Staple Food Questions

[.dohani]

I know this sort of topic pops up all the time, but I've already tried searching the site for the answers to my questions, using various keywords, with no luck on finding the specific answers I need.

I live in Canada, and can't find any suppliers of Harlan Teklad or Mazuri that ship here. I can order Oxbow Regal Rat through my vet, but I want to make sure it's okay to feed my ratties first. I've seen a lot of people on here saying that their rats lost a lot of weight on it, and they just ended up switching them over to a different food. When researching it on Google, I also found a site that said it should only be fed to rats over a year old. I have a 4 month old male, 4 month old female, and (approximately- the pet store would only say that she was younger than 3 months when we got her, although I rather doubt that, considering her size >.>) 7-8 month old female. Is it okay to feed them Regal Rat? If not, what should I give them instead? I've heard some people say that they feed Wellness Senior or Innova Senior dog foods, along with lab blocks or Suebee's mix. Since my problem is getting lab blocks in the first place, should I then go for that, along with Suebee's mix?

[Lise]

Where do you live in Canada?

You can proably get in on the order of Harlan Teklad through Mumsy's Rat Rescue.

Even with shipping through FedEx it is less expensive than Regal RAt (and IMO much better).

[chiropteragirl]

A lot of rats hate Regal Rat, so I'd just go with Suebee's, personally.

[triciag]

I have also heard that a lot of rats won't eat Regal Rat, however, mine love it.  The store where I purchased the Regal Rat told me that if they didn't eat it, they would gladly refund my money.  So far, they are eating it.  I don't think that they are eating as much food as before, but it is a higher quality food, so therefore, they should be eating less.  I haven't noticed either of my rats losing any weight. 

[Heather]

I make a mix with Solid Gold Holistic Blends but I'm just not happy with the way my kids are looking. I've fed then Innova Reduced Fat before with even worse results. I am on my way to sucking it up and buying Pet Guard Vegetarian food which is like $16 for a 4 lb bag.

[.dohani]

Where do you live in Canada?

You can proably get in on the order of Harlan Teklad through Mumsy's Rat Rescue.

Even with shipping through FedEx it is less expensive than Regal RAt (and IMO much better).

I live in Ottawa, Ontario. I'll definitely look into it. Thanks! 

A lot of rats hate Regal Rat, so I'd just go with Suebee's, personally.

I already feed Suebee's, but I'm looking for a high quality lab block or dog food to feed them as their staple food.

[chiropteragirl]

Oh, okay, sorry.

Personally, I use Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Light formula. It is 6% fat and 20% protein. The protein is a little high, but it evens out when it's with Suebee's. The dog food is really good quality, but a lot cheaper than most high quality dog foods. Where I buy it, it costs about $45 for a 35 lb bag, (I buy a big bag because my dog eats it, too) whereas a lot of the other high end dog foods were about $60-$70 for a 30 lb bag.

[mandycoot]

I am on my way to sucking it up and buying Pet Guard Vegetarian food which is like $16 for a 4 lb bag.

It's totally worth it.