# Rough Draft of Mouse Diet: Edits?



## FeralWolf (Dec 28, 2010)

Hello! I'm making my own feed, and I think I have a decent list of things to buy. This was compiled by reading around this site and that great first thread in the Feeding section:

-Rolled oats
-Pearled Barley
-Hulled Millett
-Pasta (very little for chewing purposes)
-Quinoa
-Lentils
-Sunflower seeds (very small amount b/c of fattiness)
-Brown Rice
-Flaxseed (for health purposes)

Is there anything I'm missing? I know I don't have any kibble on there, and I don't believe I'll be able to get any; is there any good substitute for kibble that supplies the needed protein?


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

Nutritional/brewers yeast flakes should, if they will eat it. Mine do, but they won't eat things like molasses, and pasta, so who knows (have not actually tried either on my new mice in QT). I think you might need extra minerals, because of soil changes, but maybe not. I soak my mix, and use bones from dinner, for any gnawing desires.

The mice I have will eat kelp granules (mixed into something else). My mice don't really want to eat kibble very often. If you feed the mix dry, I've read that a Vit E source is helpful. I soak/sprout mine to make that easy for me.

Because I soak/sprout, I can also use things like lentils for protein, right in the mix. Lentils are great, but I think they rob some nutrients if eaten dry/uncooked/un-sprouted. Don't know if you have read up on beans, raw.

Actually, All my 'treats' for them are basically protein, mineral rich salt, calcium, and B vitamin things. LOL (Like eggs (with a bit of the salt), freeze dried carnivorous fish food, anchovy oil, plain live yogurt.) I fed the treats in rotation, and not the same amount to each mouse. Depends on their genes, and current body needs.

I've read a breeder say that pearled barley can crack teeth. Because I soak mine, I don't worry about this, but I'm passing on a breeders statement. Have not researched this at all. She didn't specify if she had known of this actually happening.

Mice have been eating stale wholemeal bread (wheat), soaked in stock or milk with the occasional egg, along with straight oats, and maybe another grain or two, for ages. They should be fine, if you don't want to get more fancy than that. Pretty sure there are breeders in the UK still using this method.

I did read of someone in the US, feeding a straight mix of grains, and seeds, had problems with them needing salt. She solved that with kibble. I use the himalayan salt I already have on hand. (The eggs are made for humans' breakfast, I just made extra for the mice.) I'm guessing the bread had the salt in the old fashioned mice feeding methods.

*edit* un-sprouted, not sprouted...


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## FeralWolf (Dec 28, 2010)

Thank you so much!  This was really helpful; I'm going shopping now, so I'll see what I can find.

Another question: what about almonds? Can they eat those? My mother keeps the house constantly stocked with them, so that would be an easy addition to the diet.


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

Well, I can't seem to run down anything with any facts... There is a line of thought about the arsenic being a concern, but there was a study which I can't seem to find mentioned here http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/hea ... alth_x.htm, about mice fed an almond rich diet. I guess that would depend on what "a handful a day" of almonds is for mice.

I have broken pecans/walnuts into pencil eraser size chunks, and fed to a group of 2-3 mice at times (when fresh, and available). Some love them, some have little to no interest. I'm not sure they offer much in the way of nutrition to mice, but they might.

Oh! How did I forget this? I also breed loads of mealworms. On a protein, vitamin, mineral, and calcium supplemented diet, and then feed those to the mice as well. More often to pregnant/nursing/young.


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## FeralWolf (Dec 28, 2010)

Here's what I ended up getting today. I am also getting lab blocks, but that I will do tomorrow.


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## NikiP (May 7, 2013)

I had my first doe on feeding on a brand of lab blocks I picked up at a local store when she had her litter.

For the two litters I have now, one being her second, they look much better since i've improved the diet. High quality lab blocks, dog food (my pregnant/nursing does appear to like it more then my other mice), store bought seed/grain mix (trying to feed what I have, will probably mix my own when it runs out), & whole wheat bread soaked in milk.

ThatCertainGlow, do you use live or prekilled mealies? I buy them by the 1,000 for my geckos, have thought about sharing with the mice.


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

Love those flying saucers! Mice seem to love them too. Best running wheel concept so far.  Hope you like the carefresh better than I did. Have loads of the stuff, and I can't bring myself to use it up. Milled flaxseed goes rancid really fast, from what I understand, might want to store that in the freezer. I buy the whole seeds, but don't suppose they are sold that way at the usual grocery store.

