# Rat and Mouse Food



## FAY (Apr 22, 2009)

Can anyone who buys 20kg bags of rat and mouse cubes be able to tell me what brand? What price? and what quality? Do you have to add supplements??? Do they have meat meal in them and what percent???? Were do you buy them?? NSW prefered.


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## Jonno from ERD (Apr 22, 2009)

G'day Fay,

There's several different brands of rodent cubes on the market and a good deal of them are utter crap (but still significantly better than dog and horse food though!). The two best ones on the market are Cummins from South Australia and Ausorganics from Greenmount in Queensland. If you were to buy it by the ton like we do, it works out quite affordable to have it freghted just about anywhere.


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## MrBredli (Apr 22, 2009)

I get 16kg bags. Brand = Gordon's. Expensive at $34.50 per bag but is absolute gold. I use it for both rats and mice, no supplements at all, and they just keep pumping the babies out. I purchase it from Condell Park Produce, but i believe it is also available from The Reptile Shop at Narellan. Can't help with the meat meal/percentage question as i empty the contents into a plastic bin and throw the bags away, can check next time i purchase though.


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## funcouple (Apr 22, 2009)

PM sent fay


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## vinspa (Apr 22, 2009)

i just made a rat and mouse mix that has no meat meal in it

it has 20.00% protine 3.9% fat 4.00% fibre
we will be making this mix all the time i will be tacking a bag to the show next week end if anyone wants to have a look


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## Vixen (Apr 22, 2009)

Jonno from ERD said:


> G'day Fay,
> 
> There's several different brands of rodent cubes on the market and a good deal of them are utter crap (but still significantly better than dog and horse food though!). The two best ones on the market are Cummins from South Australia and Ausorganics from Greenmount in Queensland. If you were to buy it by the ton like we do, it works out quite affordable to have it freghted just about anywhere.


 
So you recommend Ausorganics, you use it yourself obviously? There is a stockist in Bundaberg which is the nearest to me, I might be interested if its a good product. How much per bag is it?


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## beeman (Apr 22, 2009)

Jonno from ERD said:


> G'day Fay,
> 
> There's several different brands of rodent cubes on the market and a good deal of them are utter crap (but still significantly better than dog and horse food though!). The two best ones on the market are Cummins from South Australia and Ausorganics from Greenmount in Queensland. If you were to buy it by the ton like we do, it works out quite affordable to have it freghted just about anywhere.


 

100% agree with the Cummins cubes, been using them for quite a while now and cant fault the product in any way


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## KaaTom (Apr 22, 2009)

I find Norco to be great, calculated so its got the right amount of protein yet not too much fat.... Unsure of cost though as I buy it by the 1/2 tonne


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## Lewy (Apr 22, 2009)

we use laucke mills rat and mouse cubes and love it Great stuff, We get it from Goodna produce 
http://www.lauckemills.com.au/misc3.html


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## kupper (Apr 22, 2009)

not to highjack the thread but i am using brastock in vic any one point me in the direction of the good stuff here in melb as the barastock is utter crap


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## Lewy (Apr 22, 2009)

kupper said:


> not to highjack the thread but i am using brastock in vic any one point me in the direction of the good stuff here in melb as the barastock is utter crap


 
We used that crap once just to tie us over and will never use it again like you said utter crap 

Here is the Laucke mills Distributors in Victoria http://www.lauckemills.com.au/distributorsvic.html


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## FAY (Apr 22, 2009)

Do any have animal protein in them or only vegetable protein????

We were told that because of the mad cow disease all stockfeed only have vegetable protein.
We feel that they need an animal protein supplement. as they are not vegetarians.
Can anyone verify this?????


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## Vixen (Apr 22, 2009)

GARTHNFAY said:


> Do any have animal protein in them or only vegetable protein????
> 
> We were told that because of the mad cow disease all stockfeed only have vegetable protein.
> We feel that they need an animal protein supplement. as they are not vegetarians.
> Can anyone verify this?????


