Rat food?

[Wizer69er]

Hello i was just wondering if anyone knew what was the best food for rats that you can buy in a big bag rather than always getting small bags from the pet shop because they do not last long at all.Also Where in Hamilton can i get it?Thanks for your time B.J.

[mykee]

Any food that is designed SPECIFICALLY for rats are the best; Mazuri and it's 'lab food' counterparts. They can be purchased at any feed store, and you should be able to pick up a 50 lb bag for under $20. And unlike ANY of the other foods you may hear about, it's one of maybe 3 that are formulated SPECIFICALLY for rats. Not dogs, hamsters, degus, etc... JMO.:D

[Edwin]

www.rensfeed.com

Rodent Breeder 9F – 5M68
An intermediate energy formula for breeding mice intended for use as food for other species (such as reptiles).

[Wizer69er]

Thank you for your help i will check them out.

[sapphire_moon]

I use ol'roy bites and bones, 21% protiene, perfect for breeding rats. About 14.02 (CAD) dollars for a 50 pound bag.

[Linds]

I just use Smart Choice brand dog food (exclusive to Sobey's/IGA), the "100% balanced" formula (blue bag, $6.47 8kg), not the other kind ($1 cheaper per bag and has the same nutritional values as Mazuri 6f). I used to use Ol' Roy Bits n' Bones, but I recently discovered Smart Choice and it is only 1/3 the driving distance, and slightly less expensive. Either one has worked well for me I find. Ol' Roy comes in bigger bags ($15 18kg), but I don't mind buying a bunch of smaller ones. I just picked up 32 kg of Smart Choice for around $26 after taxes. At one time I tried Mazuri 6f for my colony, but found my females soon became emaciated from repeat breedings, and were not producing as well, so switched back to the dog food. In my experience, Mazuri does not have enough fat or protein to support an actively breeding colony. Rats are omnivorous, therefore they should have an omnivorous diet, which low quality dog food provides quite well. The low quality stuff has very, very little animal matter at all in it (the stuff I use smells like vegetables), and is mainly composed of grains, which makes it perfect for rats (not dogs!).

[Auskan]

Lindsay, could you post the nutritional values, for those of us who don't have access to the Sobeys/IGA brand here in the States? That way I could compare and see if there is a brand of dog food we can get here that compares. Thanks. Or could someone post the nutritional values for Mazuri so I can try to find an equivalent? I have been feeding my rats a bag of food that says it is formulated for rats, but supplementing with fresh vegies/fruits, a little puppy food & some "treats" from the petstore that also contain daily essential vitamins.

[sapphire_moon]

IGA! wow, we have that here.......but that would be really helpfull linds...........Puppy food has tons of proteine in it, I wouldn't go over 21% proteine because it can cause proteinie scabs..

[Auskan]

LOL. They just get a few little pieces of puppy food a day. I don't have a dog and didn't want to buy a big bag of dog food so I asked my friend for a handful of hers. She had a partially used small bag of puppy food that she no longer needed, so she gave me the bag & I've just been giving the rats a few little pieces a day as a "treat" (they think so anyway!)

[Jayson]

I use have used mazuri 6f exclusivly for over two years now, and have a breeding colony consisting of more then 300 rats at any one time and raising 2-4 hundred at a time and the stuff works great.

[Wizer69er]

I went out tonight and got a 50lb bag of Lab chow 5001 i dont know if this stuff is good or not has anyone used it?i think i mite try to take it back.it cost $26.00.This is its Gauranteed analysis..Crude protien,minimum...23.0%,Crude fat,minimum...4.5%,Crude fiber,minimum...6.0%,Ash,maximum...8.0%,and added minerals,maximum...2.5%.So what do you all think?

[mykee]

The protein seems a bit high for breeding rats. I use Mazuri 6F which has 16% protein, and a few of my rats had some protein scabs, nothing serious, didn't affect thier breeding nor their quality of life. If I'm not mistaken, 14% protein is the perfect % for breeding rats.

[Linds]

Mazuri:
protein: 16% fat: 6% fiber: 5%

Smart Choice (regular)
protein: 16% fat: 6% fiber: 7%

Smart Choice (100% balanced and complete)
protein: 21% fat: 7% fiber: 6%

I'm out of Ol' Roy bags, but if memory serves me...
protein: 21% fat: 8% fiber: ?

I haven't been using the Smart Choice (100%...) brand for that long, only about a month, but it has generally the same values as Ol' Roy, which my rats have done excellent on, so I expect the same results :)


Originally posted by mykee
The protein seems a bit high for breeding rats... If I'm not mistaken, 14% protein is the perfect % for breeding rats.

Are you sure they are protein scabs? I've used straight up dog food for breeders (have only been breeding feeders for a few years, but have been raising them up on dog food as well) for 7 of the nine years I've bred rats and have never experienced any. From my own experiences, I wouldn't say that 14% is nearly sufficient enough for females that are constantly lactating/pregnant.

[sapphire_moon]

His rats could be sensitive to the high protein. Even people that have "pet rats" say that a high proteine diet while they are pregnant and nursing is good.

Wizer69er : That sounds good, the food I give them has 21% proteine, not sure on the fat, I think like 8-10%. It is the Ol'Roy Dog food bites and bones. They have the dinner rounds that are 16% but those things are HUGE they don't fit through the feeder bars.

[Lisa]

mazurii is owned by purina, who wants to bet purina dog food and mazuri rat food are probably very similar recipes?

[asphyxia]

I use Purnia Rat Chow for what its worth 22% protine.
24.00-50lbs.

Cheers
Brian

[mykee]

Linds/Sapphire, I work exclusively with Sprague Dawley rats, and the 3 oldest that I have (mind you they were also kept on pine up until a month ago) all have scabs on their bodies. Only time will tell whether it was a food related problem, or a bedding related problem.

[Linds]

Inbred (lab) strains of rats and mice have all sorts of sensitivites and tolerances that are quite different from the average rodent, that would explain a lot. Many have immune deficiencies as well, which is why they should never be mixed, and often housed anywhere near, regular pet store rodents.

[sapphire_moon]

hmmm, mites! I just remembered that someone on a "pet rat" site said that scabs sometimes appear with mites!

I hope you find out what it is! Some rats may be sensitive to the high protiene, or allergic to something in their food.

[Lisa]

Originally posted by mykee
Linds/Sapphire, I work exclusively with Sprague Dawley rats, and the 3 oldest that I have (mind you they were also kept on pine up until a month ago) all have scabs on their bodies. Only time will tell whether it was a food related problem, or a bedding related problem.

could be mites, mites are difficult to see and the scabs are actually from the rats scratching. we've only had this happen in our blues (not for food) so we've treated them with invermectin (it's a horse dewormer). a rice grain size dose of paste once a week for 3 weeks will be more then enough. Now here's a warning! too much will kill the rat.

if you're treating breeders/feeders i don't know how long you have to wait before they are safe to feed off.

[Wizer69er]

Well i went out today and picked up a bag of Mazuri Rodent 6F for around $22. after taz so i will try it and thanks to everyone's who helped.:)