday and they were out of Mazuri 6F, so the guy at Rens suggested Lab Diet 5012.

I decided to get some and try it out. it was a few bucks cheaper , as well.

the protein and fat content was a bit different , though. I was just wondering what others thought of this food for their ASF's.

http://www.labdiet.com/rodent_diet.html

here's a small list of the ingredients and differences for both

G UA R A N T E E D A N A LY S I S
Crude protein not less than . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22.0%
Crude fat not less than . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.0%
Crude fiber not more than . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.0%
Moisture not more than . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.0%
Ash not more than . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8.0%


Mazuri 6F

Crude protein ( min) .........................................16%
Crude fat(min).....................................................6%
Crude fiber( max)................................................6%

From talking to my rat breeder the lab diet is going to be better for mice because of the higher protien content. But Mazuri has yucca (at least I think its yucca) in it that reduces the urine oder from the animals. I really like mazuri 6f and that is what we feed our own rats.

higher protein= an increase in smell!

check out Mike C's hog feed post....


ASF don't really need the high protein mice do....


I personally hate lab diet for rats. I used hog feed and dog food for ASF's...never tried the lab diet on them personally

My rats all do fine on dog food. I give the nursing females seeds as well to give them more fat and more calories.

I use Kent 23% rodent diet, works great. Grow-ups are adults within a month of entering the grow out tub. For the breeder bins, I give them suet cakes pressed into a ceramic croc for a little boost of fat and calories. This is cheaper than buying the Mazuri. I have been getting some nice batches of pinks since I have been using the suet, and more to come.;)

I feed hog feed mixed with black oil sunflower seeds. And I swear by it.

Ive switched to hog feed as well. It saves me alot of time and money since I had to go to a local show for the lab blocks. My local farm and feed store carries it in 2 formulas. I get the one for growing hogs (younger hogs) for the higher protein content. I believe its 20 or 23%.

I just get the pelleted livestock bedding from the same store and have everything I need for less than $20.

How much are you guys paying for the lab diet 5012 and Mazuri? If you don't mind me asking... :confused:

just to throw Kent into the discussion, because I think it deserves a say, the Kent 23% is 20.00 per 50 lbs. bag and then suet cakes for extra fat are $1-cake

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Originally Posted by Jimi_Reptile

just to throw Kent into the discussion, because I think it deserves a say, the Kent 23% is 20.00 per 50 lbs. bag and then suet cakes for extra fat are $1-cake

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Ill stick with my 22% hog feed at 7 bucks for 50 pounds, and 13 dollar 20lb bag of black oil sunflower seeds for the extra fat.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

How much are you guys paying for the lab diet 5012 and Mazuri? If you don't mind me asking... :confused:

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I paid $24.59 for a 50lb bag of the lab diet with tax is came out to $27.79

the maxuri was $28 plus tax , but they didn't have any , and I didn't want to waste a trip going out there so I got the lab diet.

pavlok , damn , $7 is dirt cheap.

I had asked about hog feed , but I wasn't sure which one to get , so I thought I'd better get rodent food.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

Ill stick with my 22% hog feed at 7 bucks for 50 pounds, and 13 dollar 20lb bag of black oil sunflower seeds for the extra fat.

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if you are constantly offering sun flower seeds...your animals are bloated with fat....

sun flower seeds and pumpkins seeds are VERY bad as a stable.

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Originally Posted by suzuki4life

if you are constantly offering sun flower seeds...your animals are bloated with fat....

sun flower seeds and pumpkins seeds are VERY bad as a stable.

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My animals do just fine thanks. Theyre not bloated and they get 95% hog feed and 5% sunflower seeds in their hoppers. The only ones that get more sunflower seeds are the ones that are just weaned living in the pre-growout tub tank, so they can get some size on them.

with an extremely high fat content, couldn't that drastically shorten your Breeder's lifespan? I've heard the same with a very high protien diet also, but I'm guessing that much fat would be not so good in large amounts.

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Originally Posted by pliskin

I paid $24.59 for a 50lb bag of the lab diet with tax is came out to $27.79

the maxuri was $28 plus tax , but they didn't have any , and I didn't want to waste a trip going out there so I got the lab diet.

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Jeesh!!!! How can you guys afford this stuff?!