 
Could always feed them some liver / other meat every now and then.


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## beeman (Apr 22, 2009)

kupper said:


> not to highjack the thread but i am using brastock in vic any one point me in the direction of the good stuff here in melb as the barastock is utter crap


 

Peter Gibbs stock feeds in Glenroy


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## KingSirloin (Apr 22, 2009)

Can someone provide a phone number, web or email address for the Cummins stuff please?

Thanks.


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## sarah_m (Apr 22, 2009)

We used to give our pet rats tuna from time to time, oil in it made their coats shiny.
We assumed it was good for them and they loved it (though tended to make them a bit aggressive)


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## beeman (Apr 22, 2009)

Lewy said:


> we use laucke mills rat and mouse cubes and love it Great stuff, We get it from Goodna produce
> http://www.lauckemills.com.au/misc3.html


 

Tried a load of this feed once, didnt like it as there was far to much waste as its not 
a hard pellet and a lot of it ends up in the litter, Not cost effective for us.


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## Lewy (Apr 22, 2009)

I find giving them any type of meat turns them on each outher and have had them eating there baby's

So I dont feed them any meat 

Lewy


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## beeman (Apr 22, 2009)

GARTHNFAY said:


> Do any have animal protein in them or only vegetable protein????
> 
> We were told that because of the mad cow disease all stockfeed only have vegetable protein.
> We feel that they need an animal protein supplement. as they are not vegetarians.
> Can anyone verify this?????


 

Most of the good rat and mouse feeds contain animal protiens of some sort.
The stockfeed industry isnt allowed to include animal product in the feeds that are used for ruminant production { cows, sheep etc}


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## Lewy (Apr 22, 2009)

beeman said:


> Tried a load of this feed once, didnt like it as there was far to much waste as its not
> a hard pellet and a lot of it ends up in the litter, Not cost effective for us.


 
That's strange cos the stuff I use is a hard big Cube and I never have any waste at all 

May be they have changed since you used it last??


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## beeman (Apr 22, 2009)

Lewy said:


> That's strange cos the stuff I use is a hard big Cube and I never have any waste at all
> 
> May be they have changed since you used it last??


 
We went through a pallet {tonne} of the stuff last october and never again
the waste was to great


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## Franco (Apr 22, 2009)

Hi GARTHNFAY

The use of meat meal in feeds (apart from ruminant feeds) here in Australia is still permitted as there have never (to the best of my knowledge) been any issues with mad cow's disease. Is there any reason in particular that you are trying to steer clear of it? - it's actually a pretty good source of protein and subsequent amino acids.

Cheers
Franco


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## Lewy (Apr 22, 2009)

beeman said:


> We went through a pallet {tonne} of the stuff last october and never again
> the waste was to great


 
Bugger hay oowww well I fined it good but I'm not going through a tonne of it LOL  But will now have a look at what you use and see if I can get it here

Anyway here is some rat info http://ratguide.com/care/nutrition/diet.php


Cheers Lewy


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## FAY (Apr 22, 2009)

Franco said:


> Hi GARTHNFAY
> 
> The use of meat meal in feeds (apart from ruminant feeds) here in Australia is still permitted as there have never (to the best of my knowledge) been any issues with mad cow's disease. Is there any reason in particular that you are trying to steer clear of it? - it's actually a pretty good source of protein and subsequent amino acids.
> 
> ...



Hi Franco,
We are not staying clear of it. This is what Garth was told by the head nutritionlist (sp.) at Ridleys that make Barastock. Maybe just their excuse for not making a complete food.

We have noticed that it has been taken out of rodent food,chicken crumble and chicken pellets.


