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I have a small colony of mice for my snakes that won't eat f/t. I've had them on Mazuri rodent block, but the store that I was getting it from no longer carries it and I can't find it anywhere else nearby. So what's the best dog food to use?

When you say "best" that is like saying what is the best car. It is all a matter of opinion. But whatever you get breeders do better on high protien diets. Esp. mice. Mice are highly canabalistic in a variety of situations. The slightest stress could set them off and they'll kill all the young. I say get high protein dog food. Make sure it has NO RED DYES in it, and give them meat every now and then. I personally always leave some sort of meat. If I have chicken for dinner, I'll toss them a leg per cage. They fight over it....Its crazy....If you give them what I said you should be ok......provided there isn't other probs......

Hi- i was just wondering if you feed them cooked or raw meat?

It depends. Not like raw gournd beef or anything. But "raw" hot dogs. I never cook the lunch meat I give them, or thecrackers or a slice of bread every once in a while. But as far as meat goes. Nothing that will spoil or harbor major bateria like raw beef , pork, or poultry. But the hot dogs, I'll break them in half, and toss 1/2 per cage. I am running 3 adults to a cage. So they'll tussle and wrestle for it. I also clean about once every 4 days so it gets tossed out and fresh ones put back in.

As far as raw goes. Like as in the ones I mentioned I don't do, if it is in small amounts periodically then it shouldn't hurt to bad at all. Raw meat items have a higher protien content that cooked. But you might avoid it as to much will cause runny stool. If anything. Just grab the meat you had for dinner and toos it in . Then you don't have to worry. They love it......But hot dogs, no, i never cook for them.

I also give them hard boiled eggs and they love them...

I've been using rodent chow, but it's $25 for 50 lbs. If I can save a few bucks, great. What levels of protein should the dog food have? Is there anything else that the dog food must have in order for my rats and mice to be OK?

thanks
Denver Tom

I've been using rodent chow, but it's $25 for 50 lbs. If I can save a few bucks, great. What levels of protein should the dog food have? Is there anything else that the dog food must have in order for my rats and mice to be OK

It doesn't matter the brand. I suggest Ol' roy. It is a walmart brand dog food. It has no dyes and it is their cheaper version. You can get a 20lb bag for like $7.....But you don't need all that. That will last a long time. Also freshness is good to. It won't kill'em but it is good. SO I only buy 10lbs at a time. Get the ol' roy high performance. It should be in a brown bag. The light blue is puppy. You can get either the puppy or the high perf.... Puppy protein is like 28% and high perf. is like 31% or 30%....So they will have plenty of protein on either one. They also provide mass extras to ensure that the active or growing dog gets what it needs versus the dog that does nothing. It is almost like me. I lift and train hard. My neighbor never works out and doesn't care to. Since I am burning so much energy I demand ALOT more protein than he does among other things to hepl rebuild faster.

So, that is pretty much it. Also. You can have them live fine on it. It has enough meat/corn based food that will give them the omnivorious feed they need. What I do is buy squirrel feed which at walmart is $7 and has sunflower seeds and dried corn kernels..... I also bought the corn for squirrels that are actually on the cob. Then they have to work to pull the kernels off. And they chew the $h!t out of the cob. Good for knawing. I also keep and never get rid of these hard raw bones. They were my dogs and fat and meat cleaned of. If you can get some big raw bones then they can use that to shorten the teeth byu chewing. I hate those wood block as they disappear in a day or 2. I have had these for a couple years and all I see is chew marks.....No chips or ?????

dog food by itself is not a good diet for mice. Mice do not need that much protein. A great diet for mice that is cheap and easy to make is:

*1 part by volume cooked wholegrain rice (you can cook large batches & freeze
it for convenience)
*2 parts crushed barley or oats, or a mixture (or porridge oats)
*1/2 part millet or cockatiel seed (spray millet is just the same as the millet you buy in packets)
*1/2 part molasses - packed full of vitamins, and sweet too, so it binds the food together, and mice like it.

Additional nutritional supplements can be added if desired:
*1/4 part Brewers' Yeast flakes - B vitamins to keep them healthy & happy
*1/2 part wheatgerm
*Cod liver oil according to manufacturer's recommended dosage.

(the above was taking from the following website: http://www.horns.freeserve.co.uk/mouse3.htm#home-made diet )

Though this may seem alot of stuff to buy, most can be acquired from a bulk food store for under $20. I used cups for all the 'parts') I have 5 adult mice and this will feed them for at least a month. (only started using this diet about 2 weeks ago). Cheerios and other grain cerials can be used as well, as treats or to give a bit more variety.

Buying 20 pounds of dogfood for $8 may sound cheaper but keep in mind, what these mice eat adn their overall health, will effect how good they are for your snakes and reptiles. We don't, afterall, eat sickly, skinny or unhealthy beef, with government regulations in place to make sure the meat provided to grocery stores is of the highest calibur possible. Why should the food we give our pets be any less? (dog food is made for dogs, not rodents, so don't have the full balance of foods needed to ensure healthy rodents. Some dogfog could be added as 'chewing' food to keep teeth worn down).

There are other brands of rodent chow. I used to buy mine from a local breeder, who has his own made.

DeMak