How concern should we be about our feeder rats diet?

[Jyson]

Most people that feed dog food have some issues with the aggressively hungry moms that sometimes kill their own. So most of the larger breeders will feed a rodent block that is more expensive but healthier. As far as feeding to your snakes as long as you do not see any physical signs of tumors or hair loss you should be fine with the feeders.

I've had my rats on dog food for years and that's never happened for me. If that is happening chances are the mother isn't getting fed enough.

Rat blocks sadly are not available here locally.. Thats why most just feed dogfood..

Anyway fromy stabd point, I am no rat breeder yet, just concerned the safety of our snakes who eat rats
Who have been fed dog food. Now that I know it is safe, all is good then

If you want to use rat blocks, you can have your local Tractor Supply store order some for you.

As for dog food, I use a cheap brand called "Doggy Bag" it's like 6$ for a 40lb bag; you can get it from Tractor Supply. I prefer that brand because of the kibble size which is the size of a marble. Sounds strange but I find that my rats waste less food because of the kibble size being so big.

One thing you should look at is the crude protein on the back of the bag, from what I've read the best dog food for rats has a crude protein level around 15%-18%. The brand I use is 18%. If the protein is too high, the rats have a tendency to loose their hair.