# a few questions about my mouse food...



## mousegirl13 (Oct 11, 2011)

hi guys

the mice food that i brought a the pet store has:
-lentils
-split peas
-oats
-black sunflower seeds
-maize 
-dried carrot
-soy grit (what is soy grit anyway???)

the mice only eat the;
-oats
-maize
-black sunflower seeds
-i dont know about the soy grit

they dont eat:
-carrot
-i dont't know about the lentils and split peas

anyway i am going to take out all the maize (as this can cause cancer/tumors) and i dont know if i shold take out all/most of the sunflower seeds and only give it to them as treats?? is it going to be a shock when i take out all of the maize and most of the sunflower seeds??

i am going to be adding barley to their mix.

please help

thanks


----------



## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Plain grain is what I feed my meeces for 90% of their diet. Sunflower seeds are eagerly consumed but very fatty, and can lead to obesity and cancer. Peanuts are not so good either. Soy grit is probably just ground or crushed soybeans. Things I've read led me to no longer include soy in the diet.

Why in the world would they eat carrot when they have sunflower seeds. Diet-wise a sunflower seed or two is like a great big well marbled beefsteak for a mousie. I find a few little black oiler sunnies for every five pounds or so in my 50 lb. bags of straight grains; I don't bother to pick them out like I do the raw corn. I prefer safflower seed which is healthier fat.

Barley is great, as are just about any straight grains.


----------



## mousegirl13 (Oct 11, 2011)

so what are you trying to say, i dont really no what u mean for a conclusion to my question

sorry


----------



## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

She told you the ingredients that were not so good-you'd be better off picking them out.


----------



## mousegirl13 (Oct 11, 2011)

so i should or shouldn't use sunflower seeds??
should i pick out the maize
should i pick out the soy grit???

what is bad about soy grit?? please tell me

thanks


----------



## m137b (Sep 22, 2010)

I wouldn't pick anything out, but I would probably mix it 50/50 with flaked oats or barley to reduce the fat a little. If the carrots, lentils and split peas aren't being eaten it's probably because they are too hard, soaking them in water for a hour or so prior to feeding can help. I feed a lot of maize and maize based foods, as well as giving sunflower seeds for conditioning and I haven't noticed it causing or contributing to cancers/tumors.


----------



## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Labs testing soy products made to ease the symptoms of menopause found an increased incidence of mammary and uterine tumors.

I have been told that English show lines have been 'hardened' by inbreeding to weed out the harmful recessives that leave the mousies susceptible to tumors, so they don't these problems over there. And I suppose the reason I no longer have much of a problem with tumors could be the diet I feed or it could be the infusion of English show stock from so many years ago...still, I'm not willing to breed or recommend anyone inbreed American meeces that way, or feed a diet that I have found increases tumors in my mousies.


----------



## m137b (Sep 22, 2010)

Is the op US based? I had not thought so, but if I am wrong then yes it may be preferable to remove the sunflower seeds and minimize the corn in the diet as US petstore animals tend to suffer from food allergies and these two feeds are common allergens to those mice.


----------



## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Op? Que es?


----------



## m137b (Sep 22, 2010)

Origianl Poster, ie the person who started this post.


----------



## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Ah...so...can't tell.


----------

