Can I still feed this mouse?

[the_rotten1]

The green is not the same as a block it is suppose to be a treat in the food with multi vitamins. So all the mice go after the green first. It is totally normal. Mine poop green too if I have just fed them.

...and that's the main reason blocks are better than mixes. Rodents will always pick out the treats first and eat the nutritious stuff last. My rodents don't have stools that loose unless they are sick and it's never that color because there are no added dyes in their food.

I know that a lot of these animals are bred as feeders and that pets stores don't particularly care about the health of their animals, but I still think they deserve adequate nutrition. AFRMA (the American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association) recommends lab lock or high quality dog food as a staple for a reason. It's better for them. Poop like that is only normal if they're eating food that contains a lot of unnecessary supplements (to make up for the nutrition it lacks) and food coloring (to make it look nice for the humans who will buy it). It's not good for the animals.

Kaytee in particular is known in fancy rat/mouse circles for making awful food.

[Sunnieskys]

And Petco feeds rat blocks with the green treats mixed in. And I do care about my animals. Even the mice. Grrrrrrrr

let me clarify. We don't use mixes with nuts, or seeds. We use rat blocks. But maybe I should take out the green pieces since it is such a huge issue apparently.

[the_rotten1]

I apologize if I upset you. I didn't mean to insinuate that you personally don't care for the mice. It's just that the stores have certain policies in regards to animal care and sometimes they try to get away with doing the bare minimum.


It does sound like the green pieces are the problem. Diarrhea can happen even in rodents that are fed a completely natural diet, but usually it's a sign they've had too much fruit or vegetables. A little bit of fresh produce is fine and won't change their poop at all, but too much and they poop liquid. Whatever is in the green pieces seems to have a similar effect.

[Bogertophis]

... But maybe I should take out the green pieces since it is such a huge issue apparently.

But if that's where they put much of the supplemental nutrients...? They do that with some dog foods too, I don't like it when the chow (or pellets) aren't all the same-
maybe it's cheaper for them to manufacture that way (?) but the nutrients aren't evenly distributed then & the smaller bits tend to congregate.