Red dye in dog food for freeders?

I know in feeding rats dog food that contains red dye makes their liver retain something that is toxic for snakes, but what if I feed my rats dof dood medium grade like possibly diamond or something all natural untill a few weeks before euthanasia. Then feed them just the rat food. Also does freezin for 72hours kill the toxicity?

If you're feeding the rats a good quality rat food then you don't need to supplement with dog food. I would suggest a seed mix instead. The seeds will give them a good fat content without the possibility of toxins. Or if you really just want to feed them dog food go with a natural one that doesn't have any dyes in it.

Yeah a good rat block shouldn't need any supplements. Seeds are okay, I feed mine to pregnant and breeding mice to up their fat production for milk. I buy it in small bags from wild birds unlimited right now, just like 6 lbs or so for less than $5. They also have 50lb bags for like $15. I used to buy all my seed there when I was in full production. :)

I feed doggie bag dog food ive been from day one and have no issues

You could probably feed them McDonalds everyday with no serious health effects either. But it's not the healthiest thing for them, especially not when compared to a scientifically formulated lab diet.

True but they seem to be growing just fine .. I was gonna switch over to mazri but therss no where to get it over here .. from my understanding when I was doing research doggie bag is fine for a rodent diet

You should be able to order it online…they have pretty good prices on that stuff

Yea I was looking .. I was thinking about switching just cause I wanted to see if I see a difference .. but im not worried about it yet

Their diet I feed them is a mix of cheerios,rice crispies, raisin bran and or kellogs korn flakes mixed together that is always in the food bowl. They also get everyday some carrots , a couple pieces of kale or collard greens or any other greens i feed my Russian tortoise. They also get various treats. I would love to order mazri but dont have a credit card and no pet stores around here carry it. So all natural dog food added to what i already do and some seed. What kind of seed mix would be best and is there any other suggestions or complaints about the diet I provide for my rats to feed to my snakes?

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. :)

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?

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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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'