Well, I don't model after Oxbow
So I guess that is good! I did a lot of research into what they would naturally find, what is known to be in most pellet brands, and what is known about nutrition.
Here is the Mazuri 6f (Beginning list where most people can recongize the ingrediants)
Ground corn, dehulled soybean meal, ground oats, porcine animal fat preserved with BHA, cane molasses, wheat middlings, dehydrated alfalfa meal, ground wheat, ground soybean hulls, calcium carbonate, fish meal, salt, brewers dried yeast, dicalcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, dried beet pulp, wheat germ, corn gluten meal, soybean oil
I would in fact, consider that feed
unhealthy for a mouse. The first ingrediant is corn. I do not feed corn to my mice or my hamsters. I personally also limit how much corn I eat! Corn is a filler..that is all, and is basically not very nutritous because it can't beprocess right. That is why when us humanseat it..we see it in our bowel movements.There is digestion problems. The second ingrediant is soybeans..which again, are in high debate of being unhealthy. That, the soy,is the main protien source. As you see, I provide my protien by the form of insects. My mice/hamster won't touch crickets, but love mealworms. I also feed some occasional egg. The fifth ingrediant is SUGAR! I am sure that is there to make it taste good..but really, my mice love a non sugar diet. Sugar can be problamatic in mice, hence why you shouldn't feed too much fruits (I don't feed any at all)
I coudln't find Harlans break down, but this is from thier site.
"These diets primarily contain grains (corn, wheat), legumes (soybean meal) and to a lesser extent ingredients such as fish meal, and meat and bone meal"
Again, I don't feed soy. And corn.
" There was limited appreciation of the effects of non-nutrients, such as phytoestrogens, on experimental results. Alfalfa meal and soybean meal are the major sources of phytoestrogens in laboratory animal diets. These ingredients, particularly soybean meal, are found in most traditional rodent diets."
Phytoestrogens are bad. In fact, later on the site says "Phytoestrogens have been shown to affect mammalian physiology including cancer growth,osclerosis, calcium-phosphorus metabolism, and behavior."
They do offer four brands that are free of phytoestrogens, but the main block that is offerd has both the alfalfa and soy.
Now, I do feed some legumes..peas, lentils, and beans. But neither contain the amount of phytoestrogensthat soybean has shown to, nor have the risk as soybeans do. Soy so far has not been approved as a sutible meat subsitute for rodents (The debate is still on for dogs/cats). But mice would natually also feed on these, so that is why I provide it. The overall nutrition outwieighs the risk of phytoestrogens of legumes..but I wouldn't say that about soy.
So I would feed niether, because they are both bad. I might be tempted to purchase the phytoestrogen free diet..but I already do that. My mice and hamster get thier protien from a live source, vegtables, grains, and seeds.
My females, again, do not smell. I thin the majority of female owners agree. However, I have heard of boys smelling. However Amy (undergunfire) on here had a male mouse and he didn't smell much at all. He did have an odor, but all it took was spot cleaning and cage cleaning twice a week.
But it is a known fact petstore mice smell bad at first..it is a transition to come home and feel better. I do contribute that (and so do others) on bad diet and living conditions.
I would love to get a male when I don't have females (I don't want to spend $70 on a mouse nueter) so maybe I will see then.
