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Post by Meg on Jun 30, 2012 10:28:23 GMT -5
Hi there,
I'm thinking of raising feeder mice, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits but I just cant seem to find an answer to this problem. I was just wondering what you all think the best feed would be? I sort of like the Oxbow products and was thinking of using those and add natural things like fruits and veggie, would that be good? I just really need help finding the best foods for the future feeders/breeders and any help would do. Thanks in advance and hope you can help.
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Post by Sherry on Jun 30, 2012 12:37:04 GMT -5
I don't raise my own, but have you browsed through the board here about raising your own prey? There should be a number of answers about the various diets there.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2012 14:13:37 GMT -5
Harlan Tekland is one of the best foods on the market for rats and mice. Oxbow Regal Rat is great as well, however, it tends to not be well liked by rats. For my mice (who aren't feeders) I use a seed mix, supplemented with fresh food as treats. They used to eat lab blocks but are much happier with the mental stimulation that seeds offer. My rats eat HT 2014, and they love it.
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Post by Meg on Jun 30, 2012 14:42:40 GMT -5
Sherry - Yes I have taken a look but Im looking to find names of what everyone uses which I wasn't finding... I could just be missing it as I tend to not see things when they are right in front of me, lol.
moonfall - Thank you for your suggestion! I do plan to add things so they can be stimulated and happy. I just perfer to also have pellet/blocks for them so I know they are getting what they need. Would you by any chance know if the Oxbow is liked and good for rabbit and guinea pigs?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2012 15:14:16 GMT -5
I don't know about rabbits or cavies. However, I know that to be healthy guinea pigs have to eat like 70% fresh food- it gets pricey. I don't know if that would be the best animal to raise as a feeder.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2012 15:16:24 GMT -5
Oxbow makes fantastic foods for rabbits and guinea pigs -- better than any of the others filled with little colorful bits of junk food. Oxbow hays and grasses always smell better to me than any other brand, too.
ETA-- But I agree with Moonfall that guinea pigs (which are cavies, btw) have more complicated nutritional requirements than just pellets. They're not nearly as simple to breed/raise as mice and rats either and require a great deal of space.
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Post by Meg on Jun 30, 2012 15:30:56 GMT -5
moonfall - If I feed pellet as well I wouldn't need as much greens which is anothere reason why I want pellets and blocks. Thank you for your help though!
keri - Thank you for your help! I thought it was good quality but just wanted to have someone with more experience chime in their opinion.
I think I have what I want to feed now but still open to opinions! Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate it ^^.
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Post by Meg on Jun 30, 2012 15:40:03 GMT -5
I am aware that they can be complicated to breed and need lots of space, but im willing to give them a try. They won't get only pellets but also hay, veggies, and some fruit. But so will the others (except mice and rats, no hay for them). They will get treated like pets as I dont believe they should be treated badly even if they are feeders  . |
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Post by Sherry on Jun 30, 2012 16:57:41 GMT -5
Do you have a CO2 chamber to set up for the larger prey, or will you be using cervical dislocation?
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Post by Meg on Jun 30, 2012 21:29:22 GMT -5
Sherry - I'm more likely gonna go with CO2... I don't think I could bring myself to do cervical dislocation  maybe on mice but nothing bigger |
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Post by Sherry on Jul 1, 2012 9:12:33 GMT -5
Okay, good  . I had to ask as some believe that you can have a ferret kill the larger prey. Not a good idea. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2012 11:24:46 GMT -5
Feeding the mice and rats a strictly lab blocks diet is actually good for them. If you start supplementing too much you run the risk of providing an unbalanced diet. Greens can cause them to have the runs. They usually eat a bland diet in the wild, they don't crave food like we do. The exception is providing the pregnant and nursing does some extra protein, depending on the block you are using. I can't order Harlan Texlad blocks at a reasonable price any more, so I'm using Mazuri. They are very close in quality.
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Post by Meg on Jul 1, 2012 23:29:17 GMT -5
Sherry - Oh no, I know better. But I appreciate your concern jadeguppy - For the Mice and Rats I was planning to only really add a few things plus protein. Thanks for the info! If I cant find Teclad I will use Mazuri |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2012 1:31:55 GMT -5
Hurricanekatt knows a lot about homemade rodent diets that are very affordable. You could PM her if you'd like |
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Post by Sherry on Jul 2, 2012 8:45:29 GMT -5
Actually, unless Meg actually starts an account with us, she can't pm anyone  |
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