# Mixing rat/chinchilla and hamster feed to make mouse feed?



## os.evans (Jul 4, 2015)

I'm just wondering if this sounds like a good idea for an easy nutritional diet or a waste of time. Could I mix dwarf hamster and rat feeds to make a nutritionally sound mouse feed? OR the hamster and chinchilla feed? Or even the rat and chinchilla feed?

Supa Hamster Dwarf Mix
Composition: Canary Seeds, Millet, Grass Pellets, Maize, Peas, Toasted Soya Flakes, Toasted Wheat Flakes, Sunflower Seeds, Meal Worms, Poultry Fat. Analytical Constituents: Protein 17.5%, Oils and fats 6.0%, Fibre 9.0%, Ash 6.0%, Vitamin A 8,000 iu/kg, Vitamin D3 1,500 iu/kg, Vitamin E 30mg/kg, Copper (as Copper Sulphate) 10mg/kg.

And Science Selective Rat
 Wheat, soybean meal, barley, oats, soya oil, dried apples, dried blackcurrants, wheat feed, limestone flour, salt. May contain genetically modified soya. Vitamin A 15000 IU/kg, Vitamin D3 1500 IU/kg, Ferrous sulphate monohydrate 152mg/kg, Calcium iodate anhydrous 1.5mg/kg, Copper sulphate pentahydrate 20mg/kg, Manganese oxide 38mg/kg, Zinc oxide 62mg/kg, Sodium selenite 0.2mg/kg.
Protein 14.0%, Crude fibre 4.0%, Fat content 4.0%, Inorganic matter 5.0%, Calcium 0.6%, Phosphorus 0.4%.
Feeding Guide (approximate per day)

Science Selective comes in pellet form so there's no selective feeding. They do make a mouse food but the nutritional values are the same as the rat food just with less ingredients, so more soy/wheat content which I'm trying to get away from.

The Supa Hamster Dwarf mix is what the breeder feeds them on (I'm picking them up next week) and is high in protein, offers variety and has a little more fibre. But is a little higher in fat than I would like. I like that the protein is meat protein but since I won't be breeding these guys I don't think they'll need that much.

Would it be worth mixing the two? Would they end up selectively feeding on the hamster mix and not the rat pellets? Could I avoid selective feeding buy alternating feeds every other day, instead of mixing them?

I have genuinely looked for mouse feed (In the UK) but it all seems to have more protein than my girls will need or high fat. Hardly any mixes contain meat protein (or though, I'd happily supplement them with turkey/chicken/mealworms). Most of it is lacking in fibre. So if anyone could recommend a brand that hit's the nutritional nail on the head that would be fab. I'd rather not make my own mixes because of selective feeding.

Another thought was to mix the hamster feed with Science Selective Chinchilla
Lucerne meal (alfalfa), soya hulls, wheat, soybean meal, wheat feed, extruded locust beans, dried parsley, dried plantain, linseed, monocalcium phosphate, salt, calcium carbonate. May contain genetically modified soya. Vitamin A 15000 IU/kg, Vitamin D3 1500 IU/kg, Ferrous sulphate monohydrate 152mg/kg, Calcium iodate anhydrous 1.5mg/kg, Copper sulphate pentahydrate 20mg/kg, Manganese oxide 38mg/kg, Zinc oxide 62 mg, Sodium selenite 0.2mg/kg.
Protein 16.0%, Crude fibre 19.0%, Fat content 3.0%, Inorganic matter 7.0%, Calcium 0.8%, Phosphorus 0.4%. 

This would make a mix high in protein but I could always take out the mealworms from the hamster mix and save them for treats. It would be high in fibre and low in fat. But I'm not sure if there's anything in the chinchilla mix that mice should be avoiding or wouldn't be getting enough of that they would in the rat mix.

Sorry for such a long post! Any help appreciated  Thanks


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## raisin (Sep 22, 2014)

Rats and mice have pretty much the same nutritional needs, so they could thrive on rat food alone. They also have the need to pick through seeds and little bits of food as an act of "foraging", so the hamster mix would be a great addition. The fattening things like sunflower seeds can always be picked out. In my experience, they will ignore block food while seed-food is present. You could scatter the hamster mix in the bedding to forage, and provide block food in a food bowl so it is easier to get to. I recommend having both kinds always available - In my opinion, allowing foraging is more important than preventing selective feeding.

Also with the hamster mix, the protein does seems a bit high. I think around 14% is the best, though some lines are less sensitive to protein and can have at it. I agree with using the mealworms only as treats. For fiber, adding rolled oats/oatmeal is awesome. They eat it first, then will eat their normal food, so I just mix it in with my seed-food and wait until they eat their normal seeds before adding more oatmeal. It is really healthy, so I don't see it as a problem if they fill up on oats.

I don't know about the chinchilla food, as they are such different animals. I seem to remember reading that soymeal or something with soy in the name can help prevent mammary tumors in female mice, but is bad for male mice and rats. I can't be positive on that part. What I really don't like to feed is corn, which most of the foods I have access to are full of! GMO definitely leads to tumors in mice.

Hope this is helpful! I know it was long.


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