I am relatively new to the forum but have been a (lurker) for some time now. I read as much as I can because you folks really put out a lot of good information in your threads. I have been raising a small colony of mice and rats for about 9 months now with all the info I have gleaned I now feed my stock a 50/50 mix of cheep 17% protein Retriever Dog food from Tractor Supply and Harlan Lab block.

I have two tubs of mice (1.4 each) that will not eat the Harlan and are doing horrible. They have thinning oily hair are fat and have stopped breeding. I am in process of stopping the dog food and feeding only the Harlan. The other 2 mice tubs and the 3.9 rats in their respective tubs are eating the Harlan mix and really look great and produce outstanding healthy litters. I was using only the Retriever Dog food at first but after contacting Harlan and finding a supplier about an hour away, I have begun to shift to a 100% Harlan diet. As I shift, I see my stock getting healthier and my litters are getting bigger. However, some rodents do not prefer the Harlan and I hope I can get them to accept it or I may have to replace them. I believe it is like anything else if you get the choice of Twinkies or broccoli, well you get my point even rats are what they eat.