# Thinking about mixing my own food



## Mark

As it seems food prices are going up in pet shops ive decided im going to try and mix my own food.

at the momey i by the rat muslie from [email protected] which has gone up in price to about £2, it used to be about £1.50 anyway i buy £20 worth every month.

Can anyone suggest what i need to put in the mix has im a complete novice and want to make sure i get it right.

O i also mix wild bird seed in with the [email protected] rat muslie.


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## Cait

We use
Bailey's Best British Oats (rolled oats) - 20kg sack for £6.95
Mixed flake (barley, pea, maize etc) - 20kg sack for £7.85
Mixed wild bird seed - 20kg sack for £9.30
Wafcol greyhound maintenance (dry dog food) - 15kg sack for £10.80ish
Lactol soaked bread a couple of times a week

It costs £100 a month to feed 100ish adult mice plus litters, so £1 per mouse per month.


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## Mark

MouseBreeder said:


> We use
> Bailey's Best British Oats (rolled oats) - 20kg sack for £6.95
> Mixed flake (barley, pea, maize etc) - 20kg sack for £7.85
> Mixed wild bird seed - 20kg sack for £9.30
> Wafcol greyhound maintenance (dry dog food) - 15kg sack for £10.80ish
> Lactol soaked bread a couple of times a week
> 
> It costs £100 a month to feed 100ish adult mice plus litters, so £1 per mouse per month.


Cheers

Well i dont have or plan of keeping that many mice at the moment i think i have just under 30 + a litter.


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## Dragonfly-Stud

Wild bird seed.
Chicken pellets (small holder range no weird bits in it)
Oat groats.
Canary seed.
Carrots.
Dog biscuit (biscrok/bonio)
Ferret nuggets for Does with pups in limited amounts.
Horse/pig pellets.
Porridge oats.


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## Cait

I have to buy quite a few sacks per month as you can probably imagine  But it would be worth it for 30, you'd just not have to buy sacks as often as me (every couple of weeks we buy a few sacks of each of the bulk ingredients, less for things like bird seed and dog food). If you bought one sack of each it would probably last ages  But not so long that the food would spoil before you used it.


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## daisy

steve, what is the pig/horse pellets? i am curious.

cait, did used to use a rabbit mix in your own mix? i'm still using a rabbit mix with oats and bird seed and dog kibble added, but there are parts they dont seem like in the rabbit mix...


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## Dragonfly-Stud

Pig pellets or horse pellets.


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## Cait

Yes Daisy we did used to use rabbit food in the mix, but only a specific one for that very reason. I have now switched from the rabbit food to the mixed flakes for that part of the mix. I'm not sure if the mice like it as much, it's hard to tell! They definitely eat well anyway. However they all LOVE the Lactol soaked bread. I only just drop it in and they're all in there nibbling :lol:


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## ian

Mine absolutely love the lactol soaked bread too, they cling to the wire panels when I walk into their garage with lactol!!

I also mix the lactol in with some oats to make them a nice thick porridge type thing which they also love.

I use kitten biscuits and bonio for extra protein, I used to use rat food but have switched to rabbit food as its cheaper for more. They do pick bits out of the rabbit food though! Also have been using linseed recently as its meant to be good for the coat condition.

I used to feed the shunamite diet which was expensive to make up but over time ive removed certain parts and exploring with cheaper alternatives and I haven't noticed any difference in my youngsters development.


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## daisy

sounds all good to me, i guess its just working out what works best for you and yours 

steve, i was asking about the pellets as i have horses so it could be cheaper for me to feed if it was worth it, there are so many different kinds of 'horse pellets' that i wonder which type, i would imagine just standard pony nuts. might be something to look into

has anyone else had any experience of feeding horse type food to mice?

ps. my mice also go mental for lactol


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## Dragonfly-Stud

Sorry Daisy me thick Dodson & Horrell country cubes around £7 a sack for 20kg.


