... Carefesh?

[TheHermit]

I work at a pet store now so I prefer to grab my food there due to convenience and the discount, however my location carries Oxbow for almost everything BUT rats. Go figure, huh?

In the meantime I have grabbed a bag of Carefresh Complete Menu for Rats & Mice. I have no idea how long Carefresh has been producing their own foods for, but I'd like to think that my trusted bedding brand might also know how to produce a decent food. But to begin with, how different are the nutritional requirements for a rat and a mouse?

Anyway the guaranteed analysis doesn't list sugar, but does seem to have high protein. I don't know much about nutrition so I'd like to make sure this is a good food for my girls. I don't expect it to be as good as Oxbow (I'm going to pester head office about that lol), but is it at least better than a seed mix?

Crude Protein min. 18.0%
Crude Fat min. 4.0%
Crude Fiber min. 5.0%/max 9.0%
Calcium min. 0.5%/max 1.0%
Phosphorus min. 0.4%
Salt min. 0.25%/max 0.75%
Vitamin A min. 5000 IU/lb
Vitamin D min. 180 IU/lb
Vitamin E min. 80 IU/lb
Omega 3 Fatty Acid min. 0.15%
Omega 6 Fatty Acid min. 1.0%

 

[jorats]

You can balance out the protein by giving lots of extra veggies.
Also, a word of caution, another member stopped using that brand because it was mouldy.

 

[TheHermit]

You can balance out the protein by giving lots of extra veggies.
Also, a word of caution, another member stopped using that brand because it was mouldy.

Veggies aren't a problem, but ewy :sick2: I'll keep an eye on the expiration dates and find an LPS that carries Oxbow when I move.

 

[M0onkist]

Ideally protein intake should be at about 14% for healthy adult rats. That can definitely be fixed by giving them lots of fresh veggies (which are usually more attractive than lab blocks anyway).

Living World also makes a hamster extrusion that's quite decent in a pinch (or... apparently it might not, Petsmart's listing it as discontinued on their website). Only downside to LW is their main ingredient is corn...

I think you've got a decent plan to go forward - and if the opportunity ever presents where you can get your hands on oxbow or Harlan Teklad 2014, RUN for them.