Great mouse diet...

[Zoe]

Just thought I'd share :] Up till a while ago, I was feeding my mice only rodent mix. I was averaging litters of 8 babies.
Then a while back I was decided to try some new stuff, and came up with this recipe:
2pts rodent mix
1pt cheerios
1/2pt dried beans
1pt dry cat/dog food
1/2pt almonds/other nuts
Sliced apples and carrots
Alfalfa hay.

Since I've started feeding that, I've been averaging litters of 12, healthy babies that grow fast and fat.

Thanks
Zoe

[Edwin]

Very cool, thanks for sharing, Zoe!

[Lisa]

We've been feeding ours mainly Super C dogfood with a bit of rodent pellets, sunflower seeds, froot loops, raw pasta and doggy biscuits.

[vanderkm]

Great of you to share the diet - we use Cheerios (no name) too and the mice love them (but gerbils won't touch them). I use them when there are young hoppers and newly weaned mice that I like to offer something easy to eat to.

Do you find that your mice eat the beans? I was using a mix that had whole beans in it and I am sure they didn't eat any of them - they were always in the bedding when I cleaned cages. Are you using red or white beans?

We use peanuts as a nut source for ours, cuz they are cheapest. I use a rodent nutriblock as the base ration, but really think the addition of other food, like you have listed, helps with fertility, overall number weaned and environmental enrichment. Mine don't eat much of the hay, but they really like to add to the nests and I think it helps control the odor.

thanks for sharing,


mary v.

[Zoe]

Hi,
My mice do eat the beans, but only if I break apart the two parts of the bean. They usually do eat the beans last (I use the white ones with red spots) but I think they bring added protein and such to their diet.

Mine don't eat all that much of the alfalfa hay, either, but they love to play in it, and do eat some of it.

Zoe

[Burmies]

Thanks for sharing but I just use Lab Rat Chow and I get about 10 to 12 pinkies out of each mouse. Rats I get about 8 to 10.

Burmies