# mouse food?



## CuteRat2

What is the best mouse food?


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## Mitsy

You can get oxbow rat food, that would be the healthiest. Oxbow always try's to match the animals needs, it is recommended for almost ever small pet on every forum I have been on for my hamsters, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits. 


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## Awaiting_Abyss

Oxbow is not good for mice. I have never personally used it, but have heard many people say mice do not thrive on it so I would never risk it. Commercial diets never seem to meet the needs of mice unless you mix several together with a dog food.I feed my mice a homemade mix of rolled oats (for horses), a livestock food called Producers Pride All Grain, DuMor goat food, mealworms, and 4Health dog food.


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## Mitsy

Awaiting_Abyss said:


> Oxbow is not good for mice. I have never personally used it, but have heard many people say mice do not thrive on it so I would never risk it. Commercial diets never seem to meet the needs of mice unless you mix several together with a dog food.I feed my mice a homemade mix of rolled oats (for horses), a livestock food called Producers Pride All Grain, DuMor goat food, mealworms, and 4Health dog food.


Really? I would think it is sense Oxbow makes their food meet the animals nutritional needs and is a healthy food for basically every other animal they make it for.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

Here is a thread to read in this.http://www.fancymicebreeders.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=14129I 

I have never had any luck getting any of my animals to eat Oxbow... the ones I've tried on it that is.


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## Mitsy

In the last post on the first page someone says its actually a good quality it was bad because the mice and gerbils don't really care for it so they weren't getting the nutrition they needed from it. I know some rats are picky with oxbow and others get a different well known brand. I wonder if they make mouse food I can't think of the brand thought.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

Yes, sorry there are also other topics on oxbow but I'm on my phone at the moment.Either way it does not seem like a complete diet so I personally wouldn't feed it.


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## Eden10

I love Oxbow for my ratties. When I had mice, I fed them Oxbow but also added seed mix to it...pumpkin seeds etc. they loved it & did really well. My male mouse 'Jazz' who some of you may remember [the little fatty brindle mouse lol] is still going strong, he just lives with my step-daughter as she fell in love with him when she came to visit [i provide her with his food for him tho]


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## Finnebon

I agree that oxbow rat is not suitable for mice unless you maybe supplement it like Eden10 does. It's true that Oxbow tries to fill the needs of an animal's diet to the best they can produce for the specific food for the rats, but mice are not rats. Though fortunately oxbow just very recently introduced a "Mouse and young rat" food http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products/type/detail?object=10813 It is brand new so I haven't heard much about it, other than people usually don't want to use it for their rats and would rather supplement their adult rat's food for their babies instead. It is probably good for mice though, I'm assuming since the company makes good food.

If you're looking for the best answer though, I would try going to a Mouse forum and see what others there think about what to feed their mice. Honestly, I have no idea! But I would assume lab blocks that are made for mice are much healthier than the cruddy commercial mixes out there that are available. Maybe one of the Harlan Teklad formulas would also be a good option for mouse food?


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## Awaiting_Abyss

I found this new Oxbow for mice in Petsmart yesterday.... The very first ingredient was corn followed by very few grains. Oats were not even on the list, nor was animal protein so a dog food would need to be given.I personally do not feed my mice any corn, since it has been linked to cauing tumors so I don't take risks.


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