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## vinspa (Apr 22, 2009)

Franco said:


> Hi GARTHNFAY
> 
> The use of meat meal in feeds (apart from ruminant feeds) here in Australia is still permitted as there have never (to the best of my knowledge) been any issues with mad cow's disease. Is there any reason in particular that you are trying to steer clear of it? - it's actually a pretty good source of protein and subsequent amino acids.
> 
> ...



its only a good source of protien because it is so cheap and there is not many products it can go in to


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## kupper (Apr 22, 2009)

beeman said:


> Peter Gibbs stock feeds in Glenroy


 

sweet my mate works there ill go and have a chat with him


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## Chrisreptile (Apr 22, 2009)

I use the 20kg bags of Barastock for $35.50.
It works ok, but i always supplement them with lots of other things-- Fresh fruit and veg, a wild bird seed mix, a quality dog biscuit and chook pellets for extra calcium.
I also find that there is about 1-1.5kg of powder at the bottom of the bag which is annoying.


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## kupper (Apr 22, 2009)

yeah but i have noticed lately i ma having little time to chop veg up, been doign really well wiht the fresh corn though they love the stuff and spinach


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## macj81 (Apr 22, 2009)

Chrisreptile said:


> I use the 20kg bags of Barastock for $35.50.
> It works ok, but i always supplement them with lots of other things-- Fresh fruit and veg, a wild bird seed mix, a quality dog biscuit and chook pellets for extra calcium.
> I also find that there is about 1-1.5kg of powder at the bottom of the bag which is annoying.


 cockroaches and crickets love it


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## Chrisreptile (Apr 22, 2009)

macj81 said:


> cockroaches and crickets love it



Thats exactly what i do with it


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## kupper (Apr 22, 2009)

my roaches wont touch it


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## macj81 (Apr 22, 2009)

Vella rat and mouse cubes $29.95 20kg and this does have animal protien and a warning to DO NOT FEED TO SHEEP CATTLE GOATS or OTHER RUMINANTS this product is for feeding rats and mice for more detailed info www.thevellagroup.com.au my rats and mice keep having good amounts of off spring but we also give fresh fruit/veg the kids left over vegamite toast , wild bird seed mix and puppy kibble on alternate days


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## MrBredli (Apr 22, 2009)

kupper said:


> my roaches wont touch it


 
Are you sure? I feed my roaches on rodent pellets (and dust) and they love it. The only other thing i add is carrots and they breed like crazy.


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## macj81 (Apr 23, 2009)

macj81 said:


> Vella rat and mouse cubes $29.95 20kg and this does have animal protien and a warning to DO NOT FEED TO SHEEP CATTLE GOATS or OTHER RUMINANTS this product is for feeding rats and mice for more detailed info www.thevellagroup.com.au my rats and mice keep having good amounts of off spring but we also give fresh fruit/veg the kids left over vegamite toast , wild bird seed mix and puppy kibble on alternate days


 $19.95 not the other


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## KaaTom (Apr 23, 2009)

As well as the Norco Rat and Mouse pellets I give fresh fruit and veg and occasionally sunflower seeds and mealworms... they love it...


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## hsana (Apr 23, 2009)

hi i use gordons food as well hardly any dust . i think it has fish ingredients in it


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## FAY (Apr 23, 2009)

Barastock (where we get it from) seems to have a price rise every couple of months.Anyone else notice this?


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## Bluie (Apr 23, 2009)

Cummings Web address http://www.cumminsmill.com.au


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## Franco (Apr 23, 2009)

The prices with Barastock have gone up in the last few months. I'm not a big fan of the compositional changes that they've made to the diet either - as said in a previous post there is far too much wastage and a massive amount of dust at the bottom of every bag!


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## zulu (Apr 23, 2009)

*re Rat*



GARTHNFAY said:


> Can anyone who buys 20kg bags of rat and mouse cubes be able to tell me what brand? What price? and what quality? Do you have to add supplements??? Do they have meat meal in them and what percent???? Were do you buy them?? NSW prefered.



