feed hopper on mouse rack

[Mark]

I'm looking into making a mouse rack in the near future and I'm really confused about the food hopper. I want to use the ones that are flat but I'm not sure on what size of metal wire or hardware cloth to use. How big do the holes have to be so the mice can get the food without the food falling through. Can anyone explain this to me. I have heard that low quality dog food is ok to feed the rodents. Is this true?

Thanks

[Clubkidcarlos]

Hey mark !!

I'm not sure about the HOPPER mesh size,.. since I don't use HOPPERS, but I can say that I have been using the NO NAME brand type dog foods, and the rats like it, no problems thus far.
You will read all types of debates on the DYES that sometimes are incorporated into these canine foods, that are retained by the rats and are detrimental to snakes health.
I have had luck with the low grade dog foods that are not all
"colors of the rainbow" , and mostly comprized of vegtable matter.

For the rats I have,.. I have created a mixture of RABBIT PELLETS, BIRD SEED, and the DOG FOOD.
This method allows for a larger volume of mixed food for a better price than what pet stores sell pre packed.
The night before cleaning days I'll include fruit and veggies, so if anything remains it's gone the next day in the cleaning. Fresh water, good food, regular cleaning and attention have keep my rats happy,............ if only it was that easy with the GIRLFRIEND, ! theheheh
Just my 2cents.... good luck mark!

~ carlos

[Lisa]

We feed ours the cheapest dog food we can find. It's far too cheap for dyes...

[Linds]

I used to be a firm believer in dog food was for dogs and only dogs, and that rats should be fed something that was formulated specifically for them. I had always fed my feeder rodents <a href="http://www.mazuri.com">Mazuri 6F</a>, which I still consider to be an optimal diet and very affordable ($20/50lb), until the past few months. I have switched to using a low-quality dog food. My reasoning for this is that the nutritional information is similar to feeds formulated specifically for rodents, the higher protein content makes them grow faster and supports nursing/pregnant females, and the low-quality stuff is mainly vegetable matter anyways. The small amount of animal matter that is in there, is more beneficial in my mind, in terms of gutloading rodents for snakes, than a stomach full of purely vegetable matter - snakes aren't vegetarians I also give mine the occassional bit of veggies, fruit, etc. as a treat.
As for your question on hoppers, I am making my rat hoppers out of 1/2" hardware cloth, and my mouse hoppers out of 1/4" hardware cloth. I think 5/8" hardware cloth would be best for mice, but I cannot get any around here so I'm going with the 1/4", young mice can easily climb through the 1/2"

[Mark]

Thanks for all the information.

[jadegrasse]

I use ProLab rat chow . I pour 1 bag per 2 or 3 bins. It takes about 4 bags to fill the bins and is good for about 10 days. I supplement with left over fruit and veggies from two local schools. All the females that are nursing also get frozen beef fat/meat chips from the meat market. I purchase 50 lb bags and store them in my 'rat' freezer in the garage.

Alain

[Burmies]

I have 3 bins for mice breeding myself and I use 1/4". I also have rats and I use 1/2" for them. Now for food, I use Lab Chow from purina. This way I know my feeders are healthy and I know that my snakes are getting the protien they need.
If you have anymore questions, feel free to e-mail me.

Burmies