# Allergies



## Paradigmatic (Jan 22, 2013)

Would it be possible for anyone to PM me a rough idea or their recipe for a hypo-allergenic diet?
Or even just list out some commonly problematic ingredients, though I'm sure I've found most of them now, just working on better fat/protein/etc percentages for the mix.


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## TwitchingWhiskers (Feb 2, 2013)

I'm not sure about the food, but why PM you about it? Just wondering...


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## fancyteddy1 (Mar 14, 2013)

I'd love to see the answer to this, too. I'm currently picking out the sunflower seeds from my commercial mix, but I can't tell the peanuts from the other seeds/nuts. Also if anyone knows of any peanut or sunflower seed free commercial food, please lmk!


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## TwitchingWhiskers (Feb 2, 2013)

fancyteddy1 said:


> I'd love to see the answer to this, too. I'm currently picking out the sunflower seeds from my commercial mix, but I can't tell the peanuts from the other seeds/nuts. Also if anyone knows of any peanut or sunflower seed free commercial food, please lmk!


Mixing your own food is the best. Then you can be as picky as you like about what goes in, and what stays out.


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

Agreed, making your own is better and usually cheaper too. Common foods to cause allergies or other issues include nuts and wheat. Also, if it's a normal allergy, picking things out of a mix is no good. If they have been in there at all they have touched the rest of the food being consumed and that food will still provoke a reaction. You need to make your own if you can't get a mix without the problem ingredients in.


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

As far as I know, Oats top that list. I've seen Brown Rice being argued as better, but not a common argument.
Then you can add other things. A couple, or all, as you want to, if the mice don't develop a reaction to them:
Brown Rice (doubtful they would have a reaction to this)
Barley
Rye
Quinoa (Really spendy here, even bulk. Mine only get a tiny amount.)
Buckwheat (It's nothing to do with wheat. Mine love it, but haven't found a good enough price yet to make it a larger part of the mix.)
Spelt
Millet
Canary grass (There has been some studies and reports done that seem to indicate this is not safe, because of... something. I couldn't find out if the mice were fed it as a primary diet though.)
Flax seed (I add this. Seems to have multiple recommendations.)

Fattier items that may or may not be reactive, or desired:
Sesame seeds
Sunflower seeds ( I separately feed to nursing moms, and weanlings, but if your mice don't run to fat, could add to a mix if no reaction. The hulls tend to reduce other seeds ability to sprout, and I soak/sprout my mix before feeding.)
Safflower seeds (I use these in a small amount.)

Cooked or soaked over 6 hrs:
Lentils (I really appreciate what all these add. I use them in my mix, because I soak.)
Beans, like chickpeas, mung beans, or anything they like, that you have.

Things which have not been officially studied (I think) in mice, and probably should stay fed seperate:
Dandelion heads
Hawthorn berries
Wild grass seed heads
Acorns (Mine had no interest. Could be I chose less than sweet ones, because I was stuffy and couldn't really smell them clearly.)
Bones, cooked and raw
Squash seeds, either dried or with the flesh still clinging.
Eggs (Might be an allergy trigger, but don't think I've read of any mice allergic to eggs.)
Fish
Liver
mealworms
crickets (captive bred)

I soak my mix, and it has a big payoff for me. 
First, they eat about 3 times LESS. I buy bulk organic, and it's a bit too pricey if I only fed them the mix dry. Especially projected out to the quantity of next year.
Second, they seem to be a touch healthier/shinier/whatever, than when fed the mix dry. Small observation time, and number, on this so might not be really valid.
Third, it possibly works as a temp water source, if the bottle malfunctioned, or for traveling.
Fourth, kinda related to the above, but you rarely need to fill water bottles, so can use small ones.

(If using regular water, change out the water, and clean the bottle, even if it looks untouched.) I add things to preserve a low bacteria count in water that is as clean as I can get it, so I basically don't need to mess with water bottles very often. I'm also using a valve dispensing water bottle on the cages for litters, and that stays MUCH cleaner of bacteria than a ball that rolls back into the water.

To soak, I just pour the mix into a container, adding a small amount of kelp granules (because I think the minerals might be needed, due to soil changes). Then I pour in filtered/distilled water to about double the height of the mix. Cover, with an air gap, and feed that night, or the next morning. If I don't feed it off the next morning, I stir it gently, and cover it back up with an air gap.

Because I add colloidal silver and filtered or distilled water, I can let it sprout a bit more, in the same moisture, without bacteria multiplying. If using regular water, or commercially grown grains/seeds, you'd need to rinse the soak water off the mix every 4-6 hours, which can be tedious. Especially if you don't already have cup sprouters (with sifter bottoms on the inner cup) on hand.

When I get more mice, I will be using my cup sprouters, with just the regular filtered well water, and rinsing, because the batches will be much larger. Rinsing takes only a few seconds. Less time than taking a single water bottle apart for cleaning.
Example of cup sprouters: http://sproutpeople.org/supply/sprouter ... prout.html


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