# Wild Harvest Rat & Mouse food?



## raving_ratties (Sep 2, 2013)

I feed my rats Wild Harvest Rat and Mouse Daily Blend. The only reason is because it's cheap at my local Wal-mart and my rats seem to enjoy it. Unfortunately, I'm beginning to hear and read some bad things about this food: it's just another cheap Wal-mart brand, it's full of inadequate ingredients, etc. Is this true? I'd be willing to switch as soon as possible but Oxbow is very unhealthy and could possibly kill your rats. (Read about that here: http://www.ratwhisperer.net/2012/10/attention-your-rats-food-might-kill_11.html#.UkRxqYabO-M) And I don't want to spend 11 or more dollars on some other food that I may know nothing about. What rat foods are fairly cheap, healthy, and available at a Petsmart/Petco? Thanks!


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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

I feed my rats wild harvest and they LOVE it, I honestly don't see anything wrong with it.
Though I have my doubts about it being complete nutrition for them, I give my rats vegetables and meat to make up for it.
Though I can't help but to ask what are the bad things about it you have heard?
I don't want to feed my rats anything harmful to them

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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

I've been wondering about this myself as it is fantastically cheap and I can get it 24/7


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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

I stock up on the stuff and my rats love it as much as they love their treats.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

I wouldn't be surprised that they love it, molases is a very tasty ingredient being essentially sugar but not great for them. I wouldn't rate this for as it is very high in corn and what. Some types of animal feed corn contains fungal shops which can be dangerous and it isn't good as a major component of rat food, though in small amounts properly died is not an issue. Wheat is harsh on the kidneys so not great for older rats especially. I can't find is nutritional content online but the fact is a rat and mouse for suggests is higher in priority and fast than rats should have.

I would be interested in seeing the studies mentioned in that blog, id rather feed as close to natural as practical here, why I mix my own diet, but I am suspicious of anyone targeting something as contentious as gmo and saying they are all the same. It would be like saying all chemicals were bad, which is as silly as saying all natural stuff is good for you (given there's a lot of poisonous natural stuff out there). In reality much like most artificial stuff some will be good, some bad. It's just gm food has been somewhat demonised by the press


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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Isamurat said:


> I wouldn't be surprised that they love it, molases is a very tasty ingredient being essentially sugar but not great for them. I wouldn't rate this for as it is very high in corn and what. Some types of animal feed corn contains fungal shops which can be dangerous and it isn't good as a major component of rat food, though in small amounts properly died is not an issue. Wheat is harsh on the kidneys so not great for older rats especially. I can't find is nutritional content online but the fact is a rat and mouse for suggests is higher in priority and fast than rats should have.
> 
> I would be interested in seeing the studies mentioned in that blog, id rather feed as close to natural as practical here, why I mix my own diet, but I am suspicious of anyone targeting something as contentious as gmo and saying they are all the same. It would be like saying all chemicals were bad, which is as silly as saying all natural stuff is good for you (given there's a lot of poisonous natural stuff out there). In reality much like most artificial stuff some will be good, some bad. It's just gm food has been somewhat demonised by the press


I love the "chemicals are bad" and "this tastes like chemicals" arguments......water is a chemical 


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## Xerneas (Aug 6, 2013)

I'm sorry if this turns into an essay, which it probably will, but this is a topic I'm very interested in and I want somewhere to write out all of my feelings about it.

First, if you're worried about GMO products, I recommend staying ten feet away from Wild Harvest. Corn is the first ingredient, which already is not all that great for rats, and considering how nearly all corn is GMO nowadays I have NO doubt that WH has GMO corn. Also note the nice advertising trick where sugar is listed as "molasses". Similar to how for some reason food manufacturers are allowed to disguise harmful trans fats as "partially hydrogenated ____ oil" in the ingredients in their products if the amount included is less than 1g. Sounds oh so tasty to your rats, but not really great.

So, we know that seed mixes aren't good, then we read that lab blocks are great only to find out a few months later that the stuff is GMO or has nasty preservatives or additives in it. It's very tricky. So, all I have to say is that if you want something that's cheap and truly and wholly healthy for your rats, the chances of finding that on a pet store shelf is slim.

You see, I found out a while ago I am extremely intolerant to wheat gluten which is found in nearly everything - pasta, bread, cookies, even KETCHUP has gluten in it now. I can still eat it as I'm not fully allergic, and I allow myself a treat, but after finding out that my intolerance was causing me my fatigue, messed up hormones, nausea, stomach pain, anxiety, muscle aches, and even contributed to my ADD, I don't really want to eat it. I can't just go skipping over to the gluten free alternatives, considering how they are all pumped full of sugar and butter to compensate for the taste that's missing. 

