Would this be a complete rat diet?

Question

For my 2 new little boys:

Lab blocks (forget the brand name but the 1st 2 ingredients are soybean meal and wheat middlings)

Fiesta rat food mixed with plain oatmeal (I would pick out the corn peices and the alfalfa pellets in the food)

Low fat low protein dog food

Is this good? I dont want to make my own mix and I dont want to order online so I have to use whats available to me.

Answer 1

No. Too much protein and fat, you're way overdoing it. Plus, most pet store rat foods are low quality c**p. Fiesta is put out by Kaytee and Kaytee is something you definitely want to avoid (they put a dangerous preservative called ethoxyquin in their diets and are just all around low quality).

I have a write up on good rat diets here: http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratfe...

Edit: Why don't you want to make a mix? If you don't want to order online, your options for a good diet are Suebee's mix or Regal Rat. Suebee's mix is not hard to make.

Answer 2

Lab blocks are always good.. but I would just stay away from the Fiesta food, or anything made by Kaytee for that matter. Reggie Rat is a bit better, so if you're determined to use a rat mix you should use that one. As for the dog food, there really isn't a need for it. Most people just use it as a staple if their rats refuse to eat lab block. If your rats eat the block, there's no need for the dog food since you already have a staple.

You can give it to them as a treat, though.

Just give them the lab block and their fruits and veggies and they should be just fine. Things like Total Cereal and Cheerios make good treats, as well.

Answer 3

I primarily feed my rats a high quality lab block (Harlan) and then fruits and veggies.  I'd leave out the fiesta food unless you are giving it as a treat.  Rat mixes are usually poor quality and contain items your rat probably shouldn't be eating.  You can also leave out the dog food as it is primarily geared toward dogs and not rats.  If you have a good lab block then it should provide most of the nutrition a rat needs.  Fruit and veggies will add variety and additional vitamins and minerals.  Try frozen peas, carrots, banana, raisins, lettuce/spinach, berries, grapes, etc.  I put the produce in a different container so it doesn't make the blocks soggy.

I also bought one of those hanging mini basket things that you can put lettuce and carrots in which my girls enjoy pulling out.

Here's a couple sites on diet:

http://ratguide.com/care/nutrition/diet....

http://www.ratfanclub.org/diet.html

Hope that helps!

Answer 4

I have two boys at the moment also ^.^

Most lab blocks are fine. Just stay away from ones with peanuts in the first few ingredients. But if you can, avoid peanuts as much as possible.  Sometimes they can be too much protein, and that leads to health problems. My older rat is actually quite allergic to peanuts, cashews, etc.

Fiesta seems to be a good brand, I've never used it personally, but I know a lot of people feed it to their pets. Reggie Rat is also a good brand. Oatmeal is a nice treat to give to your ratty, and you might want to try barley too.

I advise you to not feed them dog food. Some people may disagree and say that it's perfectly fine, but there's a reason it's labeled DOG food, and not rat food.

Most rats and mice also love fresh fruit and veggies. My hooded rat loves celery especially. But really almost any kind of vegetable is good for them in moderation. Rats tend to hoard and eat a little more than they should. I'm not saying starve them, but just feed them in moderation, and make sure they get out and play and exercise often.

You also want to make sure that whatever you feed them is a mixture of harder and softer food, so that your rat's teeth get filed down gradually as they grow.

I hope this helps and good luck!

Answer 5

L&M Farms lab block is a good one. You want to stay away from corn, alfalfa, and peanuts. I wouldnt waste time & money on the fiesta food, you can do better at the supermarket.

Total cereal, cheerios, puffed wheat, uncooked pasta, oatmeal, barley, dried fruit (ie: bananas, apples) mixed up works well. You can find the dried fruits in the baby section of the grocery store.

If you have the block, and that kind of mix, you wont need the dog food.  

Answer 6

Yes, sounds good. I would throw in fresh fruits and veggies once in a while.