Best food on a budget

What is the best asf food for someone like me on a budget? I was buying mazuri, but they are hard to find here... I read something about pig food... is that good for them? It has to be cheaper if I get it at the farm store... right?

Sow and piglet pellets from Tractor supply is what I get. It's $16 per bag. The only downside is it gets wasted, because the pellets are so small. So make sure you feed them only what they can eat, or it'll just get peed on and wasted.

I made food hoppers with 1/4 hardware wire, will they fall through that?

Maybe. Probably. I haven't tried it yet. I just toss mine on the bedding.

I have been giving my rats Pedigree Dog food here lately. Its got big chunks.

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Originally Posted by ROACH

I have been giving my rats Pedigree Dog food here lately. Its got big chunks.

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Dog food really isn't any good for rodents...

Ive fed them dog food off and on for several years and havent had any problems. Mostly I give them Mazuri, but I switched them every few months. Back when I stared breeding rats, the rat breeders I talked to told me thats all they feed their rats was dog food. I just decided to switch back and forth.

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Originally Posted by Rhasputin

Maybe. Probably. I haven't tried it yet. I just toss mine on the bedding.

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How big are the pieces of food? In relation to say a pelleted cat/small animal litter are they thinner or thicker?

I won't feed my rats dog food, it makes their pee smell terrible.

Dog food is good in a mix, but not as a main diet.

The pieces are a bit smaller than cat food or dog food. They look exactly like rabbit pellets.
Size is my only complaint. They fall through the bars on my lab bins, but they only have bars going one way, and I think they're 1/4 inch. Mesh might make a difference though.

I have seen, at least with fancy rats and mice, that dog food will make their pee smell really strong, even in a mix.

The hoppers I made are 1/4 inch mesh. I think it will be okay.

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Originally Posted by Gizmo

I have seen, at least with fancy rats and mice, that dog food will make their pee smell really strong, even in a mix.

The hoppers I made are 1/4 inch mesh. I think it will be okay.

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Yes I do believe that Dog food does change the smell in the shop by alot.

Exactly lol its too much protien.

It's necessary in a home made mix as a source of protein. It's not necessary to supplement lab block or sow and piglet food with it. Just make sure you buy the one with the higher protein content. I think mine comes in a green bag and has 18% protein, which is a perfect amount. I do keep a bag of finch mix seeds around and sprinkle a little of that in the cages of nursing and pregnant mothers, the extra fat helps make healthy fat babies.

Oh! Thanks for the tip with the seed. I'll be sure to remember that. X3 I've had my breeders in together for almost a month now and it doesn't seem like my females are getting fat. Should I be doing anything to encourage breeding?

sunflower seeds for prego and nursing moms, as well as on the first week of rest after weaning the pups. just a little extra source of fat to help the females gain back any lost weight. it has made a big difference in the litters they produce, at least that's what i observed.

I personally don't do sunflower seeds because they're a bit too high in fat content.

Thanks for the tips guys! :) I just hope I start getting babies soon.. These boogers are expensive to buy and I have to drive nearly an hour to pick them up! Lmao!

Driving an hour for rodents is nothing! :P


Have you gotten them now? How are they? :)

Sorry for the double post, but remember when waiting for babies that ASFs can take up to 6 months to get started. Whereas with mice, 6-10 months is about the last good time for them to have a litter.

Asfs seem to take forever to grow up and start producing, but when they do, watch for tons of babies!

I fed mine the hog feed from the UFA store. 50lb bag for $18. I'd also buy a small bag of bird seed to mix in as well.


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Originally Posted by Rhasputin

I personally don't do sunflower seeds because they're a bit too high in fat content.

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that is exactly why i give it to rat moms. with litters excceding 10, they look really emaciated at the end of the nursing period without help from the fatty stuff. not all the rats get sunflower, only those that are nursing or have just finished nursing, and the ones that are about to start (last week of pragnancy).

I use a mix of Masuri, hog food, chicken scratch, and table scraps from the fridge, especially left over veggies.

If you're on a budget then the quality (doesn't really matter imo)is going to suffer a bit, but just go to a big farm supply place and pick out the cheapest food you can find. Rats will eat anything