Food for Rats

[Scherf]

So i have been feedning my colony "doggie bag" as sugested for a good cheap alternitave from other lab blocks and foods due to avalibility and overall cost. so i have been seeing that growth and weight gain has been slow with the rats and i am wondering as to what i could add to their diet that will produce good growth and is healthy for them.

i am thinking of adding some fresh fruit and cheerios to it, but that to me doesnt seem to be enough. i did read that some lean cooked meat is good for them in moderation and i have noticed that since swiching to a lower protien count food is when the growth seemed to slow.

but also is my own idea of the growth rate of a rat off? i did get some young rats around 100g a month ago and i fugured by now they should be around 200g if not a little bigger.

thanks for any help or advice,

Zack

[Scherf]

Well i did finally find a place to get Mazuri 6F, and the price is comprable to what i have been paying for the doggie bag, $20 for two 50lbs bags with ~$20 for shipping (wont let me get it shipped to store and the TSC cannot get it in for me). so ill be swiching to that since i need to reup on food here in the next week or so.

still want to add something of fresh food to thier diet, or is it even worth my time to do that with the 6F?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

You don't have to add anything I have been using this for 7 to 8 years straight without issue and observed proper weight gain, you can't push animals and it's about having the right animal, from what I gathered from your previous post your colony is not strong as it should be and if it was me I would start from scratch.

A good rat colony need to be build on solid foundation, health issues that need to be treated or addressed should be addressed by culling and starting of again when it comes to feeders.

You should be able to have a colony that is healthy with no respiratory issue or neurological issue.

[Neal]

As Deborah said. You would see the best results from starting fresh. Get a 1 male to 3-4 females, that's what I did and it worked perfect for me, I eventually had more than I could use. A important part of having a healthy colony is feeding them properly. The mazuri food always worked for me and I never had to supplement with anything else.

Call your local feed stores and even in the other cities nearby and see if they can get and how much. I was paying $26 for a 50 lb bag from my local feed store.

[Scherf]

You don't have to add anything I have been using this for 7 to 8 years straight without issue and observed proper weight gain, you can't push animals and it's about having the right animal, from what I gathered from your previous post your colony is not strong as it should be and if it was me I would start from scratch.

A good rat colony need to be build on solid foundation, health issues that need to be treated or addressed should be addressed by culling and starting of again when it comes to feeders.

You should be able to have a colony that is healthy with no respiratory issue or neurological issue.

rat colony is being rebuilt, still don’t have the best of rats but the quality is much better and the neurological issue was due to out of hand URI and those all have been taken care of. the new waive has been and is currently is being treated. I have noticed sine beginning of treatment last Thursday, water and food consumption is going through the roof so I take that as a good sign. The litters I have been having are all healthy and no issues so far and are being treated with a slight lower dose for toxicity or over dosing issues.

As Deborah said. You would see the best results from starting fresh. Get a 1 male to 3-4 females, that's what I did and it worked perfect for me, I eventually had more than I could use. A important part of having a healthy colony is feeding them properly. The mazuri food always worked for me and I never had to supplement with anything else.

Call your local feed stores and even in the other cities nearby and see if they can get and how much. I was paying $26 for a 50 lb bag from my local feed store.

I do a 1 to 3 ratio with my colony, and it is yealding good results so far, I just wish I had more up to size rats due to a few of my good hardy breeders are on their off weeks currently... I did call the feed store and have it on order for $23 a bag before tax. I just didn’t I know how this would compare to crappy dog food, I would expect it to be a lot better but I do have to drive quite the distance for my liking, but if I buy in bulk i shouldn’t have to drive it as often.

thanks for the reply’s y’all, it’s been quite the adventure so far. I just think my growth timeline in my own mind is off for how fast weight gain should be vs what I want it to be honestly. And to add to it the quality of food that I have been providing isn’t the greatest is compunding some issues with good growth.

[cchardwick]

I feed my rats table scraps along with Mazuri 6F. I mostly feed sourdough bread leftovers from the previous day. I think they appreciate the variety and anything extra you can feed them saves on feed costs. Every morning they line up in the front of the tubs waiting for a treat! And they snatch it right out of my hands, I think it helps to tame them down too.

[Scherf]

I feed my rats table scraps along with Mazuri 6F. I mostly feed sourdough bread leftovers from the previous day. I think they appreciate the variety and anything extra you can feed them saves on feed costs. Every morning they line up in the front of the tubs waiting for a treat! And they snatch it right out of my hands, I think it helps to tame them down too.

Thats deffinaly good to know about calming them down.... I have some very skittish ones... well time to get some fruit for them...

[cchardwick]

I used to try to make my own feed mix for my rats by buying different grains and feed from the feed store. It was really cheap, I can get 50 pounds of whole corn for about $9 per bag. But my rats didn't to very well at all, they got really fat and sick and they seemed to die easily in the tubs which I never see now. I'd use Mazuri 6F as the main staple and supplement a little bit of other treats on the side.