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## DomLangowski

MouseBreeder said:


> We use
> Bailey's Best British Oats (rolled oats) - 20kg sack for £6.95
> Mixed flake (barley, pea, maize etc) - 20kg sack for £7.85
> Mixed wild bird seed - 20kg sack for £9.30
> Wafcol greyhound maintenance (dry dog food) - 15kg sack for £10.80ish
> Lactol soaked bread a couple of times a week
> 
> It costs £100 a month to feed 100ish adult mice plus litters, so £1 per mouse per month.


where do you get all these in such big sacks Cait? we have been doing ours on a smaller scale and figured it would probably work out so much cheaper for us to buy huge sacks of everything.


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## Cait

I buy them from the 'local' farm shop (not really that local, takes about 30 minutes to get there lol). Anywhere that sells horse feed and things like that near you will probably stock this sort of thing. The oats we buy are actually intended for racehorses :lol: Only the best for the mice!  I'm sure a quick Google of 'farm shop' or 'animal feed' or 'equine supplies' will get you some results, especially as you're down south.


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## XxFaexX

okey dokey thanks Cait


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## XxFaexX

im just doing some hunting online Cait and i can only find Baileys Best of British bruised oats? this the same thing?


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## Cait

Yeah that's the same thing. Now I have images of little oats with faces and black eyes lol :lol: You can use any brand of oats though, they are just the ones we have as they are less dusty so don't make us sneeze and itch - they are more expensive as you can buy rolled oats in a sack for about £5 for 20kg.


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## Cait

Bailey's website

The red, white and blue sack are the ones we have...

There is a UK stockists page on there too, might give you a lead in to some places near you as it's done by county.


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## XxFaexX

MouseBreeder said:


> Now I have images of little oats with faces and black eyes lol :lol:


lol Cait :lol:


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## XxFaexX

Mixed flake (barley, pea, maize etc) 
right sorry to be a real pain in the bum but ive been doing some more searching for everything you sujested to use,well this 1 is confussling me...all i can find is this...Masham Micronized Feeds Mixed Flakes (Size: 25 kg) whats the brand of the 1 you use Cait?


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## Cait

I'm not sure what the brand is on the mixed flakes, I'd have to check the label. That sounds like you've found the right thing there though - micronized just means cooked I think, and therefore easier to digest


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## XxFaexX

okey dokey...will look into getting all this new grub for the meeces


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## Cait

Just out of interest, do you know how much it costs you to feed the mice (per mouse per month) when you buy small amounts like you are doing? Just curious how much of a difference it makes (you can PM me if you don't want to post it here).


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## XxFaexX

Erm we were paying about £25 altogether which in weight came to around 8kg,and we have around 40ish mice on average so its worked out about 65p per mouse per month


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## Dragonfly-Stud

Why crushed oats and not groats the last time I bought crushed I seemed to have a sack of husks currently using superioats 25kg £12
lasts ages.


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## Cait

How do you feed 40+ mice on 8kg?! Like I said I have around 100 adults plus litters and I must use about 140kg of food per month after a quick mental tot up, plus bread and Lactol.


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## Cait

Dragonfly-Stud said:


> Why crushed oats and not groats the last time I bought crushed I seemed to have a sack of husks currently using superioats 25kg £12
> lasts ages.


I agree a lot of the cheaper ones seem to have lots of husk, the one I use I think is fine. They also don't sell groats in large quantities near me.


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## XxFaexX

doms making me confused he doesnt know what hes talking about lol im sure the dog kibble we use is 8kg alone... :?


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## XxFaexX

Well we done a bit of searching and found a farm shop about 5 mins from my MIL's house so we told her what we wanted and she went and got it all for us...the mixed flake mix she got us is a horse and pony mix...she was told it was a flake mix so bought that however looking at the ingredients we arent to sure...

