What types of dog food can be fed?

[CoolioTiffany]

I actually found a couple places I'll be going to for the bedding and Mazuri rat food. One of them is right next to our family restaurant and the other is by my old elementary school. I checked it out on Mazuri.com and found those dealers.

[4theSNAKElady]

Tiff, I reasearched rat nutrition on the AFRMA, for nutrient requirements, and I found that Natural Balance Vegetarian dog food formula was the best choice, and it worked great for me. The rats really liked it too! There was no meat, no corn, and the rotein is at 18%. You'd be surprised at how un-nutritious "rat foods" can be when you read the label!!

[CoolioTiffany]

Tiff, I reasearched rat nutrition on the AFRMA, for nutrient requirements, and I found that Natural Balance Vegetarian dog food formula was the best choice, and it worked great for me. The rats really liked it too! There was no meat, no corn, and the rotein is at 18%. You'd be surprised at how un-nutritious "rat foods" can be when you read the label!!

Nice! Would this be good to use as a staple?

[Jay_Bunny]

I buy: Pet Mouse and Rat Food at Walmart.
$2.28 for a 1.5 pound box.
I think you'll decide not to use dog food. Not good for the rodents and makes them stink more.

My rats were thin and ate a ton of this food.

As far as dog food, watch the protein content as many have stated and watch out for the red dyes. I think it was red dye #40. In my experience dog food has made my rats greasy and stink more.

I was lucky to finally find a local supplier of Mazuri. I get 50lbs of Mazuri for around $30. That is $0.60 per pound. I also supplement with fresh foods like oats, corn flakes, bran flakes, veggies, and fruits. Occasionally they also get baby food (I buy meat baby food as treats for my ferrets and pick up the meal type baby foods for the rats).

[4theSNAKElady]

And Tiffany,in my opinion the Natural Balance food actually DECREASED my rats odor. I'd tried some others, and I just kept going back to that one because my rats liked it the best. It's because of the high quality of the food (Natural Balance), and because the food has spinach and parsley in it. There is just one thing:availability and price. I bred on a small scale(two pair), and the food was at my work. If you're breeding on a large scale, it may not be cost effective to you. For me, quality was very important, as my breeders were also my pets. Most of the commercial rat feeds out there are not very healthy, and tend to make rats obese. Seeds, corn,high protein and sugar,are all no-nos but are all commonly found in most commercial rat feeds. And look out for ETHOXYQUIN, which is also found in a lot of Kaytee brand products....yuk!

[CoolioTiffany]

And Tiffany, the food actually DECREASED my rats odor. It's because of the high quality of the food (Natural Balance), and because the food has spinach and parsley in it. There is just one thing:availability and price. I bred on a small scale(two pair), and the food was at my work. If you're breeding on a large scale, it may not be cost effective to you. For me, quality was very important, as my breeders were also my pets. Most of the commercial rat feeds out there are not very healthy, and tend to make obese. Seeds, corn,high protein and sugar,are all no-nos but are all commonly found in most commercial rat feeds. And look out for ETHOXYQUIN, which is also found in a lot of Kaytee brand products....yuk!

I'll look into this product, it seems effective by how you are describing it

[tomfromtheshade]

I have fed the cheapy dog food from Tractor Supply exclusively and I average 12 pups per litter and everyone is healthy and fine.

You can also feed hog feed as well.

Rats will make due with just about anything in a pinch.

[suzuki4life]

Tiff, I reasearched rat nutrition on the AFRMA, for nutrient requirements, and I found that Natural Balance Vegetarian dog food formula was the best choice, and it worked great for me. The rats really liked it too! There was no meat, no corn, and the rotein is at 18%. You'd be surprised at how un-nutritious "rat foods" can be when you read the label!!

but the protein is vegetable matter based.....

a carnivore's digestive tract is not designed to process and survive off of strictly plant matter. It can not digest the cell wall to gain complete and proper nutrition.

[4theSNAKElady]

I understand that. Rats are not carnivores. Dogs are. Which is why I reccommend this food for rats.....not dogs. The store just carries it....I don't recommend it.

[suzuki4life]

I understand that. Rats are not carnivores. Dogs are. Which is why I reccommend this food for rats.....not dogs. The store just carries it....I don't recommend it.

you are correct, they are omnivores

just like dogs are.