Can I feed this to my rats?? Hurry

Cow feed 20% protein pellets can I feed them to my rats?

I believe that is too much protein. But other people with more experience might chime in.

i would agree with babyknees

Well rats are supposed to have 14-18% but this is 20% and $8 for 50lb bag pellets!

And I'm sure you can find 18% for the same price if not a dollar more in hog feed.

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Originally Posted by Jessica Loesch

And I'm sure you can find 18% for the same price if not a dollar more in hog feed.

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Well, I got it and my rats love it. I'm monitoring all my breeders weights to see if it's harmful to them.

Not to hijack this thread but I am just curious as to what will to much protein do to rats?

19% protein is ideal. Some say 17-18. I use 19 myself. High protein causes liver damage and hot spots/balding spots, much like dogs get.
Most cattle cube has urea in it, which is lethal to rodents over time. You can get them without urea, but it's not as common or as cheap.
I've been breeding all kinds of rodents since 1985, I've tried everything and anything available back before rodent specific foods were available to the public.
In my opinion, if you're gonna cheap out and not spend a little extra on what should be fed to them, you should use 17% hog feed. But, Rodent blocks are best.

20% isn't going to hurt them, but the feed probably doesn't contain the other nutrients and vitamins that your rats need to thrive.

I'll get back to you guys in 1 week to tell you the results of weight gain/loss of my breeders who I'm feeding it too.

You won't see any results in a week. It's a long term thing. Just get hog feed next time if you wanna be cheap.

Just checked the bag, it says 100% natural protein - No Urea added

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Originally Posted by Xbloodrain67X

Cow feed 20% protein pellets can I feed them to my rats?

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16-18% is the ideal protein levels for rats, anything higher can cause protein scabs and really greasy hair on your rats :).

What is the other nutritional information?

It isn't just the protein content you look at. Rats need fat in their diet as well. You need to look at the fat content. By the way keep in mind high protein food doesn't just effect their hair it will also cause liver damage long term if used too much. That is extremely painful for a rat. They will bow up and be real sluggish because they are in such pain.

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Originally Posted by Rhasputin

What is the other nutritional information?

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I will check tomorrow.

Thats pretty high in protein. But then again, dog food has about that same amount and there's tons of people who use it with no problems. Just don't buy cheap stuff. I'm sure you'd be fine if you're using the rats for feeding purposes. Keep in mind rats are scavengers and eat anything they can find out of captivity.

I use Kent Rodent feed which is a 23% Rodent feed. Its $13 for 50lbs bag which is cheaper than 90% of other rodent or hog feed out there.

I get insane litters with my rats and mice. My mice have ups and downs but thats due to my fualt of letting them get overcrowded.