Feeding Rats???

[JungleRob]

I was informed that rats fed primarily on dog pellets can be risky if you're feeding them to your snakes. Apparently, red food coulouring can be lethal to our snakes and is often found in the pellets. Even freezing doesn't get rid of the toxins.

Is this true? Has anyone had any problems similar to the above before?

Thanks,
Rob

[rockman]

JungleRob , also the salt that is a lot of dog food can get built up in the rats and then is passed onto the snakes . I don't think the snakes are designed to get rid of that sort of salt build-up .

[OdessaStud]

Rats need a balanced diet of grains,seeds and fruit and vegies.Dry dog food in a small amount mixed in with a grain based diet is fine but too much of anything is not good for them.The commercial pellets you can get are the easiest food source (not my favorite) for feeder breeders.

[JungleRob]

Thanks Odessa, commercial pellets it is then. Where would one buy in bigger bags around Brisbane? Petshop portions are tiny and over-priced.

[TrueBlue]

If you live in southeast qld, go to sunridge stock foods, bruce hwy, forrestglen, sunshine coast, and get some deer ration, 40kg for around $25, absolutley amazing rat and mouse food.
Its the only food that i ever been able to breed rats on without any other suplements. I used this stuff for over 10 years when i lived down there with out ever having a problem, since ive moved i have to use a mixture of rat and mouse cubes pig pellets and working horse mix, to get them to breed any where near the way they do on deer ration. everytime i get a visitor to bring some up the difference is amazing.
It really is all that, belive me.

[boa]

I might have to try those deer pellets one day, not to increase the breeding rate as I have more rats than I know what to do with but they seem very cheap.
I use organic rat and mouse cubes, black sunflower seeds and corn mix. They thrive on it and breed like rabbits ;-)

[timmy]

I got some rat and mouse pellets from the produce and my rats love em. They were $40 for 40kg

[congo_python]

True blue do you have the brand name of the deer rations?

Congo

[cris]

I assume deer rations are sometype of deer food pellets not rationed portions of deer If so what ingredients are they made from?

[TrueBlue]

Its made by sunridge stock foods, Forrestglen. and has their name on it.
Yeah they are pellets, hardly any gets sold as deer food these days as 80% of their market is for rat and mouse food.
Anyone that lives in the area should use it, belive me, as its amazing stuff. Ive used every type of rat and mouse cube on the market and they are all absolute rubbish compared to this stuff
Its made from an asortment of grains etc.
I even rang Ridleys in atherton to see if they could make it as their rat food is rubbish and told them so, they were all keen but sunridge wont give up their recipe.

[boa]

Like I said I am interested mostly because of the price but why do you consider the others like Ridleys to be rubbish ? I use an organic rat cube now and have used Ridleys and others in the past. I get big litters and the females are either always pregnant or feeding, we have way more than we need and the freezer is full. I can't imagine how another sort of cube can get me better results ?

[Magpie]

Can someone who has a bag of rat and mouse cubes tell me what % the salt is please?
I have a bag of dog pellets and a bag of horse feed here and they are both the same.

[TrueBlue]

Every time i use just rat and mouse cubes, no matter what brand, with out any other supplement the rats and mice will occasionally eat young and wont breed as often etc, they are ok when i use a supplement as well, but deer ration on the other ive never used anything else with it and never had any problems at all what so ever. Infact its the only food that lve had rats produce 2 litters from 1 mating, I would have this happen at least a half doz time a year when useing nothing but deer ration.

[daveyg1]

hey trueblue

what supplements do you use
for your rats and mice.

[JungleRob]

Sunridge Stockfeeds - (07) 5445 1647

40kg deer ration costs $23!

I'll be going out there on the weekend if anyone wants a bag. PM me closer to the weekend and I'll let you know if still going.

Thanks TrueBlue.