More importantly, why would you WANT to spend so much when you don't have to?

I guarantee you that my rats will look and be as healthy, if not healthier then your rats. And they have been on 100% hog food for many generations.

I don't know if everyone else pays that.

from your thread , I didn't think the stuff you're using was available where I'm located.
I'm sure I was reading that the stuff you use is only available in the southern US. , I'm from Canada.

I didn't know where else to get it , so not much I can do. besides , I don't have that many rats, so it lasts a while.

If I could find a suitable alternative in southern Ontario , I'd buy it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pliskin

I don't know if everyone else pays that.

from your thread , I didn't think the stuff you're using was available where I'm located.
I'm sure I was reading that the stuff you use is only available in the southern US. , I'm from Canada.

I didn't know where else to get it , so not much I can do. besides , I don't have that many rats, so it lasts a while.

If I could find a suitable alternative in southern Ontario , I'd buy it.

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You guys dont have pigs or farms in Canada?

:rofl:

I like Kent feeds, hog feeds (non-medicated, 20%P, 4-6% fat), Mazuri, Harlan. I've used them all and find each one has it's pros and cons.

For one, I find the rats really enjoy the flavor of Mazuri, they aren't too hot on hog feed, but will eat it and live normally. My biggest gripe about hog feed is the high corn content and tiny pellets. Harlan, just a high quality product, but too expensive for a colony of some size. We've switched to Kent for the Norways, not enough time has passed to make a definitive decision on it.

Pavlok,


haha, I guess there's some around somewhere, but I haven't passed by any hog farms in the city lately,lol.

I also didn't realize there was such a big difference in price. anyways , it not that big a deal. unless I start breeding a lot more rats , which I doubt , since I only have 5 snakes.

I'm probably not going to need to buy anything again for 6 months. I will look into the hog feed in the future , though.

sadly I gone though dogfood/cat food combo ( wit hseeds mix added0 to the hog feed with seeds added , and not just mainly the Mazuri food( little mix of th hog and seed left in the container) since I started t ouse the Mazuri I had better and faster growing rodents.and no more bald asf as the grew. now if they just go crazy producing I could feed of the elder rodents wit all their growths on them and keep the young. I also will have tod osoemthing withall these large rats once i rehome the boa in a month .( buddy going to take her when hemoves to the new place)

I needot get anthoer large bag of the Mazuri soon I don't want to run out . I also thinknig of taknigthe crumb pieces and dust put into a mold ans place fome bacon/burger fat into it and make suet that way to fatting them up and still gtthe Mazuri food into them.(I cansee the greasey fat smeared marks onthe tanks now..

I feed my ASF's Mazuri 6F. I breed them to feed my 30+ ball pythons and my only purpose for breeding them is for my snakes. So when it comes down to it I want my ASF's to eat the best out there so that my snakes also eat the best. What you feed your rats is totally up to you and I am not saying that there aren't several different brands of lab blocks out there that will work, but when you are at the feed store thinking about what kind of food to buy for your rats STOP and think about what kind of food you want to buy for your snakes.

I don't think anyone is suggesting people should feed their snakes sickly rats.

if the rats are healthy and not malnourished, then why not use an alternative that's less expensive?

the only good reason I've seen so far for paying more is the one about higher protein producing more stinky turds from the rats. but that's not affecting the snakes, just that you'll have to put up with the extra smell. personally , that makes a big difference to me, as I would like to keep the smell as low as possible.

I'll see how much of a difference the new food is going to make with my feeders smell before I decide if I'm going to buy the same stuff again over the Mazuri.

I pay $11.99 for Kent 23% 50lbs Bags. I go through 4 bags a month with 500+ production in mice and rats.

I wasn't suggesting that feeding them something other than lab block would make them sickly. I have used Mazuri in the past and it works great. My mice stay healthy so in turn my snakes eat healthy. If hog feed can give the same results then that is awesome, and everyone should go to it that feels comfortable doing so. I am just old school and it's hard to teach old dog's new tricks. So I will stick with what work's for me. I think my main concern would be the smell, and any extra fat content that the rat's might have. I am very picky when it comes to what I feed my snakes. Anyway I am getting off on to another topic. I was just stating my opinion. There is probably nothing wrong with feeding them hog feed. I wish you all the luck.