Is this bad for my rats?

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_shelby_

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Is this mix bad for my rats if I take the corn out and mix it with cereal and dried fruits and pasta?
 
I have given my rats seed mix before (not as the main diet) and they only pick out a few things and leave the rest. I wouldn't give it at all, especially as a staple diet. You should feed a good quality lab block. I use Harlan Teklad and Oxbow Regal Rat. Other people use Mazuri or a hamster block (can't remember the brand, someone will mention it). If you feed a seed mix they pick out what they like and aren't getting a well rounded diet. It's like offering a kid candy with their dinner and telling them they can eat what they want, and the kid only eating the candy. It's not good for them. A lab block makes them eat the whole thing and get the proper diet.
 
I wouldn't give seed mixes anyway; too much oil/fat in seeds, and the corn-drying process can be carcinogenic; not sure if it contaminates everything else it's mixed in with. What you can do is create your own healthy mix; get a good rat block like the Oxbow or the other mentioned above, then buy some hard brown rice pasta, puffed rice, any unsweetened cereal like Shreddies, Wheatabix, Cheerios, etc; you can mix in a small amount of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried fruit cut up fine, dried millet, organic oatmeal flakes, wild uncooked rice, etc. They love stuff like this. Compliment this with small amounts of fresh veg and fruits daily (there are enough lists out there with veg/fruits that rats can eat and can't eat), and occasional cooked fish like salmon or other (especially the darker omega-3 oily fish like herring), occasional cooked large chicken or turkey bones, some cooked egg, some cooked pasta. Keep it healthy; bits of unsweetened cereal in a bit of rice or soy milk are appreciated too. Hope this helps.
 
Yes, it is bad for your rats.

All mixes are bad as rats pick out what they want and do not get proper nutrition. Mixes also contain things that are unhealthy for rats as well as things that rats can not digest.
Dried corn or other things may contain mold ........ plus only organic/non GMO corn is safe for rats to eat.

Recommended diet is:
80% good block, protein level should be no higher then 16%, lower protein is better. Available at all times. Recommended blocks are Harlan Teklad 2014, oxbow regal rat, and Living World hamster extrusion.

20% daily vegs and occasional healthy treats such as a piece of fruit, a piece of organic cereal (such as cheerio type cereal), cooked oatmeal, cooked quinoa, etc
 
Okay well I'm gonna feed them the oxbow. But I also made my own mix and bought dried fruits, is dried pineapple and papaya bad for them?
 
Dried pineapple and papaya are ok. :)

Just make sure your mix is just treats, and like SQ said, 80% of their daily diet is the oxbow.
 
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