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I'm making a rat mix, like Suebee's... but I'd like to know what is a good dry dog food for rats...

I have Nutro (Natural Choice) Lite, it looks fine, but I want to be sure...

Is there a preferred/suggested dry dog food?

Cyberpawz

I use Nutro Lite in my rats' mix and they LOVE it. They eat certain things out of the mix first and the Nutro is always one of the first to go.

All my rats love it except for Morgan...lol, he is the uber-squishy...hehe.

Cyberpawz

I actually think Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold, and Blue Buffalo are better quality than Nutro, because they use more whole and human-grade foods.

Except that it cost a lot to get it, and you can't get it at a general chain store, it has to be an independent store...

Although I'll see how this goes, it it does well, and I get a job, I'll switch to wellness... (which happens to be made by OMH)

Cyberpawz

That's why so many people use Nutro; it's the best you can get in a lot of places.

we use Science Diet Senior Formula in the small bits .. it has 16% crude protein in it, not more then 20% i believe.. Our ratties go crazy over it.

My rats get Canidae Platinum diet (www.canidae.com) in their mix and they love it! I also feed Canidae to my dogs and Felidae to my cat (Canidae's cat food).
Canidae is a Human grade, all natural dog food.

Here are the ingredients:

Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Brown Rice, White Rice, Chicken Fat, (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbic Acid), Sunflower Oil, (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbic Acid), Lamb Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Flax Seed, Psyllium Husk, Sun Cured Alfalfa Meal, Lecithin, Kelp, Cranberry Meal, Yeast Culture, Monosodium Phosphate, Choline, Linoleic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract, Ferrous Sulfate, Mixed Tocopherols (source of vitamin E) Sodium Selenite, Manganous, Riboflavin (source of B2), Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation product, Dried Streptococcus Faecium Fermentation product, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Niacin, Vitamin B12 supplement , Vitamin A supplement, Beta Carotene, Calcium Pantothenate ,  D- Biotin, Pyridoxine  (Vitamin B6) , Glucosamine HCL, Chondroitin Sulfate , Calcium Iodate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Papain, Bromilain, Bacillus Subtilis, Yucca Schidigera Extract.

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Guaranteed Analysis
Crude  Protein (min.) 18.50 %   Vitamin  E (min.) 500.00 IU/kg  
Crude  Fat (min.) 8.50 %   Glucosamine HCL(*) (min.) 525.00 mg/kg  
Crude  Fiber (max.) 4.00 %   Chondroitin Sulfate* (min.) 425.00 mg/kg  
Moisture (min.) 10.00 %   Amylase* (min.) 4.00 BAU/ lb (1.81 BAU/kg)
Linoleic Acid (Omega-6) (min.) 2.60 %   Cellulase** (min.) 0.25CMC units/lb (0.11CMC units/kg)
Linolenic Acids (Omega-3)(*) (min.) .60 %   Protease*** (min.) 24 HUT/lb (10.8 HUT/kg)

actually Blue Buffalo is carried in Petsmart, or will be.

ALl except Innova can be ordered online in most places - innova is subject to locale restrictions as to how far it can be shipped so... www.petfooddirect.com is the best place on earth :) I get about 2-3 coupons from them a week - wellness is almost ALWAYS on sale, about once a month i get free shipping, and there are always other goodies and sales going on. i get so many coupons i cant keep them straight!

 most of us opt for foods that are human grade ingredients, naturally preserved, and contain real meat sources for the top ingredients and protein. Most of these companies also have a nice outlook on the pet food industry as well  :cheeky: nutro is classified as a premium, most of the others I mention (and lenore) are ultra-premium.
 
the ones lenore mentioned as well as a few other good ones:
Innova Senior, Wellness Senior, Wysong Senior (which CAN be ordered through petstmart i believe!), Canidae platinum performance, Solid Gold Hund-N-FLockn (gold bag), Natural Balance and Nature's Variety. I have fed almost all of these except one.

I've already asked about ordering the wellness canned, and dry food by one of the local pet chains around here, and they will not sell to chains, because chains have a tendency to buy in bulk, and the little guys can't compete. So what they do is they only sell it to smaller stores so they have something the large chains can't get.

Cyberpawz

Since Blue Buffalo is, or will be, in Petsmart, why not use that?  Wellness isn't your only option you know.  Or if you are set on Wellness, why not go to one of the smaller stores you mentioned?  Personally, I'd stick with the higher quality stuff Kim and the others suggested.  I noticed a huge change in my cats when they went from Nutro Naturals to the higher quality stuff.  I've only used Wellness with my boys (they aren't getting mix regularly, if at all, now), but they loved it.