Supplier> Joseph Mercieca Grain and stock foods Erskine Park road, type is Vella stock foods 20 K Rat and Mouse> price is > $ 17.80


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## herpkeeper (Apr 23, 2009)

I don't think there is a commecially available food on the market that offers a complete balanced diet with all the right trace elements. We have used most of them at one time or another. The best thing you can do for your rodents is to suppliment commercial foods with fruit & vegies & wild bird seed, the results speak for them selves. And keeping them clean also plays a big role in productivity. just my opinion
cheers HK.


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## Crazy_Snake08 (Apr 23, 2009)

what about in Brisbane??? Any suppliers or good names of food?


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## marty (Apr 23, 2009)

how about this for an idea.
why don't a group of us in the gong get together and buy a pallet or two, split the freight costs?
might be the answer to getting a good quality feed at a reasonable price.


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## marty (Apr 23, 2009)

just a thought


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## Snake_Whisperer (Apr 23, 2009)

Crazy_Snake08 said:


> what about in Brisbane??? Any suppliers or good names of food?


 
We use Norco Rat pellets, rats have been going great since the switch from our old, expensive, mystery mix. $15 for 10kg.

Crazy_Snake, we get ours at Brookfield Produce and Pet in ... Brookfield. Great people to deal with and they also carry large bales of pine shavings for bedding.


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## KaaTom (Apr 23, 2009)

Crazy_Snake08 said:


> what about in Brisbane??? Any suppliers or good names of food?


 
Norco or Breeders Choice, they are both one of the same.... Breeders Choice sell in 20kg bags for around $33 a bag again I also supplement with fresh Fruit & Veg & sunflower seeds


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## Crazy_Snake08 (Apr 23, 2009)

thanks Kaatom and whisperer


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## herptrader (Apr 23, 2009)

We use the Lauke (SP??) GR2 which apart from a batch with mould issues, which they replaced have found them to be great. There is very little dust as the cubes hold together.

Our local stock and feed guy delivers for free and I think we pay about $16 per 10kg bag.

Lauke are in SA


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## Reptilia (Apr 23, 2009)

Out of the 3-4 ive used cummins is the best by far!


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## coz666 (Apr 23, 2009)

brisbane
i sell breeders choice in store, rat n mouse mix , pellets, guinea pig mix. large quantity by order only.
my rodents prefer the mix ,they seem to live longer on the mix as well. maybe its the variety in the diet. occassionly i will introduce seeds into the mix to give them some vit & min support


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## GrumpyTheSnake (Apr 23, 2009)

I use two things, the Barastock cube and I pay $23.95 for a 20kg bag. I sieve the food, and all the powder goes to the mice. A friend of mine (commercial rodent breeder) told me to do this, and it's perfect because the mice crumble the cubes before they eat anyway. So no more wastage.
The other thing I give my rodents is a mix of two pellets. Barrastock laying pellets ($16.95 20kg), and pig grower pellets ($16.95 20kg). My rodents love their food, grow well, and breed REALLY well.

Fay... if you go to the Ridley's website, they have a list of outlets who sell their products. If any produce near you sells Ridley's products, they can order it in for you. I have a local company here, that always has two bags on the shelf just for me.


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## beeman (Apr 23, 2009)

GrumpyTheSnake said:


> I use two things, the Barastock cube and I pay $23.95 for a 20kg bag. I sieve the food, and all the powder goes to the mice. A friend of mine (commercial rodent breeder) told me to do this, and it's perfect because the mice crumble the cubes before they eat anyway. So no more wastage.
> The other thing I give my rodents is a mix of two pellets. Barrastock laying pellets ($16.95 20kg), and pig grower pellets ($16.95 20kg). My rodents love their food, grow well, and breed REALLY well.
> 
> Fay... if you go to the Ridley's website, they have a list of outlets who sell their products. If any produce near you sells Ridley's products, they can order it in for you. I have a local company here, that always has two bags on the shelf just for me.


 
Glad you are happy with the Riddley {barastock} rat and mouse product
It would have to be the single worst product on the market!


