Mouse food recipe!

[Gintha]

Here are the % compositions I use, right from the book I got it from hehe =) Been using this for years, used to use store bought mouse foods, but they are WAY healthier on this. I also use a vitamin and mineral suppliment in their water. These or a powdered version by Hagen, its not listed on their site for some reason.

Mouse food:
wheat (I use wheat germ)10%
husked oats 20%
barley 5%
buckwheat 5%
cracked corn 10%
natural rice 10%
la plata millet 15%
canary or white seed 10%
grass seed 10%
husked sunflower seeds 1%
hemp 1%
linseed 3%

I usually do 1% = 1 cup... but its prolly WAY too much for most colonies hehe. Keep extra in the fridge or freezer, its good in the freezer for 6 months, never kept it in the fridge, but I'd asume 3 or 4 weeks.

I get all my ingedients at the "Bulk Barn" which is a Canadian bulk foods store, costs me around $50 for 2 month supply for all my mice. Not sure where Shane gets the stuff now, I'll ask him next time I talk to him =)

Here is a link to the book, on the Indigo site. I phoned to see why its unavailable and its not supplied to them anymore ~,~ If you have a REALLY good library they may have it. =) Its got info about housing too.. my females live in the "condo" or "citadel" style cage hehe... and yes.. they escape sometimes ~,~

 

[danvega]

But what are the %'s of protein, fat, fiber, and minerals content? <--Those are what I am concerned with, in order to maximize litter sizes and frequency, while providing highly nutritious food for my herps.

 

[Gintha]

Ingredient, fat, carbs, proteins, minerals

wheat, 2, 70, 10, 2
oats, 5, 58, 11, 3
barley, 2, 68, 9, 2
buckwheat, 2, 59, 11, 3
corn, 4, 70, 9, 1
rice, 2, 63, 8, 5
millet, 3, 59, 13, 3
carany seed, 6, 52, 15, 6
grass seed, 2, 55, 6, 2
sunflower seeds, 54, 6, 20, 2
hemp, 30, 20, 23, 2
linseed, 35, 21, 18,6

Thats the info in the book. Also, its suggested that you offer some of the following, for live plant nutrients:

tender grass
lettuce
endive
bussel sprouts
dandelion greens
carrots
apples
pears
grapes
cucumbers
boiled potatoes
raspberries
strawberries
raw or dried figs, dates, or raisins (seed IN)

Mine really like broccoli too. from what I understand, this diet was set up so that the mice have a variety of nutritious foods to chose from. I know mine just love this stuff. I add a little olive oil to my mix, it seems to increase the occurrence of estrous and it also makes their coats super nice... tho I don't think snakes are picky about their suppers hair do LOL.

Hope thats what you need =) Let me know if you need more info... I can try to get a hold of the publisher or even the author I guess hehe.

 

[sdmessmer]

particulars

What kind of grass seed do you use? Is the rice just a regular long grain dry type?

I give mine chopped mixed greens, but I think I'll start giving them a little more variety.

Thanks for taking the time to post that, it helps to see what other people feed their mice.

Silvia

 

[Gintha]

Its chemical free grass seeds from the Home Depot hehe... and the rice is Uncle Bens (NOT the instant one, the one that takes a million years to cook LOL) I put the rice in uncooked, but others do cook it. I tried the cooked rice method.. and it just didn't work for me. They love it dry anyhow hehe. Glad to have helped =)

 

[mike17l]

i use mazuri mouse breeder 9f. i get 50# for $20 from my local feed store. it just seems so much easier, and just as healthy, as mixing a bunch of ingredients.

 

[Taceas]

Like Mike, I feed a primarily block diet. But I do make up a "treat blend" for them that I give them a couple times a week. So I guess I'm not too far off base.

Here are the ingredients I used in the last batch:

- wheat germ
- uncooked long-grain wild rice
- rolled oats
- wheat berries
- cracked corn
- plain Cheerios
- organic raisins

And some of the Wild Birds Unlimited "No Mess" blend added in, which contains the following:

- shelled sunflower
- shelled millet
- shelled peanuts
- milo

Might have to try the olive oil trick though. I'm sure it would cut down on the dustiness factor as well as benefiting the mice.

Thanks for the recipe.

 

[Gintha]

No problem =) The block diet is actually pretty good, as long as its fresh. I had a stale batch once (it smells like old cooking oil when its stale, if you know how that smells... should be kinda sweet smelling when fresh, at least, nutri-blok is hehe), and lost a few mice ~,~ I've found this stuff is the cheapest in the long run, but there also not many pet stores here to buy decent foods at. Even when I was.. erm.. 7 or so, with my first mouse, we made them (mom and dad had one mouse each too hehe) this food.

I will occasionally add a little molasses to the food, as a treat, they love it =) Just the normal (Crosby's I think its called) one tho... Blackstrap tends to constipate them for some reason. :eek1:

 

[Gintha]

Heres a like to the block food I've used: Nutri-block The only problem I had with it, is shown in the link... herring meal. I tend to like feeding them things the would naturally eat, and I'm pretty darn sure no mouse would catch a herring and eat its bones or organs, not sure what Hagen's definition of "meal" is in this case. :bang: LOL

Lecithin also not fond of this.. "generally safe for human consumption" "virtually non-toxic to humans" (quotes from definition hehe) Just doesn't sound mouse-safe to me uke01:

 

[Canadianmike]

Lecithin

Lecithin in a important component to any animals diet. It is a phospholipid needed for cellular membrane structure. "GRS: generally recognized as safe" and "virtually non-toxic" is the safest designation the FDA gives food additives. So you would be doing more harm to your mice by not ensuring they had sufficient lecithin in their diets.

 

[Gintha]

Ohh.. oops... I didn't mean not for them to have it at all.. its naturally present in the recipe above, I meant the man made synthetic one isn't that great. The chemicals they use to make it are... questionable hehe. Its naturally occuring in most foods, I just dislike the artificial one that Hagen uses (its synthesized in "animal matter" according to my Hagen contact)