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I've read about a lot of people who feed there mice dog food. What about dry cat food?

So is cat food just as ok as dog food?

Recently I went to walmart, bought some real mouse food, and then later at the dollar store I got some cat food. I looked at the ingredients, and LOL they are almost the same!!! Probably because it is such a cheap brand, the main ingreadients are corn, wheat, ect. The Main difference is that after the corn type items, it lists meat-by-products, where as the mouse one lists fish meal and molasses.

There is a little debate over what works best, but I have to study dog food labels to find the one that works the best.
Cat food has too much protein, IMHO, to be of much use.
It would make the mice stink more.
For breeding mice, you'd want protein around 20% or slightly higher, no corn products (they pretty much just get pooped out.) and fat between 5 and 10%, depending on how hard you'll be pushing them..
I tend to use the same stuff for rats and mice, so I tend to compromise.
Rats don't need AS specific a diet, but could use 16% protein and 8% fat just fine.
Matter of fact, if you feed some male rats cat food, be prepared for them to most likely scratch themselves bloody, and be greasy and scabby.
Purina dog chow is cheap (Around $15 for a 55 lb bag at sams club.) and works for me.
Soy is prolly the best base for a breeding colony, as it really ramps up estrogen production.

i have been breeding mice and rats now for years i've tried it all, and what i found is low protein for mice as it makes for oily fur, the rats get COB with ot without molasses and mixed with catfood(special kitty) and dog food(olroy) and human food is brought in throughout the week. ive had large litters with this method as apposed to just dog/cat food. My dumbo was bred to a hairless and had 16, i believe im a high numbers act. lol
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1.4 various boas(Flicka,Felony,Nova,Alias,Alibi)
0.1 BRB Abalone; ABBI
1.0 Rott X (OSO)
2.0 cats (Simba, Morris)
fish & feeders
~:~~~~~~~ ~:~~~~~~~~

All my rodents, mice rats and ASF rats get harlan 2018 18% protein lab block. $13 for 33 lbs. Litters of 16 and sometimes more are pretty common. With the ASF rats, which I breed most, it seems seasonal. in the winter they tend to have about 12-15 per litter and in the summer 16-20. But they have 22-24 teats so it's not a problem.

Cat food has FAR too much protein for rodents, though it makes a good supplement for pregnant and nursing mothers.

If you can't get a lab block in quantity and cheap, I'd go with dog food, just avoid any with red dye.

Ummmm
Mice and rats have 10-12 teats. Just to clarify.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

Right, but the African soft furred rats, to which I was referring, have 20-24. They are also called "multi-mammate mice" for this reason.

>>Right, but the African soft furred rats, to which I was referring, have 20-24. They are also called "multi-mammate mice" for this reason.

Okay, I am with you now.
Are they multi litter rodents or more seasonal breeders? Like I have Long tailed Chinese Hamsters and they are seasonal....couple litters and they are done for the year.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

They seem to produce as often as regular rats or mice. 5-6 day heat cycle, 21-23 day gestation, get pregnant within hours or a day of birth, etc. Pretty much the same as mice or rats.

I've just noticed that the litter averages seem larger in the summertime. I haven't kept an accurate count so can't really back it up, but litters tend more towards 16-18 than 12-14 in the cooler months

what problems does the red dye cause. i use mazuri rodent pellets but it's hard to get here so i use purina dog food to suppliment when i'm out.gene

>>I've read about a lot of people who feed there mice dog food. What about dry cat food?
>>
>>So is cat food just as ok as dog food?
>>
>>Recently I went to walmart, bought some real mouse food, and then later at the dollar store I got some cat food. I looked at the ingredients, and LOL they are almost the same!!! Probably because it is such a cheap brand, the main ingreadients are corn, wheat, ect. The Main difference is that after the corn type items, it lists meat-by-products, where as the mouse one lists fish meal and molasses.

I find it harder to find a dye free cat kibble.
Also the protein level is higher and sometimes it seems too high and mice get scabby and nasty skin. I had a group a million years ago that I raised on only cat food and the mice got almost dwarfy looking .....fat and short after only a couple generations. Go figure. I always figured it wasn't a good thing.
I could see mixing the two or mixing in cat kibble sometimes....especially if you see cannabalizm.
I remember talking to some vendors at a White Plains show and they were selling lab block but did say that they supplemented with cat kibble. Confidence in your product.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny