Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I cannot find anyone who has lab block in weights of more than like 1/2 a pound in the area, so I am feeding the rats a mix of collard greens,pasta, cereal, corn, and seeds on top of a staple dry dog food manufactured by Target.
It has a protein level of 21%
Fat 10%
Fiber 4.5%

Do you think this is a decent diet?
Thanks,
Amy
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*Amy*

All you need is a Purina feed store and they will order it. I understand if you live in a very large city like New York you will have a hard time finding one. However, look in the phone book under "Feed", "COOP", "Animal Supply". Even in NYC they have horses call a stable to find out where they get there feed.

In Los Angeles, my local purina feed dealer was a stable. They wanted 3 or 4 times what seemed reasonable to 'special order' rat chow. I found a local breeder who let me buy from him at 14$/50#. While this worked very well for me, I also fed dog chow for a while with the same results. I changed to the rat chow because of the size and shape of the pellet. There was less spillage from the feed hoppers I used.
DeMak

Sorry Amy,
I didn't answer your question at all. You can add all those things to the dog chow if you want. The dog chow is actually a good fit for rats. If you are a huge breeder, where every percentage of increased productivity is profit, then going with a special rat mix may be very worthwhile. For most of us, I don't think it matters as much. Keep them clean, ventilated but not drafty, watered, and in a calm area. They will do the rest. They are natures great survivors.
DeMak

Haha thanks! Right now I have 5 breeding females and one lucky male They produce around 25 babies a month right now, and about half of those are fed off before they are weaned. I have a juvenile tank set up for the kiddies. So, I'm not a big breeder, and pretty much making enough babies for myself, and we trade some in to the local reptile house for crickets oddly enough I'll have to look up some feed stores in the area though and see what they offer!

Thanks,
Amy
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*Amy*