I also found this on the web:

Foods Dangerous to Rats

• Apple seeds. Apple seeds have a small amount of cyanide in them that can be harmful for rats.
• Avocado skin.
• Beat tops. These can cause urinary tract problems and stones in the kidneys and bladder due to their extremely high levels of oxalates.
• Blue cheese. The mold that is used to make blue cheese is toxic to rats.
• Carbonated drinks. Rats can’t burp, which is why they should never drink carbonated drinks.
• Caffeinated drinks. Drinks containing high amounts of sugar are bad for your rats.
• Candy. Like chocolate, candy is too sugary. Rats can have problems with digesting these foods.
• Chocolate. This is also bad for rats because of the high fat and sugar content. I’ve heard that some owners feed dark chocolate to their rats once in a great while without problems. However, I just avoid chocolate altogether.
• Dried corn. While fresh corn is okay, dried corn is not. This is because it contains fungal contaminates that can lead to liver cancer in rats.
• Green bananas. While regular bananas are okay, green bananas inhibit starch digestion enzymes.
• Green potato skins and eyes. These contain solanine, a toxin for rats.
• Hamster food. Hamster food is high in fat.
• Licorice. This food is suspected to cause neurological poisoning in rats.
• Mango. This fruit contains d-limonene and can cause kidney cancer in male rats.
• Moldy foods. Some people think that just because rats are rats, they can eat moldy food. However, mold and bacteria can be extremely toxic to rats, just as they can be to humans.
• Oranges. Both the outer and the white parts of orange peels can be harmful for male rats. I’ve heard that it seems okay for females, but I would just avoid citrus fruits like oranges to be on the safe side.
• Orange juice. Orange juice contains d-limonene, which can cause kidney cancer in male rats.
• Peanuts. These have been found to have anti-nutrients that, like raw dried beans, will destroy vitamin A and certain enzymes that rats need to break down proteins and starches. This will then cause red blood cells to clump together.
• Poppy seeds. While it is unknown why, poppy seeds seem to cause rats to become sick and sometimes even die.
• Potato eyes.
• Raw artichokes. This vegetable inhibits protein digestion in rats.
• Raw beans. Destroys vitamin A and enzymes that rats need to digest protein and starches. This can cause red blood cells to clump and is a hazard for rats.
• Raw Brussels sprouts. These can destroy thiamin.
• Raw bulk tofu. The bulk unpackaged tofu contains bacteria and is unsafe.
• Raw onions. These can cause anemia and give rats upset stomachs.
• Raw red cabbage. Raw red cabbage destroys thiamin.
• Rhubarb. Rhubarb contains toxic amounts of oxalates.
• Raw sweet potato. Since sweet potatoes are potatoes, people think they are okay to feed to their rats. However, raw sweet potatoes recently have been found to have compounds that will form cyanide in rat's stomachs.
• Spinach. Due to the high levels of oxalates, spinach can cause urinary tract problems and stones in the bladder and kidneys.
• Sweet feed. This is feed made for horses and is not good for rats because there is too much corn and molasses in it.
• Wild insects. These should never be fed to your rat because they can carry diseases and internal parasites. I’ve heard that cooked insects and insects bought from a store is okay.

[CALM Pythons]

Well i did finally find a place to get Mazuri 6F, and the price is comprable to what i have been paying for the doggie bag, $20 for two 50lbs bags with ~$20 for shipping (wont let me get it shipped to store and the TSC cannot get it in for me). so ill be swiching to that since i need to reup on food here in the next week or so.

still want to add something of fresh food to thier diet, or is it even worth my time to do that with the 6F?

Mazuri Rodent is 23% protein vs the Mazuri 6F breeder is 18%. Not much different but I use the Mazuri Rodent at 23%. Its $19.99 for 25lb bags at TSC. They will order it for you free shipping to store but dont usually carry it in stock. My store auto orders mine each month.
(Some people dont like that high of protein because Rats can have health issues once they get older from to much Protein however I dont keep mine long enough to have health issues)
You cant fatten up a Rat any faster with feeding. You will waste your money on food and spend more on litter as they will crap it all out. Slow down, relax and once you have things timed better you will be fine.
As far as Cost the food Deb uses is the most cost effective when/if your TSC has it.. She also has the most successful breeding experience with Rats of anyone I know here..


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[Scherf]

Mazuri Rodent is 23% protein vs the Mazuri 6F breeder is 18%. Not much different but I use the Mazuri Rodent at 23%. Its $19.99 for 25lb bags at TSC. They will order it for you free shipping to store but dont usually carry it in stock. My store auto orders mine each month.
(Some people dont like that high of protein because Rats can have health issues once they get older from to much Protein however I dont keep mine long enough to have health issues)
You cant fatten up a Rat any faster with feeding. You will waste your money on food and spend more on litter as they will crap it all out. Slow down, relax and once you have things timed better you will be fine.
As far as Cost the food Deb uses is the most cost effective when/if your TSC has it.. She also has the most successful breeding experience with Rats of anyone I know here..


iPhone using Tapatalk

ya I know I am trying to run when I should be walking, just though this and time, moved a bit faster