What do you feed your mice?

[Ambieruns10]

I am adopting my mice tonight, but its been years since I had any. I was just curious about what you feed your mice?

Thanks!

[Becka_Baby]

well you feed them mouse food.....lol.....

[Ambieruns10]

Quote: Originally Posted by Becka_Baby well you feed them mouse food.....lol.....

Man, why didn't I think of that!

I was thinking about the specific brand of food. Also, does anyone feed fruit or veggies? I read that small amounts are okay.

[mulder]

i fed mine mouse blocks and seed mix, she lived 3.5 years and was SO COOL

[Mousey]

The ideal protein for mice is around 15% I try to find amounts lower so I can give them more treats. But yeah anyways I give mine a seed mix & veggies everyday fruit 2 times a week sometimes more and stale whole weat/grain bread 3 times a week from what I researched about mice was that fruits and veggies should be no more than 1/3 of their diet. Most show mice however live solely on stale bread they stale it because appearantly some mice are allergic to an enzyme in fresh bread but when we stale it that particular enzyme isn't harmful anymore I personally never had any mice that were allergic to fresh bread but I do have a few that are allergic to peanuts.

[Sasami]

When I get mice I plan to feed the SueBee's diet...only much smaller servings, hehe.

But so far I've only had spiny mice.

[thelionsof]

I buy lab block in bulk because of the quantity of mice I raise. I would recommend Harlan Teklad's 8604 blend. I think if you buy it from them you only have the option of buying a 33 lb bag, but there is a website that sells them in smaller bags.

I recommend getting a good lab block to use as your staple food. Try to avoid blocks that have corn as the main ingredient. Corn used in most rodent food is not food-grade, but instead commercial-grade. Brands like Kaytee Forti-Diet have MUCH too high protein (about 21%, when a mouse should not get more than 13% daily) plus the main ingredient is corn; however, because it is readily available at just about any pet store it's very popular. If you want the most out of your pet, take the extra step and order a good diet online if you can't find one in the stores. Don't settle.

I give a seed mix, which I make myself <with seeds, oatmeal, plain Cheerios and dried unsweetened fruits), three times a week in moderate amounts. I also give them veggies daily, not so much fruit though (mainly apples and grapes). I buy frozen peas and corn nibblets, thaw a little bit out in a cup of drinking water, and place in a paper towel to dry before giving them to the mice at night. I also give them baby carrots or shredded dark greens in small portions.

P.S. they ABSOLUTELY looooove the snow peas! One small bag of frozen peas will last FOREVER if you only have one or two mice. I'd give them 2-3 peas each.

For treats, I use the occasional spray of millet (like you feed birds) or training size Milkbone dog treats.

Mice shouldn't get peanuts and other nuts very often, only as an occasional treat. Try to avoid onions and citrus and chocolate.

Hope that helps!

[Vanilla_Rat]

I feed my mice a seed mix,among lab blocks.I also give them veggies and fruits,bread (never had a problem with allergies to it),cereals (cheerios,shreddies and/or rice crispies),dried fruits (mainly banana and papaya),rice and abit of pasta.

Mice can be picky eaters tho.I noticed they are not like rats,who will eat pretty much anything!I have had some mice who were really picky and would ONLY eat their seeds or ones who would only touch the blocks.Then there are some who won't touch certain fruits...etc,etc!