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hiysinphlay
Mistress of Rain


I was willing to drop the 6(?) bucks it was to try a pound of the gerbil food.. just looking at shipping from Petfooddirect.com and OMG!!!! shipping....

I think it was saying rat/mouse was 8-10 bucks a bag? How much it normal "run of the mill" rat food normally?

for me looking at gerbil foods most of it is all a couple dollars different.

Well the one I get now is about $2 for 2lbs and that one is $9 for that same amount, I just don't know if I could make that dirastic a jump. But it'd be much more possible if it was locally sold, but that extra jump plus the shipping, yozha Dx


yeah that would be a giant jump @_@
hiysinphlay

I wouldn't mind making my own rat food, I just don't have a lot of knowledge about nutrition. But feel free to educate me :3

Not going to lie i'm gonna steal information from other sites so I don't mess up xD

Rat Club

Homemade Rat Diet Recipe
all foods raw unless otherwise indicated
(t=teaspoon, T=tablespoon, g=gram, mg=milligram, mcg=microgram)

Daily
about 3 T molasses mix (see recipe)---See website link I provided above to Rat Club
one serving of fruit (see menu)
2-3 servings of vegetables (see menu)

Twice a week (see menu)
1 serving cooked beef liver (organic is best) or canned oysters

Serving sizes
cooked beans (2 t, use a variety of types)
cooked sweet potato (3/4" cube)
broccoli floret (1 1/2" across (cooked or raw)
leafy greens (about 2" square)
other veggies (1" cube)
cooked beef liver (1" X 3/4" X 1/4" wink
canned oysters (one average)
fruits (1/2" cube)


Molasses mix will be the only hard thing about this diet actually, and that's just getting the vitamins you need but that can be done at any local walmart or pharmacy.

Rats Rule

The ever so popular Suebee's diet

This is a homemade mix that I have formulated using items from my local supermarket (pictured above). As often as I can, I buy from the bulk bins or the store brands. The only item I tend to splurge on is the Total cereal, because it is very nutritious, and recommended by both the Rat Fan Club and my vet. Overall, it costs me between $15 and $20 to put together the grain mix, which lasts me a couple of months, depending on how many rats I have. The weights listed are approximate.

1/2 to 1 lb. dry rolled oats
Quaker is fine, but may be more expensive; I buy mine in the bulk bin at the supermarket. Keep in mind that oatmeal is binding, so too much can cause constipation problems.

(1) 5.3 oz. box puffed wheat cereal
Malt-O-Meal, Quaker or Kashi. Cheerios are also a viable alternative, if the other two are not available, but keep in mind that there may be added sugar. I use the Quaker, as it has no sugar content. The exact oz. amount between brands is not a big deal. The 5.3 oz is the weight of the Quaker box.

(1) 6.4 oz. box puffed rice cereal
Quaker is the best brand, because it contains no sugar. Rice Krispies really are not recommended, because of salt and sugar content.

1 12 oz. box Total Cereal
Highly recommended by The Rat Fan Club and my veterinarian for its exceptional nutritional content, due to added vitamins and minerals. It's only available in the United States. If you can't get Total, you can add a children's vitamin/mineral tablet to their diet, or use small animal vitamins.

Note: some people think Total has too many vitamins. Keep in mind that on an average day, a rat will only eat a few flakes of the cereal if fed as a part of this mix. The US RDA listed on the box is based on a full bowl. A rat will eat nowhere near this much on any given day.

1/4 to 1/2 lb. roasted, unsalted soy nuts
These are somewhat high in protein, but contain valuable cancer-preventing agents, so they are a good addition to the mix. Not all rats like them. May also be called roasted soy beans -- I think the "nuts" thing is a marketing ploy for humans! If you can't find them, you can work soy into their diet in other ways, such as soy milk, tofu, soy crumbles and soy yogurt. You can also purchase Just Soy Nuts online. Raw dried soybeans can also be toasted at home - Roasted Soy Nuts Recipe. Note: I recently read that roasted soybeans are also a good source of vitamin K.

1/2 lb dried fruits
Dried bananas and cranberries. The bananas offer potassium, and cranberries are good for the urinary tract. Until recently, I used the banana chips, which unfortunately are fried. I have since discovered Just Bananas, which are nothing more than dried bananas. They also have a lot of other fruits and veggies that make great treats, or additions to the mix. Recently, I have been including Just Fruit Salad instead of buying separate dried fruits.

If you don't want to include the fruit, you don't have to. I know some people prefer to give their rats fresh fruits, instead. I do this when I can, but we don't always have fruit in the house. Some people also avoid fruits in general due to high sugar content. Use your discrection and common sense.

1/2 lb dry pasta
The tri-colored spirals, with spinach and tomato flavor. Nice and crunchy for the teeth, and a good source of carbohydrates, which helps balance the protein in the soy nuts. The box I buy is actually 12 oz., a little more than 1/2 lb. Whole wheat pasta ia also a good choice.

2/3 cup sunflower seeds
The large sunflower seeds for birds (the black and white ones) are best. I used to give my boys the unshelled, unsalted seeds from the bulk department, but they weren't enjoyed as much. Keep in mind that too many sunflower seeds can add too much fat and protein to the diet. Use common sense.

1/4 lb muesli (optional)
Sometimes (especially in winter), I have a hard time getting the rolled oats in bulk -- too many people eating oatmeal, I guess. I found a mix called "muesli" in the bulk department that had a lot of interesting items in it that the rats really like, including rolled oats, granola, pumpkin seeds and raisins. It offers a nice variety, but I would use it sparingly due to sugar content.

Mix everything together in a huge bowl (or divide ingredients in half and make two batches if you don't have a bowl big enough for everything -- I actually end up doing three batches!). Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. This makes quite a lot of mix, and will last you quite a while if you only have a few rats -- I usually don't have more than four rats, and it lasts me two months.


Best two I can think of!

Invisible Citizen

Morphine Kiss


I was actually going to try the Suebee's diet. c:
My father may be able to get Mazuri from one of the Canadian dealers though.
I hope so.. For the mean time I'm using this other food I'm not particularly fond of.
Suebee's is definitely a good and popular diet and very trusted among the rat community.

A very excellent food is Oxbow Regal Rat Food, it's high quality with NO corn! They also just changed the formula to make it more palatable so there is a better chance your rats will like it as many rats often refuse to eat it ( Although I never experienced this with any of my 7 boys )

Premium Ingredients

Brown Rice = Low-Calorie Energy Source
Oats and Wheat = Fiber and Energy Source
Soy and Fish Meal = Balanced Protein with Healthy Fats

Ingredients
Whole Brown Rice, Oat Groats, Wheat Bran, Wheat, Soybean Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Soybean Hulls, Calcium Carbonate, Yeast Culture Dehydrated, Flax Seed Meal (Linseed), Inulin, Monocalcium Phosphate, Soy Oil, Methionine DL, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Wheat Germ Meal, Salt, Magnesium Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Natural Flavor, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Oxide, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate, Biotin, Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract, Cobalt Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K Activity), Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B12 Supplement
Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein (min) 15.00%
Crude Fat (min) 4.00%
Crude Fiber (max) 7.00%
Moisture (max) 10.00%
Calcium (min) 0.80%
Calcium (max) 1.20%
Phosphorous (min) 0.80%

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