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## blackthorn (Apr 23, 2009)

Are there any produce stores in Brisbane (preferably south side) that sell the cummins brand rat cubes? All I can find is barastoc and I won't be buying it again, the last batch I got was 10x worse than it usually is.


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## KaaTom (Apr 23, 2009)

Reptilia said:


> Out of the 3-4 ive used cummins is the best by far!


 
Unfortunately Cummins is not stocked in QLD


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## KaaTom (Apr 23, 2009)

You can get it but to but 1 tonne I think it was something like $1100 delivered to Brisbane


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## seumas12345 (Apr 23, 2009)

Damn, i duno what's going on in the NT but im payin $10 for only 2kg  anyone know a cheaper place in darwin??????


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## GrumpyTheSnake (Apr 23, 2009)

beeman said:


> Glad you are happy with the Riddley {barastock} rat and mouse product
> It would have to be the single worst product on the market!


 
I live in the middle of the sticks. The only other product I can get here is Norco rat cube, and I'd be better off giving them cardboard! When your options are limited, you go with what you can and make the best of it.


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## Chrisreptile (May 5, 2009)

I have now found a supplier of 'Cummins' near my house.

It is definitely a superior quality product to Barastock.

A 40kg bag set me back $50, which is very cheap compared to everything else i have tried.


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## trippz (Jul 9, 2009)

hey chris where is there a supplier in melb i cant seem to find one.....


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## Reptilia (Jul 9, 2009)

there is only 2 suppliers of cummins in victoria. peter gibbs in glenroy or the pet shop in somerville.


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## herptrader (Jul 9, 2009)

I have been using the Lauke for a a couple of months now. The quality has varied a bit but it is heaps better than the baristoc.

I get mine from Telfords Stock and Feed in Dandenong.


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## peterbuilt (Jun 13, 2010)

laucke mills rat & mouse available in 10kg bags, gordons rat & mouse available in 16kg bags, vella rat & mouse available in 20kg bags at warrawong produce call for a price.


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## kensai (Jun 13, 2010)

Laucke mills from SA is another good cube,


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## wokka (Jun 13, 2010)

FAY said:


> Do any have animal protein in them or only vegetable protein????
> 
> We were told that because of the mad cow disease all stockfeed only have vegetable protein.
> We feel that they need an animal protein supplement. as they are not vegetarians.
> Can anyone verify this?????


 
You cannot use meat meal in feed used for animals meant for human consumption. So if you want to eat rats avoid meatmeal, otherwise meatmeal is OK legally. If you want to use vegetable prorein then biomare horse pellets seem to work fine.


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## symbol (Jun 14, 2010)

I dont have the choice! We live in NW Sydney, really the only pellets I can get are Vellas or another called ysfeeds which is produced in Young. If anyone can tell me where I can get other brands of pellets in NW Sydney (so anywhere from Blacktown,Castle Hill, Kellyville Rouse hill, Parra etccc...) I would be grateful.


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## Choco (Jun 14, 2010)

Use to use 20kg Barastoc but changed to Laucke & Mills 10kg. Worked out cheaper and better product. Not NSW but get it from Oxenford Valley stock feed for about $13 or $15. I do find there is enough crumbs/dust to fill about 700ml-1L container. I just put it in a container that hangs off the wall of the cage, so they don't spill it everywhere, and they can stand up and eat it.

For the record if we can get 10 people in Brisbane/Gold Coast willing to split a tonne Cummings for $1100, it's $110 ea for 100kg. I'd be in that. (Sorry for the hijack)

Cheers,

Choco


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## qazqaz (Jul 6, 2010)

*cummings*

Does any one know any cummings suppliers in sydney???


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## Blake182 (May 20, 2012)

sorry to get a OLD thread up but does any 1 know if i can get any rat/mice food in lismore Nsw yamba NSW gold coast


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## wokka (May 20, 2012)

Ridley's Casino, Norco


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