No problem! I'm happy to answer any and all questions! Anything I can do to help! You can definitely make your own "rice medley" mix. There's about a half cup of the mixture in each packet, and equal amounts of all of the ingredients So 2 tbsp of brown rice, 2 tbsp of wild rice, 2 tbsp of red rice, and 2 tbsp of quinoa.
As for the parakeet seed, it's easiest to buy that because of all of the ingredients in it, and some of them would be difficult and/or expensive to find on their own. It contains not only seeds, but some dried veggies, herbs, greens, flowers, and fruits too. It also contains some supplements which I find helpful, like copper, vitamin D and vitamin B-12 (Vitamins D and B-12 help prevent hind end degeneration in older rats. They're not TOTALLY necessary for younger rats, but very helpful as rats age.) It would be best to email the company and see what they say about GMO's. Maybe they are GMO free, who knows . If they aren't, it would be best to try and locate another bird seed that's similar, and non-gmo, so that you'll get the full nutritional content. That's going to be difficult though, I did a lot of research before settling on the Healthy Select seed because I liked it's ingredients and the fact that it doesn't contain a bunch of artificial dyes and excess sugars and junk, which a lot of bird seeds tend to have.
And yes, all for the mix is left uncooked Just mix it together dry and you're good to go!
Thank you! You've really been so helpful! And I'll make sure to e-mail the company about the birdseed; I understand how a lot of the things in it would be harder to replace. I'll post my findings here!
Yup! I make myself a smooth for breakfast each morning, and the ratties get a bowl of it too. They love their smoothies Plain yogurt works just fine, or like you said, some low-fat, unsweetened vanilla.
Great about the smoothies! That will be a fun treat for them, and I think it could be really helpful while I'm still getting them comfortable with me. Dab a bit of tasty smoothie on my hand and make best friends with the boys! :lol:
I plan on starting a little window-sill herb garden too It would be much easier and cheaper long-term to grow them myself, I eat a lot of herbs and greens too, and I have a bunny who also consumes them. Maybe instead of one window sill, I'll need a few! haha
Really? That's great! We usually grow some cilantro and basil outside in the pots, but this time of year is too cold for much of anything to be growing; I'm waiting for the spring (which according to the groundhog is a ways off :lol until anything can grow outside! But I love the idea of having things growing in my room. Maybe if I get the chance I'll make it happen and post some pics!