# List of good and bad foods.



## Number1Sticky

I have a list of snack foods for my animals. But I was just wondering which are good and bad for mice. I also have brindle mice, so I would only be giving them tiny amounts of each food.

Almond
Animal Crackers
Apple
Banana
Blueberries
Bread
Broccoli
Cantaloupe
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery
Corn (fresh)
Cucumber
Grape (Black)
Grape (Green)
Grape (Red)
Grapefruit
Green Beans
Kale
Kiwi
Lettuce (romaine)
Nectarine
Oatmeal
Orange
Parsley
Peanut
Pear
Pecan
Pepper (Green)
Pepper (Orange)
Pepper (Purple)
Pepper (Red)
Pepper (White)
Pepper (Yellow)
Pumpkin
Pumpkin Seed
Raisin
Spinach
Strawberry
Strawberry leafs
Sunflower Seed
Tomato
Tomato (Grape)
Walnut
Watermelon

Thanks everyone!!


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## geordiesmice

Apple are fine except the pips they are poisonous too mice.The pips contain cyanogenic glycosides cyanide poisoning can result.


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## morning-star

never knew you could feed them peppers thanks!


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## SarahY

Any fruits are not good for mice because of the sugar, and too many vegetables will cause diarrhea so are best just avoided really. Mice are grain and seed feeders. Although Kale is a good food for growing mice, can't remember why though!

Sarah xxx


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## Laigaie

While most of the items on your list are okay for mice in small and infrequent amounts (fruit seems to be instant diarrhea for mine), I'd be surprised if you can convince them that most of those are actually made of food. Kale is probably desirable because of its high vitamin, iron, and calcium content, but I can't imagine why they would want to eat it. I certainly don't.


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## SarahY

What?! Curly kale is luvverly! 

Sarah xxx


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## Number1Sticky

geordiesmice said:


> Apple are fine except the pips they are poisonous too mice.The pips contain cyanogenic glycosides cyanide poisoning can result.


Thanks I decided to take all the fruit off the list because of the high sugar levels.



morning-star said:


> never knew you could feed them peppers thanks!


I don't know if you can feed them peppers or not. I'm assuming you can but I don't know.



SarahY said:


> Any fruits are not good for mice because of the sugar, and too many vegetables will cause diarrhea so are best just avoided really. Mice are grain and seed feeders. Although Kale is a good food for growing mice, can't remember why though!
> 
> Sarah xxx


Thanks, I took all the fruits off the list for my mice. I'm only going to be feeding them food blocks, because I have brindle mice, I'm worried that they will get really fat on other seed mix.

I did find something online that said kale is good at fighting cancer and tumors . And since mice tend to get tumors that's probably why.

"Even more outstanding is kale's cancer-fighting properties. Numerous studies have indicated that cruciferous vegetables (kale, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower) contain components called isothiocyanates that regulate a complex system of enzymes that help fight cancer. These molecules have been shown to stop the growth of cancer cells in the breast, endometrium (lining of body cavities), lungs, colon, liver and cervix. Research has shown that people who have diets high in cruciferous vegetables have significantly lower risk for lung, colorectal and prostate cancer. One recent study found that mice who had cruciferous vegetables in their diet had 25% less precancerous polyps than mice who did not have any in their diet. And mice that ate twice as much cruciferous vegetables than the first group had even half as many tumors. Also, in the mice who ate kale and its cousins, the tumors were smaller and slower-growing. So the more you eat, the better! Researchers have found that these compounds might actually induce cancer cell suicide as well as work with enzymes to slow tumor growth."
http://www.healthymarketingideas.com/All-Hail-Kale.html



Laigaie said:


> While most of the items on your list are okay for mice in small and infrequent amounts (fruit seems to be instant diarrhea for mine), I'd be surprised if you can convince them that most of those are actually made of food. Kale is probably desirable because of its high vitamin, iron, and calcium content, but I can't imagine why they would want to eat it. I certainly don't.


Yeah, that's why I want to get them started now while they are still young.  I doubt I'll get my older mouse to believe me when I tell her it's just food and not trying to kill her.  And I agree I think kale is nasty. But my guinea pigs and rabbits seem to love it.


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## bethmccallister

I thought I had read somewhere that Almonds were bad too.


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## Lesley

There are sweet and bitter almonds ... it's the sweet ones we use for making things and eating, and which are considered 'good'.
The bitter ones have cyanide in ... so not good at all!
I can't imagine anyone knowingly selling and/or buying bitter almonds ... so perhaps the bitter ones are a 'mistake' on almond trees??!! - May be to do with certain growing conditions?


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## morning-star

Does anyone know if you can feed them peppers then?

we have a tonne of left over salads to eat up after a bbq and the mice etc have been getting a little but we have loads of red, green and orange peppers left lol


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## Laigaie

Bitter almond is usually not a mistake on almond trees. Probably just a mistake that it gets into the normal almond bags, if they do. Bitter almond is used to make a wide variety of flavored liquers, many of which are quite amazingly tasty.

My understanding is that peppers are included in birdseed in order to prevent mammals like mice, rats, and particularly squirrels from eating it. Birds aren't affected by the capsaicin, while most mammals are.


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## Lesley

Following the bitter almond thing ... apparently there is a bitter almond tree  
- And according to http://www.chow.com/ingredients/265 .... "The poisonous hydrocyanic acid contained in bitter almonds breaks down when heated, so the poison is unlikely to accumulate when used in any cooked dish. It is unwise to eat raw bitter almonds. Serious almond poisoning is rare in adults, but children may die after eating just a few bitter almonds."
Oh great!!! :shock: 
Perhaps we should just go back to the original topic, and not get diverted ...


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