Can Rats Eat Beneful?

[SGExotics]

Hi Guys,

I recently just built a really nice rat breeding rack (below), so i dont have to pay rediculous prices for rats anymore...

(NOTE: the rack isnt completed in the pic, but it is now and all the bins are in!)


I havent purchased any rats yet and wanted to do some HW before i buy them. I know everything about them except for the feeding part lol I know a lot of people feed dog food, so i was wondering.. Would it be okay if i fed them "Beneful" dog food? Its a bit more expensive than other brands, and we get it all the time for my dogs, so i couldnt see how its any worse then the cheaper brands people feed their rats... So let me know... I was also thinking about drying out some cuts of corn on the cob to give them something to chew on...

~Brandon

[littleindiangirl]

If your going to pay a little more, why not dish out 20-24 dollars for 50# of rat food? (No idea the cost of beneful)

[SGExotics]

If your going to pay a little more, why not dish out 20-24 dollars for 50# of rat food? (No idea the cost of beneful)

Well heres the thing... I need to get it lab block style food, b/c they are going to eat it thru the mesh, and the only one i can find like that is Mazuri rat/mice food.. But its like $10 for a little 3 lbs bag... So the beneful would be a lot more convienient... So wold it be okay to feed? Im not going out to buy beneful, but we already have millions of big bags full of it, so why not use it.... Let me know..
Thanks,
Brandon

[matt71915]

maybe post the ingrediants like the protein fat and fiber percentages so you can get better feedback

the dog food everone seems to recommend is senior dog food because of the low protein content

Edit: the runners for the lip of the tubs look a little far apart, you might have an issue with sliding the tubs when there full of rats and them slipping off... thats exactly what happened to mine, i just recut the front and back pieces to make the tubs fit nice.

I left about 1/16" on each side between the tub lip and the upright piece of wood

[SGExotics]

maybe post the ingrediants like the protein fat and fiber percentages so you can get better feedback

the dog food everone seems to recommend is senior dog food because of the low protein content

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein (Min)25.0%Calcium (Ca) (Min)1.1%
Crude Fat (Min)10.0%Iron (Fe) (Min)200 mg/kg
Crude Fiber (Max)4.0%Selenium (Se) (Min)0.2 mg/kg
Moisture (Max)14.0%Vitamin A (Min)10,000 IU/kg
Linoleic Acid (Min)1.5%Vitamin E (Min)100 IU/kg
CALORIE CONTENT
Metabolizable Energy (ME)
3689 kcal/kg
1674 kcal/lb
360 kcal/cup
INGREDIENTS
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, sorbitol, tricalcium phosphate, water, salt, phosphoric acid, animal digest, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, sorbic acid (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried peas, dried carrots, calcium carbonate, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, added color (Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, copper sulfate, biotin, garlic oil, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite.

[matt71915]

wow that was fast and that was way more than i was expecting

the protein i think might be a little high and the fat too. Im not positive on that though, im sure someone who is more knowledgeable will chime in

[twh]

the dog food you listed is really too high in protein,16% - 19% is about right.what concerns me more is the food dye especially the red food dye,it's pretty well accepted that red food dye is not healthy for reptiles.

if you get 6f in 50lb. bags i'm sure the price is close to dog food prices (i'm buying 6f for $22) so as connie pointed out why not just use a product that is designed for rodents to be fed to reptiles?

[blackcrystal22]

You can buy mazuri online for much cheaper than that.

https://www.mazuri.com/Home.asp?Products=2

[ThyTempest]

I wouldnt feed it. Find a feed store near you that carries either Kent or Purina feeds. Mazuri 6f or 9f should be about 25 bucks for 50 lbs (Purina). The 6f code is 5M30, tell them that at the feed store and it will go much faster. Kent comes in 19% and 23% Rodent Diet, both of which are fine, but the 19 is preferred. I don't know if it is still that way, but when I tried getting the 19% the minimum order was a pallette of 80 bags. They are about 15 bucks for 50 lbs.

If you have labs or other breeders around you, ask to see if you can buy some of their food. A lot of them use Mazuri or Harlan.

[llovelace]

Well heres the thing... I need to get it lab block style food, b/c they are going to eat it thru the mesh, and the only one i can find like that is Mazuri rat/mice food.. But its like $10 for a little 3 lbs bag... So the beneful would be a lot more convienient... So wold it be okay to feed? Im not going out to buy beneful, but we already have millions of big bags full of it, so why not use it.... Let me know..
Thanks,
Brandon

Mazuri 6F costs me $24 for 50# bag at the farm feed store.