Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering if anyone out there uses sow cubes for their rat, and if so where do you get them from?

Thanks,

Joe.

I use Mazuri rodent breeder blocks. I don't like to use anything other then a breeder rat feed for rats. Dog food is for dogs and pig food is for pigs. Rat food is made/formulated for rats for a reason.
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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

>>I use Mazuri rodent breeder blocks. I don't like to use anything other then a breeder rat feed for rats. Dog food is for dogs and pig food is for pigs. Rat food is made/formulated for rats for a reason.

First, that is a lovely sentiment if you believe the industry really cares. I am a cynic. They are in it for MONEY. Duh!

Mazuri is impossible for some of us to get and therefore unrealistic. There is also a great many rat diets/ blocks on the market that barely support a pet rat sitting in a cage, let alone a breeding group that is working constantly.

I talked to a Mazuri dealer once....while finding out how much I would have to pay to get it I talked to him about % and constant breeding. He said basically that if I found my rats needed it I should supplement with CAT FOOD. HMmmmmmmmm. There is that cynicism coming out again.

BACK TO THE OP
What is in the Sow Cubes and will the rats eat them???
Several folks here feed different mixes of food. I personally shift mine with the seasons and the productions of my rodents. Right now mine have half dog and half cat kibble. I did find that one of the kibbles I fed seemed to produce more STINK than others....avoiding that one!

Since I have been raising rodents (the early '70s) I have gone the gambit. Personally I have never found a block that didn't need to be supplemented. So, I continue to go by feel.

And hey, I feed my ferrets mice, and high end kitten chow....especially since most of the ferret foods are totally inadequate. Remember.....companies in it for the money.
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Sonya

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

Dave and Tracy Barkers Ball python book, they state that sow cubes are a cheaper alternative to feeding rats than the way more expensive rat foods.

Companies do charge more for food marketed for specific animals when there are other feeds with virtualy the same nutrient content.

Joe.

If you can find other animal feeds that meet ALL rat nutritional needs then go ahead and use them. And please let me know what you find. The key is ALL nutritional requirements for a rat. You might find something that matches some, but not all. And the things that do not match may be very important to have in a rats diet.
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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

Also. Just because your feed store does not have rodent feed instock does not mean they can not order it. Just talk to the manager and they can let you know what they can order. My feed store orders me 50# bags of Mazuri rodent breeder chow just for me.
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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

>>Also. Just because your feed store does not have rodent feed instock does not mean they can not order it. Just talk to the manager and they can let you know what they can order. My feed store orders me 50# bags of Mazuri rodent breeder chow just for me.

Nice thought, but I went to school with the owner of the major local store and I talked to the managers of the other and the ones in the citys within an hours drive. Even those that get the various brands can not get me the blocks I want for less than $30 plus dollars a bag.....which is roughly 3 times more than I pay for food now.
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Sonya

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

>>Dave and Tracy Barkers Ball python book, they state that sow cubes are a cheaper alternative to feeding rats than the way more expensive rat foods.
>>
>>Companies do charge more for food marketed for specific animals when there are other feeds with virtualy the same nutrient content.
>>
>>Joe.

By all means go for it. My biggest problem with some of the domestic farm feeds is palatability and the rats eating them. If the Barkers recommend it then I would not worry, they have had more success than most of us combined.
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Sonya

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

Any type of "lab block" is good. There is Harlen, Mazuri, and Purina lab chow. Cat and dog food is too high in protien even for breeder rats and mice. Harlen and lab diet are not in it for the money. They are the #1 brands of feed used for lab aniamsla dn lab animals are required to have the BEST feed.
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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

The Nutritional Requirements of Rats

as set by the National Research Council, USA

(g = gram, mg = milligram, mcg = microgram)

A rat will typically eat about 15 g of dry food blocks a day. So a kg of diet will feed between 52 and 76 rats, depending on their size. A rat needs about 60 calories a day depending on size.

Macronutrients

Fat 5%

Protein

growth & breeding 15%

maintenance 5%

Essential Fatty Acids 0.6%

Micronutrients

Approximate need

Vitamins for one rat per day

A 0.6 mg/kg of diet 0.11 - 1.2 mcg or 0.37 - 4 IU

D 1000 IU/kg of diet 13 - 19.2 IU

E 35 mg/kg of diet 0.46 - 0.67 mg or 0.69 - 1 IU

Niacin 20 mg/kg of diet 0.26 - 0.38 mg

Pantothenic Acid 8 mg/kg 0.1 - 0.15 mg

Riboflavin 0.8 mg/1000 kcal of diet about 0.05 mg

Thiamin 4 mg/kg of diet 0.053 - 0.077 mg

B6 7 mg/kg of diet 0.09 - 0.13 mg

B12 50 mcg/kg of diet 0.66 - 0.96 mcg

(For Vitamin A, 1 IU = 0.3 mcg, for Vitamin E one IU = 0.67 mg)

Vitamin A is one of the few vitamins that can cause problems if the dose is too high. Chronic toxicity symptoms are hair loss and dry rough skin

Minerals

Calcium 5 g/kg of diet 0.066 - 0.96 g

Phosphorus 4 g/kg of diet 0.05 - 0.77 g

Flouride 1 mg/kg of diet 0.013 - 0.019 mg

Iodine 0.15 mg/kg of diet 2 - 2.9 mcg

Chloride 5 mg/kg of diet 0.066 - 0.96 mg

Iron 35 mg/kg of diet 0.46 - 0.67 mg

Copper 5 mg/kg of diet 0.066 - 0.96 mg

Magnesium 800 mg/kg of diet 10.5 - 15.4 mg

Potassium 35 mg/kg of diet 0.066 - 0.0.67 mg

Manganese 50 mg/kg of diet 0.66 - 0.96 mg

Sulfur 3 mg/kg of diet 0.039 - 0.058 mg

Selenium 0.1 mg/kg of diet 1.3 - 1.9 mcg

Zinc 12 mg/kg of diet 0.16 - 0.23 mg

Chromium 0.3 mg/kg of diet 3.9 - 5.8 mcg

(note: other research has shown that giving chromium picolinate at 189 mcg/lb daily extends the lifespan of rats)
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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

http://www.ratfanclub.org/diet.html
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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

>>http://www.ratfanclub.org/diet.html
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I have talked to Debbie, bought her two more useful books. The diets work fine for pets but just don't have enough in them to support raising constant feeders.
And talk about feeding rat food for rats and dog food for dogs....what the heck do you call half those diets? My kids don't eat that good.
FACT: Rats and mice are opportunistic scavengers that eat anything. It may look keen on paper but it isn't rocket science to raise them.
I am happy that the blocks work for you. In 30 years I have never found one block that I can toss in a bin and have work without tweaking. If I am gonna tweak it anyway I am gonna spend less money and tweak it my way. The block diets were invented to remove the diet as a factor in research with lab rats. It is sufficient and uniform.
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Sonya

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

Joe,

Check the salt content. Some pig chows have very high (for rats at least) salt content as I remember. At least I think that was the reason I decided not to feed it?

DeMak

>>Joe,
>>
>>Check the salt content. Some pig chows have very high (for rats at least) salt content as I remember. At least I think that was the reason I decided not to feed it?
>>
>>DeMak

I wanta say that some of the 'livestock' feeds might have medications too. So you just have to watch for that too. Selenium used to be a 'pig' thing but I don't know if it would be a problem in any other way.
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Sonya

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