Ratties suebees grain mix

All the rats will eat pretty much everything in the mix. They will find "favorites" and pick those out first but my experience is that they eat all of it. I feed a Suebee's type mix (I make my own varieties off of her original formula).

For lab blocks you want Harlan Teklad (now Native Earth brand). Mazuri isn't really all that great for rats.

I also use Suebees and add some extras here and there. My rats always eat sunflower seeds and banana chips first, and then they finish off the bowl. Something weird about the rats I have now is they will NOT eat the total. I have never had a rat that did not, but these guys don't.

Mine will eat the Total eventually, but he doesn't prefer it. I'm feeding Wellness brand senior dog food and suebee's mix. He always eats the rolled oats first, then the puffed wheat. The dog food is always last!

Are Oxbow Regal Rat pellets appropriate instead of Harlan Teklan? Just wondering!

Cavy-I would have to say no. I really don't prefer any rat lab blocks other than harlan or now, native earth.

And as for dog food, I know so many people who feed their rats dog food, but for some reason I just can't do it. I feel weird about it.

AnW819 said:

Cavy-I would have to say no. I really don't prefer any rat lab blocks other than harlan or now, native earth.

And as for dog food, I know so many people who feed their rats dog food, but for some reason I just can't do it. I feel weird about it.

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The Oxbow kibble is actually of a better quality than the Harlan blocks, which contain an appalling amount of corn. Unfortunately a lot of rats don't like the taste of the Oxbow very much. I opted to use a vegetarian dog food as my base instead of the Harlan because I was not comfortable feeding my rats that amount of corn.

Oxbow kibble?? I thought we were talking lab blocks. I am opposted to ANY type of 'kibble' or pellets for rats.

It's a pelleted rat food. Lab blocks are also a pelleted food, they're just block shaped. Why would you be opposed to "any" pelleted food without having any idea what the ingredients are? That's just confusing. The Oxbow food is not a "lab block", but it is an extruded food prepared for rats.

Just for comparison, here are the ingredients of each:


Harlan Teklad 2018:
Ingredients (in descending order of inclusion)- Ground wheat, ground corn, wheat middlings, dehulled soybean meal, corn gluten meal, soybean oil,
calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, brewers dried yeast, iodized salt, Llysine, DL-methionine, choline chloride, kaolin, magnesium oxide, vitamin E
acetate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity),
manganous oxide, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, niacin, calcium pantothenate,
copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, thiamin mononitrate,
vitamin A acetate, calcium iodate, vitamin B12 supplement, chromium
potassium sulfate, folic acid, biotin, vitamin D3 supplement, cobalt carbonate

Oxbow Regal Rat:
Whole Brown Rice, Oat Groats, Wheat Bran, Wheat, Soybean Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Soybean Hulls, Monocalcium Phosphate, Flax Seed Meal, (Linseed), Brewers Yeast, Calcium Carbonate, Wheat Germ Meal, Methionine DL, Salt, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (tocopherol), Vitamin C Supplement (Ascorbic Acid), Colloidal Silica, Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Magnesium Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Manganese Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Mineral Oil, Calcium Iodate, Potassium Chloride, Natural Flavorings

Natural Balance Vegetarian: (the dog food I use)
Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Cracked Pearled Barley, Peas, Potato Protein, Canola Oil, Potatoes, Tomato Pomace, Vegetable Flavoring, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Spinach, Parsley Flakes, Cranberries, L-Lysine, L-Carnitine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Kelp, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin D-2 Supplement, Folic Acid.


Unfortunately the Harlan blocks are primarily corn. :guilty:

Fiesta Max Mouse and RAT - 2 lb.

LM Animal Farms Vita-Vittles Mouse & Rat Diet at PETCO

(the above has pellets in it so I guess thats why I thought what you were talking about)

This is what I thought pelleted rat food was...thats what I call it anyway.

Reading up on this food now, it does sound great!! I am hearing a lot of rat owners saying their rats won't even try it and other rats like it, so I think I will try this with my guys! I like the ingredients in these!! Thanks very much!!!!!

Oh, that makes sense! Yeah, the Oxbow isn't really a "block", it's more of a heart shaped piece, so I feel weird calling it a lab block. When I gave it to my rats, they seemed to like it ok, but I have read a lot that many rats don't seem to like it overall (which is sad). I had heard through the grapevine that they were working on reformulating it, but I haven't heard any updates in a while and I think the reflavoring has kind of fallen to the wayside.

Thanks for all the replies. For some reason, I've been wanting rats (even though my mom couldn't be more against the idea) so I was researching them a bit. If I *were* to get rats, I would probably start off with Oxbow, and if they didn't like it, switch to Harlan.

That is what I heard to that a lot of rats just won't eat the stuff, but its worth a try!! I am gonna have to go find some for my ratties now!