Yeah, as NikiP said, lab blocks are not all created equal.

NikiP, I feed them live, but I try to get them to take the head end first. So if they have pain sensors, there is less than a second, while they are alive. I've been told they don't have such things, just a defensive reflex to get away from having been grabbed. Not sure. I don't want to have years of guilt behind me, if I find out they do have them.  If I start feeding them pre-killed, it would be pre-kill just seconds before feeding them. I probably will, when I have too many mice to be waiting around for each one to take the mealworm from me, correctly. (I only have around 60 mice atm, over half still in QT for the next month.)

My guess is alive, or alive a moment ago, food is a bit more healthy. Although, my overflow in the freezer is probably more healthy than purchased feeder mealworms, live, because of what they were raised on. Plenty of people feed them to mice from pre-packaged dried, and say it is well received.  Give it a try. Nursing, and heavily pregnant girls are crazy about them. (The girls are that way about protein/fats, in general, when in the family way.)


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

I had thought about dried mealies as a protein source instead of kibble, so that I could make a 100% organic diet (a friend grows organic mealies), but decided it was all too expensive a gesture for me with the kinds of numbers I have now.


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

Yeah, I was looking for something to give my chickens over the winter for an extra boost, and dried mealworms were both a hit, and way too expensive. LOL It's partly why I started raising my own, years ago. The other part was to feed them organically, or very close (the kelp I use isn't organic).

The mice don't quite eat enough of them yet to use up the quantity produced, so I still have too many in the freezer, but they will. Once I get chickens again here, I will need to expand the mealworm egg laying bins. The mealworms work out to be less expensive than kibble, here, for the brands I would consider. I have some kibble, but more for occasional variety, so they don't get bored of the river of mealworms.

I don't have to buy anything extra for the mealworms, except the wheat bran (I don't use wheat bran in anything). I kind of feed them like compost worm bins, all the excess peels/tops/weeds/etc, goes to them. (The weeds from my yard still meet the organic criteria.) If I made more veggie broth/stock, it would be more trouble feeding them.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Oh, yes, the expense is much, much less when growing your own. I am in the unfortunate position of having a wife with a phobia of larvae. Seriously, she goes into fits when there's anything wormy that's less cute than a caterpillar (though white caterpillars still set it off). :/ I would LOVE to raise mealies, but that's actually the only thing she's ever said No to.


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## NikiP (May 7, 2013)

Have ya'll checked into ordering in bulk? I get them 1,000 for $22 from a reptile store.

This place has good pricing for decent amounts: http://miamiworms.com/meal_worms.html


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

I can go through 250, more or less, in a day's time. Depending on how many preg/nursing does I've got, or growing youngsters. Not to mention, a buck doing his job gets 1-3, depending on body type. Dehydrated, that I payed someone else for, would need to be a treat only. At my current useage, what you listed would work out to spending $22 per every 4 days.  Might be more than that even, if there is a shipping cost.

My housemate can't stand them either, but thankfully is willing to deal with out of sight, out of mind. Although there has been a discussion, once, when he started looking for food in the freezer.  I keep the bins of them pretty well hidden. He doesn't know where they are, and doesn't want to know. He said he trusts that I will keep them from escaping. He also said that about the mice, to which I had to quickly disclaim that I wasn't certain of being able to do that with mice! Thankfully, my explanation of recapture methods was sufficient, but then, he's not scared, or creeped out, by mice.

He was seriously freaked out about the soldier flies, but that's outside. So far he's seen none (and likely won't as the adults are not in your face), and he's not wanting to discuss with me if I can have, what I already have out there in a bin. LOL Then the red worms, but their tower is disguised as an end table (nice draped breathable table cloth), so he said if he doesn't know they are there, then fine... Poor guy. lol

Part of his acceptance was based on the eventual chickens' feed, and a cost worksheet I drew up, with the mealworm/insect raising, and without. I didn't once bring up that it would only take 3-6 months to recover a mealworm breeding set up, from zero.  So, I have them now for the mice.


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## NikiP (May 7, 2013)

Lol! Yeah, that would be a bit much  Well maybe it'll help someone else!


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