# Suebee rat diet a good rat diet?



## Mirax (Oct 29, 2015)

So I been doing research on what are some good foods for rats to eat so I can put together a healthy homemade diet. Plus my rat is still kinda new I've only had him for about a month now and I noticed he kind of a picky eater so I have to write down things he likes and will eat. Anyways I found the suebee diet and so far he seems to like some of the things in but no everything. But I'm wondering is that a healthy diet for rats cause I've seen some forums on here that half people say its good and half say its bad. I heard some say the suebee diet isn't fully nutritional so can I do the suebee diet and maybe occasionally add some fresh veggies and fruits like once or twice a week? So far the only thing he doesn't like that's in the suebee recipe is the total cereal but maybe I can find a different brand with the same vitamins like cheerios, is that OK?But like I said I haven't tried to full recipe yet I been buying one ingredient at a time just to test if he likes it cause like I said he's pretty picky. Like he won't seem to eat any meat, he won't eat many fresh fruits unless it's dried. The bags of dried rat food from the pet store he only eats a few things in the bag like the seeds and waste the rest.Sorry I'm rambling and this post is long but let me know what you think about the suebee diet. Thanks!


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## Ratbowtie (Nov 7, 2015)

Suebees isn't necessarily bad. It's a good supplement. The thing is, if you have a rat that is picky he can pick out what he likes and leave the rest not getting the nutrition he needs. That's why it's good to have a good rat block added to the mix such as Oxbows regal rat.


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## Mirax (Oct 29, 2015)

If I can find any good rat blocks in a pet store here in the US I will add that too thanks!


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## Rattie2Love (Sep 28, 2015)

I had this same problem with my new ratties . They were too used to the seed mix & would pick over the Suebee diet . So then I was worried they really weren't getting all the vitamins & nutrients . Cheerio's are ok for a treat , not as good as Total for complete vitamins. I couldn't find Oxbow anyplace close to me . I ordered on here http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+10381+16965&pcatid=16965. ( cheapest I found ) Took me some time to get them to eat it , but I made the mistake of keeping the suebee mix in their cage . The first day I gave them some veg & a little fruit - so they wouldn't go hungry . They finally ate it after the second day . Ratties are pretty picky , but I found out Fast we have to be tricky LOL


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

Suebee's is not great. And worse when not followed correctly. Alot of people do the whole cereals and pasta and skip the step where she says it needs to be added to a base of labblocks or very high quality dog food.

If you are just feeding the grain mix then it is really not good. The grains are not going to provide the proper nutrition. 

If you add a lab block and IMO far more lab block then mix it isn't horrible. I prefer oxbow myself but native earth or mazuri are ok as well. If you go the dog food route it needs to be very high quality and low protein. IMO most dog foods are just too high in protein.

To be honest, personally alot of the things in the mix are not things I would feed my rats daily. It is high in fat and sugar. Giving them the mix maybe every other day or every few days along with their food seems better. But IMO the lab block should be 80% of their diet and that doesn't leave alot of room for extra foods. I'd rather give them something really yummy and healthy.

But alot of people do like making a mix to kindof extend the lab blocks. It isnt the worst in the world. But you definitely need the base and it should be more then the other stuff. And you have to watch and make sure they are eating the lab blocks and not just picking out the good stuff.


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## Mirax (Oct 29, 2015)

moonkissed said:


> Suebee's is not great. And worse when not followed correctly. Alot of people do the whole cereals and pasta and skip the step where she says it needs to be added to a base of labblocks or very high quality dog food.If you are just feeding the grain mix then it is really not good. The grains are not going to provide the proper nutrition. If you add a lab block and IMO far more lab block then mix it isn't horrible. I prefer oxbow myself but native earth or mazuri are ok as well. If you go the dog food route it needs to be very high quality and low protein. IMO most dog foods are just too high in protein.To be honest, personally alot of the things in the mix are not things I would feed my rats daily. It is high in fat and sugar. Giving them the mix maybe every other day or every few days along with their food seems better. But IMO the lab block should be 80% of their diet and that doesn't leave alot of room for extra foods. I'd rather give them something really yummy and healthy.But alot of people do like making a mix to kindof extend the lab blocks. It isnt the worst in the world. But you definitely need the base and it should be more then the other stuff. And you have to watch and make sure they are eating the lab blocks and not just picking out the good stuff.


 thanks a lot! Like I said if I can find some of those lab blocks here I will use them. Cause I do notice my rat is picky and only picks out the good stuff to eat most of the time.


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

I have to order mine online. I use harlan teklad (native earth) 18% protein blocks. There are some people / rescues that sell them in smaller portions online (I think there's someone on ebay and a couple small rescue websites). I buy in bulk from petfooddirect when they have a free shipping deal going. You can also check a local feedstore to see if they will order mazuri for you. Their standard rodent breeder block is 16% protein (6F I think is what it is called). 

Instead of suebee's you might want to look into the shumanite diet. 
Here's a link about it on a UK rat board. It includes more raw grains than suebee's and is not a set formula, but a guideline for types of things to add. It also recommends adding protein sources like tuna, chicken, or dog food.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I think most people have to order the blocks online. Only some stores carry Mazuri or Oxbow, none near me ever did. And I believe you can only get native earth online. 

But it isn't that bad of a price even with shipping if u r in the US. Drsfostersmith is by far the best price for oxbow, im not sure about the others. Buy in bulk it is cheaper in the long run and will last a good amount of time.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

I have a pretty low opinion of Seubees as its full of processed food etc. I'd recommend a shunamite style mix over this any day, have a read of the info here http://www.isamurats.co.uk/options-for-dry-mixes.html


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

I buy in 40lb bags and store it in air-tight food storage bins (the large vittlesvaults) It seems to stay fresh for 2-3 months stored this way. You can also freeze in freezer bags if you have the room and that will keep it fresh longer. 

I use a shumanite style mix for supplementing my lab blocks and my rats love it. You may have some issues finding some of the grains listed on the link I posted though. I had a rough time finding millet, etc. health food stores or ethnic markets would probably have a better selection. Right now, my mix has brown rice, barley, buckwheat, millet, and oats in it with some sunflower seeds. Blocks make up about 3/4 of their diet and 1/4 of that mix daily with fresh greens 2-3 times a week or more.


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

artgecko said:


> I buy in 40lb bags and store it in air-tight food storage bins (the large vittlesvaults) It seems to stay fresh for 2-3 months stored this way. You can also freeze in freezer bags if you have the room and that will keep it fresh longer.
> 
> I use a shumanite style mix for supplementing my lab blocks and my rats love it. You may have some issues finding some of the grains listed on the link I posted though. I had a rough time finding millet, etc. health food stores or ethnic markets would probably have a better selection. Right now, my mix has brown rice, barley, buckwheat, millet, and oats in it with some sunflower seeds. Blocks make up about 3/4 of their diet and 1/4 of that mix daily with fresh greens 2-3 times a week or more.


You can find millet in any parrot section of a pet store/or online. The natural sprays are nicer imo than the loose millet. You can either break em up for the mix, or leave them as whole sprays and hang them in the cage for a forging item.


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