Where to buy rat food

I recently started a colony of rats and I find myself spending a ridiculous amount of money on food. Like $6-9 each week on rat food. This equals what we were spending on rats every week. Obviously this doesn't make any sense. SO where do you guys buy food? There must be an online source to buy in bulk, or people would be wasting their money on these colonies.

I buy mine from my local feed store. Online prices are usually much too expensive after shipping.

Find a feed store that carries or will order it for you. I use Mazuri and they have a dealer locator on their website, I called the nearest store and they order it in whenever I call. It's not local unfortunately but I stock up and make the trip out of town when I need to go shopping or have someone else pick it up. Shipping 100 pounds of food would be crazy in price.

Well that sucks... I can only buy Mazuri at PetSmart, and I avoid buying ANYTHING there if I can. It's more expensive then the other stuff I buy, and lasts just as long.

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Originally Posted by sarahlovesmiike

Well that sucks... I can only buy Mazuri at PetSmart, and I avoid buying ANYTHING there if I can. It's more expensive then the other stuff I buy, and lasts just as long.

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try a farm supply store took me 3 seconds to find this one and a bunch more came up as well just start making calls

Knight's Farm SupplyAddress:‎
2310 North Belfast Avenue
Augusta, ME 04330-8206
(207) 626-5715

Yeah, if you have a Co-Op or Tractor Supply nearby, check with them and see if they can order it for you. I get mine through my local Co-Op. Or as suggested, try their dealer locator at mazuri.com.

When I had rats just as pets, not even as a food source, even then I found a local supplier of Mazuri food, usually a feed store or something similar and would buy in bulk for much cheaper prices than the typical pet stores. That's always the best bet. Sometimes you can find online suppliers that have good prices, but usually once you tack on that shipping charge that's where it gets ya and is no longer any better of a deal than those pet store prices.

Seems like no matter where I buy it from I'm not saving much money by breeding... Gonna go deal hunting on Sunday to all the tractor and farm supply stores in the area. I just need something that is a better deal than $6 per 2lbs! Other wise I may stop breeding all together. Only problem there is that I will then have to buy feeders from places I'm not crazy about, and that I don't really trust.

Mazuri at PetSmart doesn't come in bulk and is way overpriced, bulk Mazuri 6f I pay $25 with tax per 50 pound bag. Any dealer that carries Purina farm animal food can get it in, just call them and ask.

I feed my rats Doggie Bag dog food from Tractor Supply Company. They do great on it and its only $11.99 + tax for a 40 pound bag. You really can't go wrong with it.

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Originally Posted by tomfromtheshade

I feed my rats Doggie Bag dog food from Tractor Supply Company. They do great on it and its only $11.99 + tax for a 40 pound bag. You really can't go wrong with it.

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Is the nutrition content about the same as you would find in some of the more popular rat foods? I was thinking about going this route, if I couldn't find some one to buy bulk rat food from.

Thanks for all the replies guys!

Some will say yes, some will say no...

I say no as well. I see all kinds of posts on here all the time with people having issues with their litters, and one thing they all seem to have in common is they all use dog food. Sometimes you see it pop up with 6f too, but not anywhere near as much with dog food. I think everyone starts out like you going to local pet stores but you will quickly realize its pointless. Not sure where your located but mazuri actually has a store locator and it works great. Someone on here showed it to me right when I was about to give up hope, and that day I was able to find a place. Hopefully there is someone close by.

https://www.mazuri.com/Home.asp?Products=2&Opening=4

You guys can keep wasting your money on lab blocks. I will keep producing healthy, highly fertile rats at a lower cost. Enjoy.

Doggie Bag = $0.32 per pound

Ingredients:
Wheat Middlings, Ground Yellow Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, soybean Meal, Calcium Carbonate, Animal fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), Animal Digest Salt, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate , Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Biotin, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of vitamin K activity), Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Vitamin D Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate, Folic Acid.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min.) 18%, Crude Fat (min.) 6%, Moisture (max.) 12 %, Crude Fiber (max.) 12%.

It works.

Okay, guys, so where are these supposed feed stores? I have never, in my life, seen one or heard of one (at least not until I came here). If anyone knows where one is around Pittsburgh it would help a couple of us, at least.

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Originally Posted by Oxylepy

Okay, guys, so where are these supposed feed stores? I have never, in my life, seen one or heard of one (at least not until I came here). If anyone knows where one is around Pittsburgh it would help a couple of us, at least.

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As people have said, the Mazuri website has a dealer locator. I just put in a random zip for pittsburgh and came up with all of the below locations:

MARTIN'S FLOWERS & SHRUBS INC
5045 RT 51 N
BELLE VERNON, PA 15012
Phone No: 724-379-4684
Fax No: 724-379-5112

This dealer is 15.01 miles from you.
View Map


Click the Better Animals Program logo
to visit their home page.




