I think this is a great mouse food addition

by Dee67 Sat 19 Dec 2020, 8:13 pm

Hi all, been researching and looking for yummy pre-mixed stuff my Figgus could eat in addition to his fortified food. I found this (ROGERS PORRIDGE OATS ANCIENT GRAIN BLEND) and gave him some, he went nuts for it and I think the GA is good and there are no additives, sugar, salt etc. From the website: Ancient Grains is an all-natural combination of 8 different grains (Oat, rye, barley, spelt and khorasan flakes, oat bran, millet, flaxseed, quinoa flakes) forming a wholesome blend. Included is its Nutritional info. What do you all think?

I think this is a great mouse food addition Porrid11

by chiroptera Sun 20 Dec 2020, 2:14 am

@Robin~ Is really good with nutrition stuff, I'd love to see their thoughts. Smile

by Robin~ Sun 20 Dec 2020, 7:08 am

Looks pretty nice! I could definitely see it being a nice variety booster to another commercial mix, or even a base for a DIY one (of course, you’d still need to add a lot, but combining 8 ingredients into one can help with the math). My only issue with it is the grains aren’t whole, which removes a decent amount of fiber and enrichment. Otherwise, neat find!

by Dee67 Sun 20 Dec 2020, 1:05 pm

To add fibre I added whole brown rice, wheat bran, wheat germ, whole quinoa and chia seeds and extra rolled oats. I'm also giving him tiny bits of walnuts and apples for treats. I want him to have lots of variety so I'll probably switch things up. I was thinking wild rice, buckwheat, bulgar, lentils, and split peas. Maybe a bean or two, thinking pinto or soy. Any thoughts on beans your mice like best?

by Robin~ Sun 20 Dec 2020, 3:48 pm

Just for clarification, I would not feed a mix like that as a main mix. It should be purely supplemental. I’m pretty sure that came across in my original post but just making sure. Smile

As for beans, I actually don’t like including legumes in my mixes. I’ve heard some cases where mice have reacted poorly to plant protein so I choose to do any protein supplementation with animal proteins like dried mealworms and freeze-dried chicken (my mice liked animal proteins more anyhow). Still, it’s always worth a shot to see how your mice react to it. Smile

by Dee67 Mon 21 Dec 2020, 4:15 am

hi @robin, Robin~ yes, just a supplement of top of his canary food and Oxbow, which unfortunately is the only brand of fortified mouse food I could get my hands on. I know it is not great so I usually just add a pellet or two of that with all the rest, he is not overly fond of it anyway, and once I get my hands on something better I will not be using it. How do you feel about freeze dried raw beef liver bits as a protein supplement? I worry the liver might be too high in Vit A or have toxins.

by Robin~ Mon 21 Dec 2020, 12:11 pm

Honestly I would incorporate even more Oxbow (provided it's the adult rat pellet, not the young rat/mouse pellet) into the mix. If you aren't using a seed mix base fortified for rodents I'd make it at least 50% of the diet. You could decrease this percentage if you use a mix fortified for rodents, though. The reason I recommend this is just because bird foods aren't fortified for mice so it's super easy for a mouse to become malnourished on a mix of purely bird seed. I had this problem happen to myself after my mice were fed purely bird seed for several months; my mouse contracted a terrible case of pneumonia due to her lack of a developed immune system and by the time I'd taken her to the vet she was beyond recovery.

I would stick to insects or muscle tissue for animal protein. Organ meat isn't exactly high in toxins, but it is high in cholesterol and is very rich nutritionally in general. A larger animal like a dog could easily handle that, but for a mouse I would only use it very sparingly.

by Dee67 Mon 21 Dec 2020, 7:43 pm

Thanks Robin, very good to know as the birdseed is not fortified. So I will add more Oxbow. I wish I could get the good stuff from the UK. I'm so sorry you lost your mouse that way. I think for meat protein I will use some home cooked chicken then, until I can find some mealworm. Cheers.

by chiroptera Mon 21 Dec 2020, 11:41 pm

@Dee67 I'm not sure what country you live in, but if you're in the US, there is also Science Selective Rat, which Petco has recently begun to stock. It's my preferred lab block for my mice, though Oxbow pellets are also safe. (And Oxbow alongside a seed mix is perfectly fine, I just wouldn't recommend only Oxbow as a mouse food.)

by Dee67 Tue 22 Dec 2020, 12:30 am

I'm in Canada. Unfortunately, no Science Selective or Petco. Hopefully someday they will have a better option here or I can get it of amazon.ca but not right now. Thanks @chiropteta

by River Tue 22 Dec 2020, 3:03 am

I feed Oxbow (adult rat) and birdseed as well! I feed a parakeet mix commonly fed to mice, vitasmart vitakraft. I believe this is available in Canada if you're interested. It can be a healthy and enriching diet, so if that's all that's accessible to you, don't worry!

These days, I aim for 50% blocks minimum as recommended above but I usually put more. My main goal in offering seeds is enrichment and foraging opportunities, whereas the blocks are solely for nutritional value. I am careful about reading ingredients and the guaranteed analysis, but once I've done that, I feel pretty confident with the diet. I have used this particular seed mix for years. Oxbow is newer to me, but so far so good.

I have been looking for a mix like this to add some fun treats in. I haven't found one around here yet but maybe I'll try one of those health food stores. Looks good! You can find dried mealworms in large amounts in the bird feeding section, and some smaller amounts in the reptile section, if you're still searching.