I wasn't suggesting that feeding them something other than lab block would make them sickly. I have used Mazuri in the past and it works great. My mice stay healthy so in turn my snakes eat healthy. If hog feed can give the same results then that is awesome, and everyone should go to it that feels comfortable doing so. I am just old school and it's hard to teach old dog's new tricks. So I will stick with what work's for me. I think my main concern would be the smell, and any extra fat content that the rat's might have. I am very picky when it comes to what I feed my snakes. Anyway I am getting off on to another topic. I was just stating my opinion. There is probably nothing wrong with feeding them hog feed. I wish you all the luck.