What would you do if you didnt have Harlan or Oxbow?

[Christie]

What if you didnt have any access to any Harlan and Oxbow for whatever reason. What would you feed your rats in this situation?

 

[lilratsy43]

I nomally feed any rat block where corn is like the 3rd ingredient and also where the protien is below %18. Mazuri it pretty good, I think petsmart sells it.

 

[NezumiNeko]

I guess Suebee's rat mix, though I've heard bad things about it.

 

[lilspaz68]

Suebee herself created the mix because of a dearth of lab blocks in her area. She actually recommendeds quality lab blocks if you can get them over her mix. You must follow the ingredients very closely to get the optimal nutrition and watch for the optionals like dried fruit.

Since I cannot get Harlan now, and have never tried Oxbow due to the expense, I am stuck with Mazuri 6F. Its 16% protein and comes in 50 lb bags.

Btw the mazuri you get in those teeny bags at PetSmart are actually the 5663 formulation and are 23% protein. Still better than Kaytee, Sunseed, etc...but just so you are aware.

 

[Christie]

ok...well im in this situation and I dont wanna feed suebees so is mazuri good or bad?

 

[jorats]

At one time, I fed my rats the Nutriblocks with is now the Extrusion for Hamsters. It's 16% protein and a lower fat too. If there was a time where I couldn't feed Harlan, I would feed that again.

 

[Christie]

Well, I bought a small bag of that one time and it smelled REALLY bad. I dont know if it was just me. The expiary (sp?) date was about a year from then. It didnt smell like Harlan at all. What do you think?

 

[NezumiNeko]

I love the way Harlan smells, I understand why the rats love it!

 

[Christie]

Jo, did you think that Extrusion had a funky smell? Or was it just the bag I got?

 

[jorats]

It must have been your bag cause I went out and bought one to see and it did not have a bad smell at all. Try it again, if again you find it's very bad smelling then you might want to go with something else.

 

[Christie]

Ok thanks. And arnt they kind of expensive? Isnt it like, 10 bucks for a 3lb bag?

 

[jorats]

Ya, it is but compared to Oxbow, I believe it's like $25 for a 5lb bag, it's still pretty god. How many rats do you have?

 

[Christie]

I only have two.

 

[jorats]

That bag should last you a while then.

 

[Christie]

I MIGHT have found a supplier of Oxbow *dances* How long does oxbow last if frozen?

 

[jorats]

Oxbow has a very long shelf life, It should be good one year after the expiry date if frozen.

 

[Christie]

so itll be good for about 2 years frozen? or less?

 

[Ktina]

A good quality dog food might be a good bet too. I like Natural Balance vegetarian formula. You cant free feed though. I fed mine only enough to last thm the day and they did very well.

 

[sausage4ever]

Mine are currently out of Oxbow so they get chinchilla food mixed with dog food or LabDiet. It's been weeks without Oxbow and we're getting antsy.

Edit: and we're running out of the dog food/chin food mix. :shock:

 

[Christie]

I'm thinking of getting the 40lb box instead of the tiny 3lb bag but it would last me about 20months. Would it last that long if frozen?