Too many pinkies!

[Hamster of Borg]

Its been documented time and time again that the dyes used in dog foods are passed from the rodents it is fed to and into the snakes that eat them, and are harmful, causing kidney failure among other problems. There is a reason why the big commercial rodent breeders don't feed dog food to their stock - one would think the main reason would be that mice are not dogs.



Ham

[Dom]

I simply fed em what ever i have from dog food to real rat food to vegies to bread .. they feed on everything.. I am not overly concerned with the dog food being a problem to their heatlh .. its a bit fatty though..

[marisa]

Yes it has been proven Ham.

Thats why when you purchase it you buy cheap dog food which normally contains no dyes.

The line "mice are not dogs" doesn't make sense when you consider cheap dog food that I use first four major ingredients are VEGGIES (corns and wheats mainly) then who is this food for? Not dogs. If mice can't eat wheat and corn, then what do they eat? Only things with the word "rodent" on the box?

Seriously I am not trying to be rude but I just don't udnerstand people who think A. the dog food i buy has dyes which it does not. Its an all natural food. Cheap too. B. That dogs are feed wheat and corn while mice eat ??????? Why can't mice eat corn and wheat? The other ingredients on the bag are also easily found on some local pet store "mice foods"

I understand the stupidity in feeding Iams or Purina which has a LOT of meat in it, but when we are talking about food that IS NOT FIT for dogs, and clearly has many things in it that are good for mice then why wouldn't I fed it? My dog food fits the suggested protein and fat standards most feeder, and fancy mice breeders agree on.

Also all this frantic "no this no that" is ridiculous in MHO. Mice out in the open will eat a dumped matress if thats all they can find, and a snake can eat those mice for months. With all the other pollutants wild mice encounter that snakes fed on, its a wonder people even care that I am feeding mine corn and wheat dog food.

Just MHO of course.
Marisa

[Hamster of Borg]

I'm not trying to get on anyone's case, just pointing out a fact so that someone reading the thread doesn't just read "dog food" and think "Oh, I can just buy a bag of Kibbles & Bits and they'll do fine."

One needs to make sure they know what is in the foods they are feeding to ensure it is good, for both the rodents and the snakes it eventually ends up in.

Ham

[marisa]

Mazuri Rodent Diet:

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude protein not less than 23.0%
Crude fat not less than 6.5%
Crude fiber not more than 4.0%
Ash not more than 8.0%

My cheapo dog food:
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude protein not less than 21%
Crude fat not less than 7%
Crude fiber not more than 6%
Ash not more than 9%

So two percent less protein, half a percent more fat. And I was mistaken the first four ingredients on my dog food arent all wheat or veggies. On is soybean meal. Lets look at Mazuris ingredient:

Dehulled soybean meal, ground corn, ground wheat, wheat middlings, animal fat preserved with BHA, cane molasses, fish meal, ground oats, porcine meat meal, dehydrated alfalfa meal, dried beet pulp, wheat germ, brewers dried yeast, calcium carbonate, dried whey, salt, calcium propionate (a preservative), dicalcium phosphate, ground soybean hulls, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (source of vitamin K), choline chloride, dried yucca shidigera extract, corn gluten meal, DL-methionine, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3 ), vitamin A acetate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, d-alpha tocopheryl acetate (source of natural vitamin E), soybean oil, thiamin mononitrate, folic acid, nicotinic acid, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin (source of vitamin B12 ), manganous oxide, zinc oxide, ferrous carbonate, copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is almost a sptting image of what the dog food bag says. POsition of ingredients and all. I will post *exactly* what is says soon but I can't get the bag down right now (50 pounder! bad back )

So I see nothing I could do to be hurting my mice feeding them the EXACT same thing as Mazuri, unless they are getting upset over the different name


Marisa

[marisa]

I know what you are saying Ham but my point is that if you put dog food next to Mazuri Rodent Feed, the bag says the *exact* same thing. So I have no clue what difference people are talking about. Thats all.


Marisa

[Lisa]

from the ingredients listing it sounds like Mazuris is overpriced cheap dog food. Maybe I should buy dog food by the truck load and repackage it as gormet rodent food.

When you get dog food get the cheapest stuff you can find. They're usually too cheap to use dye. don't use a name brand that's where you pay for the dyes, and certainly don't use the good stuff, your rats will suffer.

[reptilesalonica]

Good point Hamster of Borg. That's why i never fed meat (raw or crockets) to my mice. Dog and cat food are too rich for mice. I only give them hamster food (the good one), green apple and water. Nothing else.
~Greg~

[unknownclown]

OK I dont get it I have heard alot of people say that mice dont need meat or more to the point a high protien diet.
But in the wild they eat tons of beetles, earthworms, moths or whatever they can catch. They love them if you dont believe me throw a cricket in the tank and see how long it lasts there. They dont have a vegan diet at all but like and need variety. Now since Im not about to dump beetles crickets and worms in the tank for them why not provide a substitute? Except for the dyes (which can be avoided) theres nothing in the dog food that they wouldnt eat normally.

[marisa]

The other issue is the fact "wild mice" are all over. Some may eat primarily insects, some might live in areas where the live on vegetables. Some like I mentioned eat food from dumps including things that aren't food. The fact is that mice eat ANYTHING. And live on ANYTHING. So one can't even say whats best for the snake since if they are natural rodent eaters, then the mice they are eating are all living off different things depending on the area.

And I still have no clue why anyone can say Mazuri is better when my dog food label is identical, literally 1% different, other than that, identical. Yet the arguement goes on and on and on all over the internet.

I just chalk it up to people beliving what they want to believe and doing what they feel is best. And luckily since mice aren't picky, that works out for everyone!

Marisa