# Oxbow Healthy Handfuls for Mice?



## Demonic Hope

I feed my gerbils Oxbow Healthy Handfuls and I was wondering if it would be okay for my two bucks?

Ingredients:

Timothy Meal, Pearled Barley (Rolled), Oat Groats, Flax Seed Meal, Canola Meal, Canola Oil, Wheat Gluten, Millet, Limestone, Flax Seed, Salt, Yeast Culture (dehydrated), Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Rosemary Extract

Analysis:

Crude Protein (min) 15.00%
Crude Fat (min) 4.50%
Crude Fiber (min) 10.00%
Crude Fiber (max) 15.00%
Moisture (max) 10.00%
Calcium (min) 0.60%
Calcium (max) 1.00%
Phosphorus (min) 0.40%
Copper (min) 20 mg/kg
Vitamin A (min) 19,000 IU/kg
Vitamin D (min) 900 IU/kg
Vitamin E (min) 190 IU/kg

If not can you recomened a lab block that you can get in under 10lb bags? I only have my two boys and Michael and Lee can only eat so much.


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## Nicola

I don't suggest feeding Oxbow products, there have been to many reported cases of mice failing to thrive on Oxbow products and it having negative effects on their health. A majority of their products branded for mice don't have a sufficient source of nutrients. You can feed it on top of a healthy diet, but I wouldn't suggest it. 
A majority of lab blocks are far too high in protein (Usually being around 15%-20%), which can result in horrid allergies (Especially in pet store mice), so make sure you check the protein when choosing a lab block. Lab blocks go against their natural scavenger instincts, so when feeding lab blocks, make sure you hide healthy treats around their cage daily.


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## Demonic Hope

Nicola said:


> I don't suggest feeding Oxbow products, there have been to many reported cases of mice failing to thrive on Oxbow products and it having negative effects on their health. A majority of their products branded for mice don't have a sufficient source of nutrients. You can feed it on top of a healthy diet, but I wouldn't suggest it.
> A majority of lab blocks are far too high in protein (Usually being around 15%-20%), which can result in horrid allergies (Especially in pet store mice), so make sure you check the protein when choosing a lab block. Lab blocks go against their natural scavenger instincts, so when feeding lab blocks, make sure you hide healthy treats around their cage daily.


What is the recommended protein for pet store mice then?

I should probably mention I will be mixing this in with FM's Brown's tropical harvest food. I like to use a lab rat block for a base in all my rodents diets. (currently Syrian hamsters and gerbils that have been worked out. I had a lot of problems with animals picking out only what they liked and leaving the rest to be thrown out. So I now mix them 50/50 in a bucket and they get a bowl full every few days. They tend to pick out their favorites in the first day and spend the next two eating the blocks instead of the unliked food in the mix. I just worry with them being picky they aren't getting the proper diet.


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## Nicola

Demonic Hope said:


> Nicola said:
> 
> 
> 
> I don't suggest feeding Oxbow products, there have been to many reported cases of mice failing to thrive on Oxbow products and it having negative effects on their health. A majority of their products branded for mice don't have a sufficient source of nutrients. You can feed it on top of a healthy diet, but I wouldn't suggest it.
> A majority of lab blocks are far too high in protein (Usually being around 15%-20%), which can result in horrid allergies (Especially in pet store mice), so make sure you check the protein when choosing a lab block. Lab blocks go against their natural scavenger instincts, so when feeding lab blocks, make sure you hide healthy treats around their cage daily.
> 
> 
> 
> What is the recommended protein for pet store mice then?
> 
> I should probably mention I will be mixing this in with FM's Brown's tropical harvest food. I like to use a lab rat block for a base in all my rodents diets. (currently Syrian hamsters and gerbils that have been worked out. I had a lot of problems with animals picking out only what they liked and leaving the rest to be thrown out. So I now mix them 50/50 in a bucket and they get a bowl full every few days. They tend to pick out their favorites in the first day and spend the next two eating the blocks instead of the unliked food in the mix. I just worry with them being picky they aren't getting the proper diet.
Click to expand...

About 10%-13%. 
A majority of mouse owners feed Browns Carnival hamster & gerbil mix as a staple (Pick out the sunflower seeds and peanuts). 
I definitely understand what you mean about mice selectively eating and not getting the correct nutrition, most mice will go for the more fattening seeds in the mix leaving the nutrition-packed seeds and grains behind.


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## Laigaie

Nicola, you spend a lot of time over at The Fun Mouse?

10-13% is not going to be sufficient for a young mouse, a sick mouse, a growing mouse, a pregnant mouse, an old mouse... Lab block at 18% is just fine for mice that don't get bred, and I've never even heard of the mix you suggested, so please don't say the "majority" of mouse users feed hamster or gerbil food! Those have a lot of fat and carbs, and hardly any protein.

Mazuri is fine. Kaytee is fine. Anything that says MOUSE or RAT on the packaging is probably fine. Blocks are great for picky mice because it forces them to eat what's actually good for them. The problem with Oxbow is that they're actually a HAY company, so they pack their foods with hay. Mice don't need hay. Rabbits, guinea pigs, sure. But not mice. When you see a first ingredient that's timothy or alfalfa, you know that food's not really for mice, because mice don't need to eat hay.


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## Seafolly

Oxbow is quite good, actually, nutritionally speaking. The snag is not enough mice or rats like to eat it like Laigaie pointed out. Those that do like it do very well. It's handy having a quality commercial food available. The Fun Mouse is the only place I've read negative claims like that, and honestly, it's not a peer reviewed source so do your homework. I have had rats grow thin while on Oxbow but that's because they weren't eating enough so it simply wasn't for that individual. Those that found it palatable and ate the food in a large enough quantity lived long, healthy lives.

Harlan Teklad 2014 (14% protein) is a great lab block. I do agree they need more than 10-13%. 13% would be a bare minimum to me as mice, to my understanding, require more protein than rats.

Bear in mind when choosing a diet for your mice that you need to cater to their needs. Do a search with Google Scholar (or PubMed) to get access to scientifically sound sources. It's risky to take the word of an anonymous stranger on a forum.


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## mich

My mice are not too keen on Oxbow but adore the Living World range of foods.


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