my mouse diet

by brianna.love Tue 17 Nov 2020, 12:54 pm

hi there I just got mice and I think what I'm feeding them is ok but I am going to leave couple picture of what I am feeding here and I am of course open to advice and criticism.

-Brianna

by River Wed 18 Nov 2020, 4:28 pm

I think you'd likely want to supplement with high-fiber treats every so often in case you get a low fiber bag. The fiber is 2-6%, and 2% is pretty low. This was one of the foods I considered when I was searching for a lab block myself, but I went with the adult rat instead. The fiber is about the same in both.

The main reason I personally didn't go with this food was because of how high molasses is on the list. Too much sugar can definitely be an issue but I couldn't quite figure out if this was in the range of 'too much.' Hopefully, someone else will weigh in on that. I did, however, read it makes their urine stink more...and having just got my first buck, I think they smell plenty as it is lol.

Many will point out that corn/soy are the first ingredients and possible allergens. Some poorly-bred mice may also be protein-sensitive. These don't apply to all lines of mice, so it's just something to be aware of. If your mouse is from a breeder, you could always ask! They'll know what their lines have done well on and can point you in the right direction.

This doc alleges that some mice may have become malnourished when fed this, but I couldn't find any evidence for this claim. There would have to be a necropsy to prove this, but in any case, I found nothing. Do with that what you will, I just figured I'd mention it since you'd probably see the doc eventually.

Others may have different information + points to bring up, but this is all I could find out about it.
* I am not a nutritionist or professional of any kind.

by brianna.love Wed 18 Nov 2020, 6:47 pm

@river are their any premade foods you would recommend adding instead of the blocks I already have, I'd like to finish this bag because it isn't too bad. but I probably won't buy it again, did you say the oxbow adult rat food is a good choice?

by River Wed 18 Nov 2020, 10:37 pm

I aim to offer treats as black oil sunflower seed (this is also said to be a potential allergen. Not to mention great wild bird food!), cheerios, seed mix, and the occasional insect. Most good fiber foods for humans can also be good for mice, though of course, you'd probably want to double-check. Basically, I just make his snacks something that can benefit or add to his diet. This is just what I do, though. Worth noting I know his lines, so that helps.
I would finish the bag as well, Oxbow is a little pricey lol. You can use that time to figure out what you want to feed them. I do feed Oxbow adult rat personally, and I feel it's pretty good as far as block goes! I emailed to ask about this, saying I had been recommended lower protein (I did not mean by a vet, but hey, that's always nice) and this is the response:

"Thank you for reaching out to Oxbow Animal Health with your question! I spoke to the nutritionist on staff, and she said that if a lower protein diet has been recommended by your veterinarian, the adult rat food is safe to feed. Our adult rat food averages 16% protein, so you can offset that by feeding lower protein supplemental foods, such as greens and grains. This is a blog that she suggested to help you find healthy low protein additional food to feed: https://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/blog/what-should-i-feed-my-pet-rat .

If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out."

So it appears the average protein from the 15% minimum on the bag is 16%. They're very easy to get in touch with so if you have any questions about the mouse/rat formula instead, they might have some helpful information for you?
I've also heard good things about Harlan Teklad/Envigo -- they have a low protein (14%) formula -- and science selective rat + mouse. Try to talk to a lot of owners and see what they offer! I have also known some people who feed what you do, I just personally probably wouldn't buy it myself.

Again, most of this is just stuff I've heard from other owners and I'm fairly new to lab blocks, so I'm still learning and can't guarantee this is all accurate. I've tried to double-check everything, though. Smile

by brianna.love Thu 19 Nov 2020, 8:43 am

@river thank you for all the advice!! are mice able to eat store bought treats such as dried fruit or yogurt covered dried fruits ?

by chiroptera Fri 20 Nov 2020, 1:10 am

If you mean dried fruits intended for human consumption, make sure there's no added sugar! Dried fruit snacks made for humans tend to have a lot of sugar that is too much for mousies.

If you mean dried fruits intended for rodents, those should be safe in moderation. Smile

I would recommend Science Selective Rat over Oxbow adult rat as a lab block, personally. The protein is lower and I've found my mice prefer it generally. (Though every mouse is different.) That said, Oxbow is still a good block, and does still work! (I'm actually using it at the moment, funny enough, because my ex-roommate rehomed his rats and didn't send their 40-lb bag of food with them... and I wasn't about to waste it. Laughing

) I just like to through Science Selective out there, as it's my go to, AND they've started stocking it in Petcos lately, which is great because it used to be super hard to find in the US.

by River Fri 20 Nov 2020, 1:56 am

That's cool that they're stocking SS in Petcos!! I haven't seen it here yet, looking forward to it.

by brianna.love Fri 20 Nov 2020, 9:12 am

@chiroptera @river I really like how the science selective has smaller pieces haha, I usually end up chopping up the oxbow food I have simply because my mice are still young and have a little more room to grow and I don't know if its because of that but I notice they have a hard time chowing down on too big pieces. recently I've also been trying to give a different small bit of fruit or veg each day so they don't get bored (they seem to like the variety I have going on so far) and so I can see what they like best. although slight question here, I don't think its a big deal but only my white mouse luna seems to absolutely love the new fruit and veg I put in the cage, but my brown mouse Lana, I don't know if she's picky but she only seems to enjoy the lab blocks I give them.

by River Fri 20 Nov 2020, 4:02 pm

I don't think I'd be concerned Lana, some mice just have different tastes. Smile

by brianna.love Wed 25 Nov 2020, 12:19 pm

@river I've figured it out I neither of them are a big fan of vegetables except Luna will eat some celery and bell pepper. Luna usually at least nibbles on whatever I put in the cage and eats up apples like there's no tomorrow. Lana on the other hand absolutely loves berries especially black berries she can't get enough of !!

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