a must read about rodent diet

[blankchip]

mazuri all the way. here are some things to keep in mind when deciding. let me know what you think.

i have heard people on here ask how to get the smell down. well here is what i did. i used to complain untill i actually thought about it. when we humans eat poorly we pass gas a it is bad. we also look bad and feel that way. if we eat good and dont eat junk then we are better off in that area. we even feel better and our bodies are in better shape.

therefore we should feed our rodents the diet they need. if you feed them junk that there bodies dont need then it gets passed through the body and they pea and poop it out and it smells worse than it should. the right good food helps a lot with the smell. remember that people say that rats do just fine in the wild. they do and they stink in the wild also. well maybe not, because they arent force feed junk food all day. imo

you will go through more food with crap food because the rats have to eat more of it to get the nutrition they need out of it.

another thing is the production of the babies. i have had an increase in output ever since i have used mazuri. even if it is only 1,2, or even 3 more babies per litter. add that up, 10 moms 10 litters plus a few more babies each litter that is about 20-30 babies more or even more. that in its self pays for the bag of mazuri.

lets talk about the survival rate of the babies. i can remember the last time i had a still born. if the mom is healthy she will have a healthy litter. and the babies will grow up better and healthier. if the moma rat is unhealthy do you think that her feeding the babies is any better.

so the bag of the cheap stuff(dog food) has all the same numbers on it as the mazuri. like protien, fat ect. what is the source of the protien and the source of the fat. i will tell you that it is not what they need. they dont need there fat and protein from meat, that is not what they eat.

people wonder why there rats arent getting pregnant or having small litters, well here is my two cents. why do you think that the big breeders use it, probably to make more money.

feed your dog the dog food your hog the hog food and your cat your cat food. Or better yet you can eat the hog or dog food, it will be cheaper wouldnt it.lol

If you agree or disagree then say so and say why. thank you

[llovelace]

You make a valid point, but I will stick with my Purina Sunny Acres hog feed, been using it for almost a year with great results

[anatess]

I use Mazuri.

They still stink to high heavens.

[mechnut450]

I use Mazuri.

They still stink to high heavens.

same here specially with mice and rats, I still have he birthing issues I had before I suded mazuri ( spelling) of some balding of the asf pups at some point but I also have seen the production numbers fall off. May be just thtoo many inbreeding or what I not sure) but going across the county to the west side to get 2 little 25 lb bags a month just not cutting it. I going back to the mixure of dog/cat food and some seeds for treats and noodles lol.. I right now needing to buy rodents to keep up with my needs whenI was selling/giving them away at the same time last year( even with the 9 new snakes) I still falling short on rodents and to make it worst the local shops never got the size I need.

[Raptor]

Mazuri is insanely expensive (and not to mention, so few stores sell it). $5 for a three pound bag. I tried the stuff and my mice wouldn't touch it, so I ended up wasting my money. I just feed them dog food. Average litter size is 11, no stillborns, fast growth rate.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Mazuri is insanely expensive (and not to mention, so few stores sell it). $5 for a three pound bag. I tried the stuff and my mice wouldn't touch it, so I ended up wasting my money. I just feed them dog food. Average litter size is 11, no stillborns, fast growth rate.

The Mazuri found in pet store is highly expensive and cannot compare to the Mazuri for animal used as feeders.

Mazuri 6F which is used for feeders cost about $20/$25 for a 50lbs bag (depending on your area), this can be found/ordered in/by feed stores carrying purina

[fatty]

i feed kent 23% rodent diet i get it for 12$ for 50lbs

[Animals As Leaders]

I only have 2 rats but I use mazuri. When I did breed I never ran into any kind of problem. I don't know if thats the food, but personally I don't see why you wouldn't use it. I mean if you can't locate it I get that, but to me it seems to be the best for them. I also notice it seems like they enjoy it quite a bit. And 25 bucks for a 50lb bag isn't that bad. I personally am a person of "piece of mind," and knowing there eating the best leaves one less problem to go wrong during breeding. Kind of a no brainer for me...

[bad-one]

I disagree that mazuri is the only way to go although I'd like to try it sometime with my rats. Thing is I've tried to find some locally but I don't want to hassle with ording the stuff since I only breed 1.2 or 1.3. I feed dog food and have healthy adults and babies. Never had a litter under 10 and I average 11-12, max out at 13. So far no still borns, no mommas eating babies or any issues like that (only time I had a problem is with two first time moms fighting over babies). Males get the females pregnant on first go.

Keep in mind there are three criteria when it comes to successfully keeping/breeding rats: diet, enviorment, genetics.

I will agree that not all dog/hog foods are good choices.

[mechnut450]

well ithink my result are now set, was feeding maruzi over summer I had 3 litters of asf pup a grand total of 30 pups. been feeding dogfood/cat food mix about a month I cam come to 3 asf litters at once i one tank ( lab tub what ever want to call them) and at just a glance I betting 30 babies easy, I was totally shocked since i had plannd on feeding the entire tub off on saturday once i got home.

I not havea large rat pup litter, the asf litters, and a bunch of mice litters. all since i swapped back to the other mix. I may get a bag once in a while and mix in with the cat/dog as well as get some kind of medium sized seed. just to give them a diet change as needed.