*heres a list of whats in it*

cooked flaked barley,
oat feed (a by product of the oatmeal industry)
grassmeal
molasses
Wheatfeed
cooked flaked peas
dicalcium phosphate
limestone
sodium chloride
soya oil
calcined magnesite
vitemans and minerals

*nutrient analysis*

protein 9.0%
moisture 14%
fibre 13%
oil 2.5%
ash 7.5%
vitamin A 9600 IU/kg
vitamin D3 1200 IU/kg
vitamin E (alpha tocopheroi) 40 IU/kg
copper (cupric sulphate) 20 mg/kg

any help would be appreciated


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## Cait

Doesn't sound too bad, I'd be more worried about whether it was pellets (which mine don't eat). If it is actually flakes then it should be ok - mice are fine with molasses as my rabbit food used to contain that and they liked it


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## XxFaexX

we tried supa rat and 1 point and they dont touch it coz its pellets but its just a moist mix.we got that along with the wild bird seed and the rolled oats.they are so not what i expected...they look like popcorn before its been cooked :?


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## Mark

Alert the mods we have thread hi-jackers 

Anyway i went shopping with me dad today so i could have a look round and see what they sell by the time i got there id forgotten what i went for so im going to have to make a list


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## XxFaexX

Admin are allowed to hi-jack!


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## XxFaexX

This is what it looks like.


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## daisy

yeah thats 'pasture mix' which if i feed to my connemara she goes mental and has too much energy so depending on the type of mix (some are called cool-with no oats and other things that hot the horse up,) i'd be more worried about if it sent my mice mental, i mean a horse is big, i'm imagining a mouse on caffine here!! :lol:

let me know how you get on with it, i've never really considered feeding my mice what my horses eat as i have to be so careful what i feed the horses as the slightest change or different ingredients makes such a huge difference to their weight behaviour and apearence i thought that the horse feed might be too extreme for the mice.

the wild mice in our stable never seemed to mind pony nuts (pellets) :lol: i suppose they are alot less spoilt than my domestics


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## XxFaexX

yes i have to agree daisy id never have dreamt of feeding mice horse food coz like you say look at the size dif! i will have 2 give it a try so it will be a case of trial and error wish us luck...will be reporting to you Cait if we end up with caffine addicted nut job mice lol


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## Cait

You'll just have to switch them to drinking de-caf to compensate :lol:

I say try them on it and see if they'll eat the pellets. I guess it depends whether the pellets are soft and easy to eat or rock hard lol. As for oats being 'hot' that's something that mouse fanciers say too, about them 'heating the blood'. It's because they are higher protein and give them a lot of energy etc more than other grains do, that's why we feed them it in the first place!


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## XxFaexX

seriously ive got visions of the mice going doolally now :?


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## daisy

(i dont think theres actually caffine in the feed! just how my horse acts!!) but i'm really interested in this as i could potentially save some money as i have to buy horse feed anyway,

i have a welsh sec B whose getting on in her years (first pony so now a stable mate) and she has an allen and page feed called 'old faithfull' which is designed to be easy to eat and no pellets and to maintain her weight as she gets skinny in winter, it sounds like it could be ideal as its a 'cool' type feed so doesnt have anything in it to energize her, bless her.

its about £10 a sack, which is about the same price as a sack of rabbit food,

cait - do you think something like this could work, and what would u suggest adding to it, just something for protein, or still the bird seed mix too?

could there be any adverse effects?

(ps- fae, how nice does pasture mix smell!  )


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## XxFaexX

doms just had a nibble...in his words "to see if they are eatable" lol think hes the nut job in this house :?


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## daisy

ah, so hot is a good thing for the mice then, well they are more hardcore than my horses then 

in that case would the hotter be the better?

check out allen and pages website, they do about a zillion different types, we've used about 4 or 5 of theres over time

http://www.allenandpage.com/products.htm

how about this for pregnant mummies?! :lol:

"Stud & Youngstock Mix
Keeping The Family Fit

* Formulated to meet the higher nutritional demands of broodmares during pregnancy and lactation.
* Can also be used to feed working stallions and growing foals and youngstock.

Stud & Youngstock Mix, which has elevated levels of micronutrients is usually fed in the last three months of gestation and during lactation. It is also suitable for working stallions, foals, yearlings and two-year olds, including natives and warmbloods. Protexin is included which may help maintain healthy digestive and immune function, particularly at times of stress such as when travelling, foaling or during weaning."

