# sunflower seeds??



## Trika (Oct 25, 2007)

i've heard it mentioned a couple times that sunflower seeds are bad for rats but no actual mentions of why it is bad or what i does to them. i would realy like to know because the staple food i give them has sunflowers in it. i feed my rats "royal cuisine small animal mix"with a couple dried apple bits mixed in as an always availiable staple and a lid(like from a small sour cream container or something) of mixed veggies(couliflower,cucumber,celery,carrots)fruit bits (apples,pears and such) some cereal(corn bran squares or whatervers in my cubord as long as its not to sugary) and a small dab of peanut butter or jam or honey on the side as a treat every night. if there is somthing wrong with what i am feediong them or something i need to add please let me know.

thanks,
---Trish


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## jellybeanqueen (Sep 6, 2007)

sunflower seeds are bad for rats as they are too high in fat.
however, a few a day wouldn't do anything harmful, i presume. =)
you shouldn't feed them the mix, as most seed mixes too high in fat and protein, and it probably has alfalfa (indigestible to rats) in it.
i suggest you purchase oxbow or harland teklad lab blocks, or for a cheaper option that makes a LOT of food and is nutritious, visit www.ratsrule.com/diet.html for info on suebee's mix.
hope that helped!


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## chrisstrikeagain (Apr 10, 2007)

They are fatty, and to add onto the above, many mixes had corn which i personally am against. It is non digestible, no health benefits, and can mold easily.


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## Darksong17 (Feb 11, 2007)

There is nothing wrong with sunflower seeds in the sense of them being harmful and they can actually be quite healthy... in moderation. Far too many pet store rat and mouse mix foods have them in as a main/large part of the diet. A few a day or once in a while are just fine. The problem with them is that they are high in fat and protein so you don't want to overdo them.

I don't recommend any of the pet store seed mix diets as they are inappropriate for rats and the seeds are too high in protein and fat.

You can find more information that might help you decide what diet is best for your rats here: http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratfeeding.html

There's also a pretty good sticky topic on food at the top of this health page.


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## Trika (Oct 25, 2007)

thanks for all the info, when i go into town this week(i live in a teeny town with no petstore) i will stop by some of the petstores and get some healthier food for them.


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## Night (Feb 23, 2007)

In my Suebee's Mix, I have organic raw pumpkin seeds. I only put in a small amount, and the rats absolutely adore them.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

these seed mixes that are out on the market for rats are really horrible. 

seeds are very fatty & should only be given in moderation

typically these mixes are packed full of hard, dried corn... this is not something they should be feed at all (along with the alfalfa that was mentioned earlier)

I hope you can find a better food. I am way down here in Florida so I'm no help in regards to helping you find a local place to get a good rat lab block.

The website has a great thread that has been continually updated by members... it is all about the good & the bad things for rats to eat. 

try looking at this:
http://ratforum.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=3079.html


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## Trika (Oct 25, 2007)

i went to the store today and the best stuff i could find was "kaytee exact" rainbow stuff it's nutrition info and ingredients are Crude protien(min)16%,Crude fat(min) 5% Crude fiber(max) 6%,ground corn,ground wheat,ground wheat middlings,soybean meal,ground oats,dehydrated alphalpha meal,soy oil,dried cane molasas,Dicalcium phosphate,calcium carbonate,wheat germ meal,salt,DL-methionine,L-lysine,yucca schidigera extract,vitamin a supplement, choline chloride,vitamin e supplement,riboflavin supplement,niacin,ethoxyquin,ferrous carbonate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide,vitamin b-12 supplement, calcium panothenate, menadione sodium bisulphate complex(source of vitamin k activity), cholecalciferol(source of vitamin d3),copper oxide,pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate,folic acid,biotin,calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate,sodium selinite,artificial color natural and artificial flavor. now that i looked at it again i see some not so good things but unfortuanatly it is the best we have here and my mother refuses to buy online. is it any way possible to feed them this and some other things like fruit and veggies and so on?


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## Trika (Oct 25, 2007)

im gonna try to convince my mother to buy the ingreidiance for suebee's mix.


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## Darksong17 (Feb 11, 2007)

Trika said:


> i went to the store today and the best stuff i could find was "kaytee exact" rainbow stuff it's nutrition info and ingredients are Crude protien(min)16%,Crude fat(min) 5% Crude fiber(max) 6%,ground corn,ground wheat,ground wheat middlings,soybean meal,ground oats,dehydrated alphalpha meal,soy oil,dried cane molasas,Dicalcium phosphate,calcium carbonate,wheat germ meal,salt,DL-methionine,L-lysine,yucca schidigera extract,vitamin a supplement, choline chloride,vitamin e supplement,riboflavin supplement,niacin,ethoxyquin,ferrous carbonate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide,vitamin b-12 supplement, calcium panothenate, menadione sodium bisulphate complex(source of vitamin k activity), cholecalciferol(source of vitamin d3),copper oxide,pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate,folic acid,biotin,calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate,sodium selinite,artificial color natural and artificial flavor. now that i looked at it again i see some not so good things but unfortuanatly it is the best we have here and my mother refuses to buy online. is it any way possible to feed them this and some other things like fruit and veggies and so on?


Corn and ground corn (all dried corn), alfalfa meal... it's not looking good, no. On top of that it has ethoxyquin in it which is a preservative mostly banned from human consumption. It's been linked to health problems.

Kaytee is rather known for their crappy diets actually.


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## Darksong17 (Feb 11, 2007)

Trika said:


> im gonna try to convince my mother to buy the ingreidiance for suebee's mix.


Good luck. Remember that the high quality dog food must be a certain protein and fat percentage (the lite/weight management or senior versions usually are best and I recommend Natural Balance Reduced Calorie Formula or Wellness Weight Management Super5Mix.) and must be fed in conjunction with (it's the staple) the grain mix. The Total Cereal is very important as a source of added vitamins and minerals that the dog food staple is likely to lack (since it's made for dogs and not rats, and the nutritional needs are obviously different.)


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## Trika (Oct 25, 2007)

YESSS HAHAHA my mom says i can make suebee's mix but she wants me to make them eat all the other food first(the kaytees and the seed garbage) so im gonna put some of it in the fireplace when no one is looking and "accidentaly" spill a bunch on the floor...bwahahahahaha.


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