This Retailer May Carry the Following Products:

Purina Mills Lifestyle Products:
- Horse
- Poultry
- Rabbit
- Goat
- Wildlife
- Exotic

Purina Mills Livestock Products:
- Cattle
- Dairy
- Swine

This dealer is Certified to Carry These Products:
- Ultium Horse Feed

TRACTOR SUPPLY COMPANY #1224
176 FINLEY ROAD
BELLE VERNON, PA 15012
Phone No: 615-366-4600

This dealer is 15.01 miles from you.
View Map
EIGHTY FOUR AGWAY
1025 RT 519
EIGHTY FOUR, PA 15330
Phone No: 724-222-0600
Fax No: 724-222-4704

This dealer is 15.04 miles from you.
View Map


Click the Better Animals Program logo
to visit their home page.







This Retailer May Carry the Following Products:

Purina Mills Lifestyle Products:
- Horse
- Poultry
- Rabbit
- Goat
- Wildlife
- Exotic

Purina Mills Livestock Products:
- Cattle
- Dairy
- Swine

This dealer is Certified to Carry These Products:
- Ultium Horse Feed
- Well Solve Horse Feed

TRACTOR SUPPLY COMPANY #1186
725 MANOR RD
DELMONT, PA 15626
Phone No: 615-366-4600

This dealer is 17.58 miles from you.
View Map
TR LAST/MISTER FEED II
2241 W HARDIES RD
GIBSONIA, PA 15044
Phone No: 412-486-6211

This dealer is 19.44 miles from you.
View Map

This Retailer May Carry the Following Products:

Purina Mills Lifestyle Products:
- Horse
- Poultry
- Rabbit
- Goat
- Wildlife
- Exotic

TRACTOR SUPPLY COMPANY #1316
100 TRACTOR LANE
GIBSONIA, PA 15044

This dealer is 19.44 miles from you.
View Map
J P STARK & SON INC
2749 THOMPSON ROAD
TARENTUM, PA 15084
Phone No: 724-224-9597
Fax No: 724-224-5597

This dealer is 20.02 miles from you.
View Map

This Retailer May Carry the Following Products:

Purina Mills Lifestyle Products:
- Horse
- Poultry
- Rabbit
- Goat
- Wildlife
- Exotic

Purina Mills Livestock Products:
- Cattle
- Dairy
- Swine

This dealer is Certified to Carry These Products:
- Ultium Horse Feed

HILDENBRAND LIME & FERTIL
848 WALTZ MILL RD
RUFFS DALE, PA 15679
Phone No: 724-446-5802

This dealer is 20.07 miles from you.
View Map

This Retailer May Carry the Following Products:

Purina Mills Lifestyle Products:
- Horse
- Poultry
- Rabbit
- Goat
- Wildlife
- Exotic

Purina Mills Livestock Products:
- Cattle
- Dairy
- Swine

GREENSBURG AGWAY
1025 GREEN ST
GREENSBURG, PA 15601
Phone No: 724-834-2228

This dealer is 20.44 miles from you.
View Map

This Retailer May Carry the Following Products:

Purina Mills Lifestyle Products:
- Horse
- Poultry
- Rabbit
- Goat
- Wildlife
- Exotic

IMPERIAL AGWAY
400 MAIN STREET
IMPERIAL, PA 15126
Phone No: 724-695-7388
Fax No: 724-695-7143

This dealer is 20.99 miles from you.
View Map

This Retailer May Carry the Following Products:

Purina Mills Lifestyle Products:
- Horse
- Poultry
- Rabbit
- Goat
- Wildlife
- Exotic

This dealer is Certified to Carry These Products:
- Ultium Horse Feed

TRACTOR SUPPLY COMPANY #1150
460 WASHINGTON ROAD SUITE 15
WASHINGTON, PA 15301
Phone No: 615-366-4600

This dealer is 22.91 miles from you.
View Map


You can put in your actual zip and it'll find you all kinds of local feed stores.
Feed stores are basically stores that have supplies for farms and things like that.

If you can't find the mazuri at a feed store than I'll second Toms doggie bag from tractor supply..

Holy Jeeze. I see now. I always went straight to the "shop" section, but there it is on the opening page, haha. Thanks and sorry.

Hehe, they don't always put those kinds of links in the most obvious of places. Usually end up putting a small link at the bottom of a page somewhere and expect you to find it or give in and just order direct.

I buy rodent block from local Family Farm and Home for $14 per 50lb bag.

Kent Rodent Diet

If you use Mazuri's dealer locater make sure to call before you get in the truck to go. Not all Purina vendors carry/can order Mazuri. That is how I started feeding what I feed now. I couldn't get Mazuri locally and it worked out for me.

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Originally Posted by tomfromtheshade

If you use Mazuri's dealer locater make sure to call before you get in the truck to go. Not all Purina vendors carry/can order Mazuri. That is how I started feeding what I feed now. I couldn't get Mazuri locally and it worked out for me.

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I couldn't find it either. I have been using dog food for almost a year without any problems what so ever. My breeders are doing just fine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PghBall

I couldn't find it either. I have been using dog food for almost a year without any problems what so ever. My breeders are doing just fine.

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And the rats you gave me are in great shape from what I can tell. Smart, active, the male is "being a male" like a champ and they seem like they're as healthy as can be.