Is this food good?

[Krothy11]

Hi, everyone!

I'll get my 2 young girls in a week or so, and i've been shopping for items. I live in Portugal, so it's not very easy to come by the recommended products i see on forums and youtube videos.
I tried buying Oxbow but today i found out they don't send rat foot to Portugal because it is rarely bought here. The brand i see the most in pet stores here is Versele-Laga. Specifically 2 products:

- Rat Nature --------------------http://www.versele-laga.com/en-fr/compl ... nature-rat
- Complete Rat and Mouse-----http://www.versele-laga.com/en-fr/compl ... -rat-mouse

As I understand it Complete Rat and Mouse should be an everyday meal (they are Lab Blocks, correct?) and Rat Nature is a mix to feed the rats with sometimes. I would like to know if the Complete Rat and Mouse food is a good all-in-one daily food for the two ratties. And if not, what do I need to supplement that with? Also, keep in mind I'll get them young.

Thank you so much
Can't wait to have them!

Krothy11

[Caza66]

I would rather use the nature rat and forget the nuggets. If you scatter feed the nature rat to encourage them in natural behaviour and also feed them some fresh food. As they are young also give them some protein, like cooked chicken or eggs.

[cyber ratty]

Yes, I agree - avoid any pelleted/nugget/block style food as that won't meet the rats' needs in terms of mental enrichment.

The rat nature is actually quite high in protein though, and looks very processed. I would suggest adding some other ingredients to it - try in whole food shops, bird food suppliers, and actually there are some good versele laga mixes for birds (e.g. pigeons) which would be helpful. Quantities may be a problem, but sometimes independent shops may offer smaller amounts than the manufacturers do.

Maybe:
50% rat nature
25% versele laga pigeon junior
20% mix of grains - barley, paddy rice, buckwheat
5% seed mix (millet, hemp, fennel)

I am no expert on the detailed balancing of a mix, but I'll prod some people who are so they can check my suggestion.

[Krothy11]

Yes, I agree - avoid any pelleted/nugget/block style food as that won't meet the rats' needs in terms of mental enrichment.

I've seen in so many videos and forums that lab blocks are the best balanced food you can give them. Using the blocks + veggies, fruit, and chicken isnt a good option?

[bazu]

Yes, I agree - avoid any pelleted/nugget/block style food as that won't meet the rats' needs in terms of mental enrichment.

I've seen in so many videos and forums that lab blocks are the best balanced food you can give them. Using the blocks + veggies, fruit, and chicken isnt a good option?

In terms of nutrient value, lab blocks are pretty good, but the problem is that (for rats especially) they're just boring, because it's the same thing all the time. Rats need a lot of mental stimulation, and food plays a big part in that - a mixture of foods gives them different flavours, smells, textures etc. It keeps their brains active, and lets them pick out their food according to their mood at the time/their favourite bits. Giving them extra bits alongside blocks helps, but the main part of the meal is still the same thing on repeat.

It'd be the same for humans really - it doesn't matter how healthy the food is, if you had exactly the same meal in exactly the same form every day, you'd probably get tired of it pretty quickly!

[cyber ratty]

Due to the high amounts of fat in the rat nature, apparently it's probably best not to have the seeds, so I'll change my suggestion to:
50% rat nature
25% versele laga pigeon junior
25% mix of grains - barley, paddy rice, buckwheat