(pasture mix doesnt taste too bad) :lol:


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## Cait

What are the ingredients Daisy? All it says on the Allen & Page website is that it contains linseed and soya, both of which are fine for mice, but we need to know what else is in there!


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## XxFaexX

mark your thread is well and truly hi-jacked sorry!!!


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## daisy

yeah, silly website, cant find the ingredients online so i'll have to try to remember to look at the sack tomorrow at the crack of dawn before work whilst wrestling with hungry monkeys (horses) :roll:

sorry mark!


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## cat

hey guys if ya thinking of mixing ya own.. recently got told about this myself.. http://www.ratrations.com.. some have probably already come across it.,. but prices seem fair for basemixes, complete mixes mealies etc.. so have a butchers.


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## Cait

As those mixes are for rats, I can supply a mouse version of a complete mix for £1.50/kg, collectable from shows or Wigston LE18. Obviously it is the same mix that I use to feed my show mice and contains bruised oats, flaked barley, mixed seed, complete dog food and broken dog biscuits. Suitable for growing babies and pregnant/nursing does as well - of course you can add your own extras as desired.


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## cat

cant collect a mouse mix from shows or wigston so think ill have to stick to using the rat mixes as a base and add other things... but have been reading up another website and loads of people, breeders of show mice etc have recommended using it.But i guess its each to their own.


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## meme mouse

i just go to my local pet shop and ask have u got any mouse food and then they say yes or no if they say yes then there you go and its mostly cheep because i will get about 3bags 4 £5 and it will last about 2 months,xx


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## Rhasputin

I like to make my mouses 'mouse biscuits'. It's a mixture of powdered rice and oats (baby food), wet baby food, and a mixture of rolled oats, dog food, and seeds. Then I just bake them in little clumps, and toss one into each of my mouse cages. 

You can also add egg to these, which is good for preggo mice.


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## flutterbybutterfly

Im going to be making my own mouse mix soon, need to wait for when we do another order as minimum order is a few hundred and the sacks are only about 2-4 pounds (god bless being in retail LOL) but i know the list of what i can get is 5 pages long and has loads of stuff.

Was generally thinking along the lines of:

-wild bird seed
-flaked maize
-micronised peas
-dog kibble
-small pack of alfalfa pellets (my weird beasties eat them in small quantities!)

And then I will split the mix up and add different things for different critters, my hamster mix will be much higher in fats and proteins as they are all breeding and they seem better on it. Same with my females and baby mice. Then i will have another mix with the same base for the Gerbils and Jirds.

Can also get dried mealworms and suet pellets as treats as well.

Not to mention they are all getting a nice slop of rice and ats soaked in lactol this evening, little porkers!!


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## Cait

Don't know about your lot but my mice and hamsters are not big fans of maize and pea flakes. They will eat a few, but many get left. Oats and barley would be a better staple, and add a few of the pea flakes if you want to.


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## flutterbybutterfly

Mine seem to go mad for the flakes,most seem keen to eat alfalfa and i know which critters dont like it LOL.

Hacked off as i could have seeds for nearly nowt but minimum order is £200 LOL wont need it for a few months, doh! Now going through a kg of food every 2-3 days minimum just of basic mix for 12 cages LOL, jird cages, hams, gerbils and mice, mice eat the most though!!


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## cat

i have started removing the green orange and brown biscuits from the feeds which generally end up on the floor anyway. the mice seem more inclined to sit in their bowls and eat now.. .. they get fresh veg every few days and scrambled egg and chicken a couple of times a week which gets polished off big time... have also started adding rolled oats quinoa, and cut up dates.So once all this mix n match is used up ill be ordering the growth and reproduction mix from ratrations with mixed insects and see how they go with that...


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## Autumn2005

Everyone has the ingredients, but what about the rations? I mean, how many parts of one type of food to mix with parts of other food?


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