Mouse Diet per my Vet

by Superman Sun 23 Jul 2017, 12:40 pm

So, after my recent trip to the vet for my little mouse, the vet basically told me everything I was feeding him was wrong lol.

When I first brought him home, I bought the oxbow complete blocks for young rats and mice. after I started researching, I discovered that the protein was too high, so I bought Wild Harvest Hamster and Gerbil advanced nutrition diet. The protein in that is 15%, I can't seem to find anything lower sadly. The first ingredients are: Oat Groats, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Heat processed soybeans, whole corn (that I pick out by hand) and white millet.

He seemed to really like that food, but I noticed it was causing him to have very loose stools.

When I took him to the vet he told me I should be feeding him the Oxbow blocks 95% of the time and all the seeds I give him are basically potato chips and ice cream, he even said that about the millet I give him. So, for now I've switched back (reluctantly) to the Oxbow blocks per my vets recommendation.

The problem with the Oxbow is the protein is 18% but I cannot find a block that is lower.

Does anyone have any reccomendations for here in the USA? Or even an Amazon link?

He kept telling me repeatedly I should not be feeding him a seed mix diet, that he wants my mouse to live a long life.

Thank you so much!

by CallaLily Sun 23 Jul 2017, 1:48 pm

I STRONGLY disagree with your vet. A mouse's natural diet is mainly grains, seeds, and insects! Healthy seed mixes are no where near junk like potato chips and ice cream. Rolling Eyes

Oxbow young rat and mouse not only is too high in protein, but its main ingredients are crap. Their adult rat formula is better but really should NOT be the main staple of their diet. It can make a good supplement to a good seed mix though.

There's a list of the most commonly recommended seed mixes in the Mouse Diet thread found in the Nutrition section. The most commonly used by members of this forum are the parakeet mixes. Unfortunately the seed mix you were using before is of poor quality.

I personally use a homemade seed mix (after much research and calculation) supplemented with 2 different block foods. I think you can sometimes find one on Amazon (Supreme Science Selective) but only their rat version, which is also ok as a supplement to a good seed mix. I don't think I've seen the other for sale in the US (Mr Johnson's Advance rat and mouse).

Now obviously I'm not a vet or animal nutritionist but from everything I've read all the info your vet has given you is incorrect. In fact, many mice have failed to thrive when kept solely on Oxbow pellets.

Of course I absolutely recommend you put in your own research no matter what you decide. When I was considering making a homemade mix, I read anything and everything I could get my hands on about mouse diets - wild and in captivity - from research papers, articles, forums, and other mouse groups. What people found to work from labs to breeders to rescues to pet-only homes. If nothing else, get a second or third vet opinion. (though it's my understanding that not many vets learn much on animal nutrition in the first place. many will just recommend whatever brand sends them samples.)

by Mouse friend Sun 23 Jul 2017, 1:55 pm

I am very new to mice but not to pet foods and vets-vets will recommend what they're sold to recommend they're not nutritionists. I would only take the word of a vet on nutrition possibly for a horse otherwise I'd be wary

by Superman Mon 24 Jul 2017, 9:33 am

thank you so very much! I was honestly really disappointed with what he said but I figured he's a licensed vet and knows a lot more than me.

I have been doing research and that's why I switched him to the seed mix. I did manage to make it to PetsSmart yesterday and picked up two bags of Vitacraft Vitasmart complete nutrition for Parakeets. I was very happy to see the protein is at 12% and I simply won't be telling me vet and he kept saying seeds are bad junk food for them lol.

I'm so glad I asked because I was honestly worried about it and not happy feeding him that Oxbow stuff. he went nuts when I gave him his seed mix back, he was just a very happy camper.

Also, I saw a YouTuber (HammyLux) giving her hamsters Whimzee chews to help with their teeth and I got some for my mouse and he loves to chew on them constantly, I have all kinds of wood chews in his cage, Applewood sticks that don't get touched etc. but he goes right for those Whimzee chews and they keep his teeth nice. I know the ingredients really aren't the healthiest but it's the main thing he actually chews on despite all the toys I give him. if you want to look into them I get the small or medium Alligator shaped ones. They also have tooth brushes and porcupine shaped ones as well (:

Thank you so much again!!!!

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Mouse Diet per my Vet

Mouse Diet per my Vet

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