Am I wrong on this? ( oxbow food?)

[amanda1472]

So I joined a mouse forum not to long ago since one day I'd log to have a few mice, so I what'd to do some reacher chi. I came across his (hopefully I can post this here)

Oxbow contains a chemical preservative that has been known to flat out poison mice and rats! Inducing death and extreme illness....I would not feed it to any critter at all. Like kaytee, it is a brand you want to stay away from.

The first concern some have had would be the possibility of mercury contaminion from the fish meal.

Another concern with the fish meal ingredient is that according to US Coast Guard regulations, any and all fish meal not destined for human consumption is required to be preserved with Ethoxyquin. The only exception being if the manufacturer has a special permit. Ethoxyquin is a preservative that is banned from use in human foods (other than small amounts in a few spices) due to being linked to health problems. This preservative has been known to kill mice. One might point out that Ethoxyquin is not included in the list of ingredients, however the manufacturers are not required to include an ingredient they did not place in the product themselves (something that was put in the food by the suppliers they got the product from doesn't need to be included in the ingredients list). Thus it is still possible that there is Ethoxyquin in this food.

A third concern is the use of Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Synthetic Vitamin K). This ingredient is a form of synthetic Vitamin K that has been linked to several health issues, including kidney failure.

And lastly, there have been some complaints of low palatability (rats and mice not eating the food) and unhealthy weight loss. Some people have no problem with this but others have experienced these two difficulties.

Now I know oxbow is bad for mice, but I thought I'd say that oxbow is on the top list for rats etc, and got this from a moderator:

>

>
> Second, who says that Oxbow was the third best food? Where is the research
> to back that up? I have done extensive research into the dangers of many
> pre-made mixes, which is why I am here, to prevent people from making a
> fatal mistake by feeding their animals what cold be nothing more than
> poison. Regal Rat has been proven rubbish to feed to mice, and I know
> *many* rat owners who wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.
>
> Unless you have the research to back up the claims that Regal Rat is as
> wonderful as you think it is, please do not advocate what IS a dangerous
> food on our forum, especially since, and I reinterate, we are talking about
> MICE here...not rats. The things you say could be construed incorrectly,
> cause someone to use the product, and you (thus we) would be inadvertently
> responsible for killing someone's pet. This is unacceptable. I ask that
> you please think carefully and back up your claims with research before
> attempting to give advice. Just claiming your rats have done well and
> grown on it is simply the same as saying there are clouds, so that means it
> must rain. Animals will eat whatever you feed them, and young animals will
> grow regardless of what it is your feed them. Whether they grow well, or
> healthy is another issue, and it is up to the owner to ensure they have
> access to the best foods, since they can't choose for themselves. On THIS
> forum, we simply cannot allow both such an off-topic post in an old thread,
> much less such a post that is full of mis-information that could cause harm
> to our members pets.
>
> Thank You,
> -Norman's Mom
> TFM Administration
>
>

> --
Now, I never said oxbow was good for mice or anything that I thought would offend them, so I was very surprised...... I'm womderingnifnthe mouse forum is misinforming pet owners about oxbow pet foods. Any opinions? (may be messy, was on my dad iPad... I can never get used to this thing)

 

[jorats]

My sister's mice were fed Oxbow and Harlan... they lived over 2 years.
As for the ethoxyquin, we don't even know if they use it or not. Someone would have to write to them.
As for the synthetic vitamin K, ALL pet food companies use it. It's got something to do with being able to add it to the food and such. If that was really a bad thing, then why do some of my rats live beyond 3 years?

You can ask this person if they feed their small animals any vegetables and grains. If so, then they are feeding their pets a potentially hazardous food with the amount of nitrates and nitrites commonly found in any farm grown foods. So what are you going to do? Stop all veggies and grains?

 

[victoria]

The thing about Oxbow is the old formula was hated by rats... so much so many would practically starve. In those days, there were many rat owners that wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

Personally speaking, my rats love the new formula. They prefer it to other blocks, have no trouble keeping weight on and are not overweight. I also find that even though they eat tons of it, they produce less waste, leading me to think it has fewer fillers. I've fed a lot of different foods to many different rats and I can say that my rats have done best on the new Oxbow formula.

I prefer feeding it because it's better balanced, has more whole food ingredients, and I trust the company more than other pet food manufacturers. It's true Oxbow has fish meal and any fish product can contain mercury. Menhaden is a small oily fish species though, meaning it likely contains less bio-accumulating toxins than larger species and it provides rats with a source of long chain essential fatty acids, something a vegetarian diet or one relying on meat products from animals fed corn based feed can't.

As for the preservatives comments, I would have to do more research. Oxbow is pretty forthcoming with additional product info if you ask, if it's something that concerns you you can always ask.

I've had mice before and it's too bad Oxbow can't be fed to them as a staple diet (their metabolism is too fast and they get too thin) and there are really no good mouse food options out there. It's important to note, Oxbow is not marketed as a rat and mouse diet, just rat.