Red dye in dog food for freeders?

[Snatantula]

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?

[Phantomtip]

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.

[Rhasputin]

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.

[steve_r34]

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

[Rhasputin]

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.

[steve_r34]

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

[Mephibosheth1]

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

[steve_r34]

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

[Snatantula]

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?

[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.