My gluten intolerance led me on a really long journey all about human nutrition and now my entire kitchen (my mother is also sensitive to gluten) is organic and non-GMO...I try the best I can to only buy things that have no preservatives or additives and it's very hard. What I'm trying to say is, if you were to go to the supermarket and try to find CHEAP stuff that had no preservatives, no additives, wasn't GMO, isn't full of sugar, salt, and fat and is really healthy for you...good luck. If you try to eliminate every single thing in a typical kitchen that has a single preservative or is GMO or something harmful, you'll have a very empty kitchen. GMO and processed CRAP is EVERYWHERE and it's in everything. The same is unfortunately true for our pets. Commercial dog and cat food kibble has corn in it too, which is most likely GMO.

If you want to feed lab blocks, you aren't a bad pet owner. Most people do. Well, actually, most people feed fatty seed mixes, so clearly feeding a lab block is better than that... But Oxbow has two GMO sources, that one food brand that was recommended by the girl who wrote that blog post has a questionable source in it, Harlan probably has GMO and even if it doesn't it's still processed and most likely contains something not too great for rats... If you want to feed lab blocks, you have to make an educated decision and choose the lesser of the evils. If you want to do a homemade mix you're going to have to make sure you use totally organic materials. A completely healthy and cheap food all free of preservatives not something you will find on the market. Supplementing with random stuff isn't too good either as you could be adding too much of something and throwing everything off. 

OP, I can't really tell you what food to buy since I have recently been reconsidering it as well and I am doing a lot of research. I don't eat GMO, and I don't want my rats to eat GMO either. I advise you to send cagedbirdsinging, a mod on this forum a PM as she knows a lot about rat nutrition and has her own website with homemade true non-GMO rat food with no preservatives and additives and will be able to help you out.


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## raving_ratties (Sep 2, 2013)

Hmm...you lost me there. I know that you can never find a 100% perfectly healthy and cheap food, I just want something that's better than Wild harvest, but doesn't cost a thousand dollars. Oxbow has been proved to be very unhealthy, and so I refuse to feed it to my rats. 


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## Xerneas (Aug 6, 2013)

I see. I was assuming you were on the hunt for the ABSOLUTE best diet, so that post was a very lengthy rant. Unfortunately, I am really fed up with buying food that I think is so great for rats and then it turns out they've got something just plain terrible in them... Ugh...

I found this:

"I have had a hard time in the past getting my rats to consistently eat lab blocks, so after reading a lot of dry dog food labels, I have decided to feed my rats a staple diet of Solid Gold Holistique Blendz dog food. The protein is listed as 18%, and it is all high quality protein. Compare the ingredients list to other dog foods, and you will clearly see the difference. Other recommended brands include Wellness Healthy Weight, Natural Balance Vegetarian, Natural Balance Lite, and Blue Buffalo Lite."

( From http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html )

If you have any of those in your pet store, could be your best bet. I'm not sure of their prices, but those are options.

Also, cagedbirdsinging sells 1lb of her food for $7.00.
*
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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

I'm not Oxbow's biggest fan, or any commercial diets for that matter, but it is 100% better than the Wild Harvest food. All I see on that ingredient list are fillers and sugar with a coating of artificial nutrients.

If Oxbow is too expensive for you, try Harlan Teklad or Native Earth. Another step down in quality, but only marginally and it is much cheaper.

The bottom line is that complete, natural, GMO-free diets can't be found in pet stores. When you do find them, they are not inexpensive. At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, which I do not intend, I just formulated a new diet that is no lesser quality than my original but simply lacks the "extras" that add expense to my original product. At $5 per pound, it is still considered expensive. Now, add in the fact that Rat Salad comes in at $1 per pound, it evens out, but it's still a choice there to be made.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

raving_ratties said:


> Hmm...you lost me there. I know that you can never find a 100% perfectly healthy and cheap food, I just want something that's better than Wild harvest, but doesn't cost a thousand dollars. Oxbow has been proved to be very unhealthy, and so I refuse to feed it to my rats.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Cagedbirdsinging, just an interest factor as ive been on the mix your own journey for a while now, how are you managing your vit d and copper intake. Especially given the vegitarian mix and lack of soya? A bit ot but ive wondered it for a while

_NOTE FROM CBS: I accidentally "edited" this post instead of replying with a quote because the buttons are right next to each other! I'm such a bad mod! Please PM me if you can with your original post content so that I can fix it!_


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## rayne (Sep 5, 2013)

I know we're talking about Oxbow at the moment, but just for interests sake I am trying the Native Earth. I just ordered a 40 pound bag that will last me an ungodly amount of time, and with the shipping it was 40 dollars. When you consider how much we got for that price.. I feel it's very affordable. 

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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Isamurat said:


> Cagedbirdsinging, just an interest factor as ive been on the mix your own journey for a while now, how are you managing your vit d and copper intake. Especially given the vegitarian mix and lack of soya? A bit ot but ive wondered it for a while


Liver, eggs, oyster, shitake mushrooms. The complete formulated diet is given to all of my customers. The mix is completed with fresh foods and healthy proteins.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Ahh no problem, that makes a lot of sense, the fresh food completes it as such. I thought it might be relying on only the dry mix


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