When they get Buffalo Blue I will, right now Victor, Orion, and Yin-Yang love the Nutro :)  Morgan and Theo seem to be *meh* about it...lol

Cyberpawz

My rats are getting Solid Gold right now, with their Suebees mix. Pet Supplies Plus is a smaller chain but they sell Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold, and other quality brands, and they seem to be opening new stores in my area at least.

They sell Wellness, but they can't carry the dry dogfood, etc... I asked the owner at the one I have near here...and that is what I was told.

Cyberpawz

I've already asked about ordering the wellness canned, and dry food by one of the local pet chains around here, and they will not sell to chains, because chains have a tendency to buy in bulk, and the little guys can't compete. So what they do is they only sell it to smaller stores so they have something the large chains can't get.

Cyberpawz

i know they dont - pretty much none of them will sell to a national chain for a variety of reasons, one of which you mentioned. it is the same reason innova wont be sold online - because not only do they want to provide the best nutrition possible (and chain stores arent interested in that) but they want to do it through a privately owned company.

why dont you ask the stores to personally order? all pet stores have been able to do that for me - without a problem. if they are able to get canned food, they can get the dry as well, its coming from the same supplier. or just look at other foods.
 
if you go to the dog food websites, each one of them has a store locator to find stores near you that sell the food. in fact, wellness/OMH is based in lowell, your home town - i am sure there are a variety of stores nearby that sell it, if you cant get it directly from the factory!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was going to :)  But still I have to see if they can give it to me for something that is reasonable, and not in a mix of 10 or 20 bags :)

Unless someone wants me to do a Wellness run ;)

Cyberpawz

that would be easy. wellness comes in tiny bags - 6 lbs i believe. they can order you any size your little heart desires - thats why you are the customer and they are there to serve you :)
you should see the stuff we order for people at my place :) (where, incidentally, i believe wellness is actually more expensive than innova!) i would just use the store located on the OMH website, cal them and ask for prices for the food. they can tell you over the phone - its how i price shopped for bowie's kibble back when he still ate it. i called all 4 stores in the area (in the surrounding 50-60 miles ??? ) and asked for prices to compare. of course, i probably wasted all the money i saved on gas, but....it was worth it to get it from the store i now work at!  

Yeah, I want to try something else too. My rats don't seem to like Nutro. Is there any kind of wet dog food I can use?

I really don't think wet dogfood is good for rats.

Cyberpawz

Cyber,

You live in my area...

I buy food at one of a few places, depending on where I am headed.  

Especially For Pets (they have a few stores - I go to Acton), they carry Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold, Canidae etc.  And they have a frequent buyer card, every 10th purchase gets 10% off.

Pets, Pets, Pets in Westford also carry the above named brands

Occasionally I will go to SeaWorld Pet Center (Salem, NH) They carry Wellness and Solid Gold, but I don't remember seeing Innova there.  I don't often buy there, only if I'm already in Salem.

I haven't found (yet) any stores in Lowell or Nashua that carry these brands...

As for a good food, I find my guys like variety, so I switch off between Wellness Senior, Innova Senior and Canidae Platinum.  I've been thinking about trying the Solid Gold, too.

Hope this helps.

Ahem :) We have stores in Acton, Newton, Sudbury, Wayland, and Westborough :) And a new one coming in Medway ... Wellness was on sale last month! Innova was on sale in Sept...And Solid GOld and Wysong were buy one get one free at my store.

=Kim, your board EFP employee :)

These foods all depend on what works for each particular rat. Some can handle high protein others not.
Most of these foods do not contain corn or by-products.

