# Analyze my food choices?



## Bella (Aug 15, 2010)

Hey guys,

I am very recently starting to learn more about nutrition in all of my animals, big and small. So it is important to me to know if what I am feeding is a good or bad choice. So please be honest with me and offer suggestions if things should be changed! 

Currently my mice get the following:

*Nutriphase Mouse/Rat Formula*
_Ingredients_: Corn, sunflower, wheat, dehulled soybean meal, oat groats, dehydrated alfalfa meal, milo, shelled peanuts, toasted corn flakes, ground corn, ground wheat, ground oats, dried bananas, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, salt, pumpkin seed, raisins, dried papaya, dehydrated carrots, ground peanuts, dried cane molasses, wheat middlings, corn gluten meal, lignin sulfonate, animal fat (preserved with BHT), corn sugar, brewers dried yeast, dried beet pulp, vitamin a supplement, dl-methionine, l-lysine, choline chloride, riboflavin supplement, ferrous carbonate, vitamin e supplement, vitamin b12 supplement, manganous oxide, zinc oxide, ethoxyquin (a preservative), zinc oxide, niacin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin k activity), cholecalciferol (source of vitamin d3), calcium pantothenate, copper oxide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, calcium iodate, biotin, folic acid, cobalt carbonate, sodium selenite, artificial color, natural flavors.

_Guaranteed Analysis_
* Crude Protein (min) 16.0%
* Crude Fat (min) 7.0%
* Crude Fiber (max) 10.0%
* Moisture (max) 12.0%

*Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro-Health Mouse, Rat & Hamster Food*
_Ingredients_:
Ground Yellow Corn, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Ground Wheat, Ground Oats, Ground Peanuts, Sun-cured Alfalfa Meal, Ground Flax Seed, Dried Cane Molasses, Lignin Sulfonate, Corn Sugar, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Ground Rice, Salt, Soy Oil, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried Beet Pulp, Whole Cell Algae Meal (source of Omega-3 DHA), Fructooligosaccharide, DL-Methionine, Yeast Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Lysine, Vitamin A Supplement, Choline Chloride, Mixed Tocopherols (a preservative), Ferrous Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of vitamin K activity), Copper Sulfate, L-Carnitine, Rosemary Extract, Citric Acid, Cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Biotin, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite, Natural Flavoring. Allergen information: Contains peanuts and/or other tree nuts.

_Guaranteed Analysis_:
* Crude Protein (min.) 21.0%
* Crude Fat (min.) 4.5%
* Crude Fiber (max.) 7.0%
* Moisture (max.) 12.0%
* Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min.) 0.4%
* Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) (min.) 0.04%
* Total Bacillus Species (min.) 100,000 CFU/g

They also, on occassion, get a handful of dog food.

For treats they get cooked chicken, meal worms, bread and crackers, and milk bones. These are definitely not every day items.


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

I don't like either of those foods. They're high in corn, which is not bad in and of itself, but when a food is mostly one thing it can lead to other deficiencies. Ethoxyquin in giant amounts is toxic, which I'm weary of. It's the primary preservative in some animal foods because it's cheap. Dr. Gloria Dodd, DVM, writes about ethoxyquin here: http://www.avianweb.com/ethoxyquin.htm

What kind of dog food do you feed them?


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## Bella (Aug 15, 2010)

What brands do you recommend then? I'll try to get to the store and look up ingredients while I'm there. 

As for the dog food, we just switched over to Diamond Naturals, but before that it was Purina Dog Chow - not great, I know.


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