# Burgess Supa Rat Royale



## Urithrand (Feb 12, 2008)

Hey guys! I'd really like a few opinions on this food because it seems to be genuinely the best I can get here in the UK but of course I value all your opinions greatly. I'd really like to keep my rats on lab blocks because I want optimum health for my girls and no selective feeding. I've always fed my rats reggie rat before but I've heard bad things about it recently, and in the past they've definitely got a bit fat!

The nutrition details are:

Fibre 3.5%
Protein 16%
Vitamin D3 1,500iu/kg
Vitamin E 120mg/kg
Copper ** 12mg/kg
Vitamin E * 120mg/kg
Vitamin A * 11,000iu/kg
Oil 6%
Ash 4%

Wheat, Maize, Peas, Beet Pulp, Soya, Chicken Meal, Poultry Fat, Monocalcium Phosphate, Salt, Fructo-oligosaccharides (0.3%), Methionine

This is all the detail I've been able to fish up for this particular food... Any and all opinions appreciated!


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Doesn't look very good to me, but Isamu can tell you for sure what to look for in the UK.


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## Crezzard (Jul 20, 2013)

I feed this to my rats and they're all healthy. As long a you feed lots if fresh fruit and veg, eggs, chicken and mealworms every now and again there is no reason why your rats can't live a happy healthy life. I think people are too caught up on nutrition in complete feeds on here.... Xx


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

This stuff really isnt any good, its full of wheat and wheap protien. Chiken meal is essentially all the left over bits of chicken left over after the good stuff has been removed. I also know a lot of experienced rat owners who refuse to use this food as theyve seen high levels of mammary tumours in there rats after using it for a while. It is also essentially the same as pets at home rat nuggets, just packaged differently and possibly a different pellet size. They just brand it as fancier.

Here in the uk you are best off either feeding a rat rations mix (with some suppliments, can be a bit pricy but excellent quality) or harrisons bannana brunch (a rabbit food which is rubbish for rabbits and great for rats, cheapest online is pet supermarket), or a mixture of the two. In terms of rat pellet type foods science selective is probably the least bad, but its not good either. Ive heard some people rate Rupert rat, though i'm not a big fan myself (too high in wheat) and reggie rat is probably the easiest to get hold of Ok rat food that you can find in many pet shops. Again not great but a lot better than burgess. The bad things with Reggie where its old formula, which hasnt been used for quite some time here in the UK now. The old reggie was truelly awful, but probably not that much worse than burgess lol, as the main issue was the poultry meal in it (at least burgess names the poultry they use). The newer version relies on soya protien which is an improvement, plus its lower protien (14%) than burgess which is a bit high for adult rats. 

Honestly its easy enough to mix your own over here if your interested. Theres a lot of options around.


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## ratsaremylife (Nov 5, 2013)

Crezzard, I completely agree! My rats before deffinetly did not have a complete diet but they lived a long time. Maybe not the healthiest appearance but still lived a very long time! My past rat Rosy had myco since we got her but I didn't know, she lived a year sick before I started treating her. I didn't know and was a dumb rat owner but she was still long lived!


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

The thing with saying that is you don’t know what your rats would have lived had they been on a decent diet. A good diet can help reduce the chances of certain illnesses and even dramatically improve the symptoms of others (take kidney failure, lower the protein levels, use the right kind of grains and you can visibly see them improve). A poor diet may not have impacts that are immediately obvious, however your rat will have increased chances of suffering for certain illnesses and may have damage being done without you being aware of it. A good diet is you giving your rat the best possible chance to thrive, much like when you take your rat to the vet, give them a decent cage and friends etc. A rat can look happy on its own but not be as happy as it would be with company. A rat could live a long life before falling ill and die at home, without the owner the vet, who could have cured or made its final issues less painful for it. A decent cage gives them space to run, exercise there natures and generally enjoy life more, even though they may seem happy in that hamster cage.


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## ratsaremylife (Nov 5, 2013)

Oh I'm not saying its bad to have a good diet! I just think you shouldn't stress do badly over it. Us humans eat worse then some rats. My rats get fresh veggies and NE daily. Also table scraps and they look the healthiest they've ever been. It's deffinetly better to have a better diet but that one just seems fine. I respect or opinions Isamurat and I know you have studied and know best do I do follow your instructions.


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## Crezzard (Jul 20, 2013)

I've tried mixes before and they Never ever ever eat all of it they just pick their favourite bits out and leave the rest. My rats eat burgess, I have 6 at the moment but have kept rats for years. I have not had ONE tumour in all my rats!!! I've had one rat undergo an op for a prolapsed uterus but apart from that all healthy and died of old age related illnesses. 


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## lalalauren (Jul 3, 2013)

I have no opinion on this particular food, but i just wanted to add that I changed my rats' diet from Reggie Rat to a mix recommended by Isamurats and my older, lazier boys have noticeably become a lot less fat, so i wholeheartedly back up her claims!


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Crezzard said:


> I've tried mixes before and they Never ever ever eat all of it they just pick their favourite bits out and leave the rest.
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How do you feed it? A rat will pick there fave bits out of a mix if you feed them more than they need or worse adlib feed (full food bowl). If you feed jsut what they need and even better scatter feed it they dont selectively feed and its a lot better for them mentally, encouraging activity and interest. I'd also argue that no illnesses are just old age. If your girls have been having issues like gradual decline and weight loss, then passing it could well be kidney failure (one of the most common out there), which isnt massively helped by high protien wheat based feeds.

Glad your lads like it lalalauren, I love how when you get it right it really shows. Its also a lot harder to get the right diet for boys too so your doing well.


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## Crezzard (Jul 20, 2013)

Pathetic how you want to argue about how my rats died....... Whatever though 


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Understanding what your rats die from is an extremely useful tool in helping the next generation live longer happier lives. Its tough to do but really valuable, whilst some of my interest is from a breeding perspective and making sure we dpnt select for poor health I also had this interest when I only owned pets as I found there was tonnes I coulddo to minimise a lot of the effects of illness in old age and give them the best retirement possible.

Maybe that approach isnt for everyone but I for one help being helpless as they fade and die in front of me. Even if I can only help them a small bit I want and actually probably need to do that.


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## Hephaestion (Jan 27, 2013)

I am with Isamu on this. Burgess is horrible stuff. It smells horrible, the ingredients are poor and the protein level is too high (for my liking). I believe it has a good copper level. I have never had an issue with selective feeding but then I insist that the rats eat everything before they get a refresher. Isamu's suggestion of rabbit base mix, etc. is the easiest to get along with and the ingredients are generally easy to come by. I recommend The Scuttling Gourmet, a book on rat nutrition which is available from rat rations. Also, rats are opportunistic omnivores and so variety and foraging is what they have evolved to expect and survive on. Nuggets provide opportunity for neither. Also, over at the NFRS, some breeders have reported higher incidences of mammary tumours when they fed burgess compared to a balanced mix. Whatever you decide to do, good luck!


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## Hephaestion (Jan 27, 2013)

Crezzard said:


> Pathetic how you want to argue about how my rats died....... Whatever though Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Actually no. It's not pathetic. If someone has a wealth of experience and is willing to share it with the aim of helping people - then that is a generous act. If you don't want to listen, that's fine and dandy but to dismiss someone whose experience far outweighs your own - that I am afraid is pathetic.


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