High Protein: 22%+
Breeder's Choice - Health Food For Dogs
Eagle Pack - Holistic
Eagle Pack - Holistic Lamb & Rice
Eagle Pack - Holistic Ancovy
Eagle Pack - Premium Lamb & Rice
Evolve - Reduced Calorie
Excel - Lamb & Rice
Holistic Blend - Lamb & Rice
Lick Your Chops - Lamb & Rice
Natural Balance - Ultra Premium
Natural Life - ACD
Natural Life - Lamaderm
Natural Life - Lamaderm Low Fat
Nature's Recipe - Allergy Venison & Rice
Nature's Variety - Beef & Barley
Nature's Variety Chicken & Rice
Nature's Variety Lamb & Rice
Newman's Own - Adult
Breeder's Choice Pinnacle - Trout & Sweet Potato
Precise - Sensicare
Pro Pac - Earthborn
Royal Canin - Maxi 24
Sensible Choice - Senior Chicken & Rice
Show Bound Naturals - Lamb & Rice
Solid Gold - Adult
Solid Gold - MMillenia
Solid Gold - WolfKing Adult
SportMiX - Premium Lamb & Rice
VeRUS - Adult
VeRUS - Advanced Opticoat
Wellness - Fish & Sweet Potato
Wellness - Super5Mix  Chicken
Wellness - Super5Mix Lamb
Wysong - Anergen
Wysong - Synorgon
Authority - Adult Lamb
BLUE - Adult
TimberWolf Organics - Black Forest
Innova - Adult
California Naturals - Chicken & Rice
California Naturals - Lamb & Rice
Flint River Ranch - Super Premium
Flint River Ranch - Lamb/Millet & Rice







Low Protein: 14% - 21%
Canidae - Platinum
Evolve - Senior
Lick Your Chops - Senior
Natural Balance - Potato & Duck
Natural Life - Lamaderm Senior
Natural Balance - Reduced Calorie
Natural Balance - Vegitarian
Nature's Recipie - Adult Lamb & Rice
Natures Recipie - Vegitarian Allergy
Natures Recipe - Easy to Digest Lamb & Rice
Natures Recipe - Senior
Newman's Own - Senior
Nutro Natural Choice - Adult Lamb & Rice
Nutro Max - Weight Control
Nutro Natural Choice - Chicken & Rice
Nutro Natural Choice - Dental Care
Nutro Natural Choice - Lite
Nutro Natural Choice - Senior
Pro Pac - Adult/Senior Chicken & Rice
Pro Pac - Low Fat
Professional - Adult Lamb & Rice
Sensible Choice - Reduced Calorie Chicken & Rice
Sensible Choice - Reduced Calorie Lamb & Rice
Sensible Choice - Senior Lamb & Rice
Solid Gold - Holistic
Triumph - Natural Lamb & Rice
VeRUS - Senior
Wellness - Super5Mix Senior
Authority - Lite
BLUE - Lite
Innova - Senior
California Natural - Reduced Calorie
Health Wise - Weight Control
Flint River Ranch - Fish & Chips
Flint River Ranch - Senior
Flint River Ranch - Senior Plus

Actually, Science Diet is cornmeal-based... not ideal. :( Corn is the hardest carbohydrate to digest... most dog food makers use it because it is cheap.

Corn meal, chicken by-product meal, animal fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), soybean mill run, flaxseed, corn gluten meal, dried egg product, chicken liver flavor, L-lysine, L-tryptophan, taurine, glucosamine hydrochloride, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid, L-arginine, chondroitin sulfate, minerals (potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, salt, dicalcium phosphate, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), rosemary extract, beta-carotene, vitamins (choline chloride, vitamin A supplement, vitamin E supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), niacin, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement).
                                         

Any time a product lists meat "by-products", it's probably not the highest quality. I find it hilarious that my vet sells Science Diet; I know they get a cut for promoting it.

I think Petsmart sells both Blue Buffalo and Wellness, I'll have to check next time I'm in there. And Petco sells Solid Gold. I have to keep my kids on Nutro Senior since one of my girls gets itchy whenever she has too much protein.

Have you tried a food made for dogs with allergies? Natural Balance and Nature's Recipe both make vegetarian dog foods free from corn, wheat, and soy: these, as well as meat protein, are common allergens.

Sometimes it's not the amount of protein causing the problem, but the source, which is why it's worth it to use high-quality foods.

I use Nutro Lite. It has a low protien content and I can't find that in Innova or Wellness.

For those who use Iams/Eukenuba and Science diet, not only are they inferior foods because the ingredients are discusting, but both of these companies test on animals.

Lenore: You are so right about that.

ILoveMaggie: PetSmart DOES sell Blue Buffalo but not Wellness.
Petco doesn't sell Solid Gold, they sell Pet Gold (not the same thing at all sadly) lol!
Is it that your rats have a sensitivity to meat derived protein? Nutro Max Senior has only a little meat in it (mostly rice & wheat) but high in protein (22% actually.) which means a large percentage of protein is coming from that and not meat.
What other foods have you had them on in the past?