Rodent vs primate vs ferret food

[lauri648]

The amount of info on what squirrels should and shouldnt eat is very overwhelming! I've designed a healthy diet as far as veggies/natural foods/treats go but I'm still not sure what to use as the primary food. I've been using Kaytee rodent blocks and he's fine with it but being a new mom(and the fact that we already had a little seizure scare due to my lack of education about squirrels:shakehead ), I'm being pretty anal about his diet and I just dont think that Kaytee's is that great. At the same time, I'm a poor college student and cant afford Henry's all the time plus I'd have to order it and I'm not the best at remembering to order stuff like that before I run out. lol - hey, just being honest!

I guess im trying to get an idea of what is most recommended and what my fellow squirrel lovers prefer.
I heard that primate food is good. I found Zepreem primate food for a great price. Does anyone feed it as the primary food? I'd have to order this too but at least I can get it in bulk and its cheaper.
Has anyone used Brown's Mouse & Rat blocks? Link here (http://www.carealotpets.com/products/fm-browns-nutrition-plus-premium-lab-blocks-mouse-and-rat-diet__50254.aspx). I cant find any nutritional information about it though.
The reason I even mention ferret food is because I was in the store (not a pet store) yesterday and compared the brand of rodent blocks they had with other small animal food and the ferret food seemed a much better choice. Just wondering what everyone thinks about this option. Of course the brands I was comparing werent top of the line by any means.
I havent ruled out Kaytee's either...or other brands. Its just always good to know your options in case he wont eat one type or something is out of stock.

[Milo's Mom]

The thing with the Henry's blocks is that you only need to feed 2 blocks per day. They are concentrated. With the Kaytee/Mazuri/Primate/whatever you have to feed (and they must eat) large handfuls to get the same amount of nutrition. So for example, you may be able to buy a bag of Kaytee for 12.99 and the HHB's are 19.99, but to equal the same nutritional amount you'll have to feed 2 entire bags of the Kaytee, which will cost you 25.00 a month versus the HHB's which are 19.99 for a 1 month supply.

PLEASE NOTE I SAID FOR EXAMPLE. I have no idea how the nutritional qualities of Kaytee/Mazuri/Primate/whatever compare to HHB's bag per bag. It was simply an example.

I've fed Kaytee, Mazuri, HarlanTeklan, Zupreme Primate Chow and HHB's. The ONLY one I've found that all squirrels will eat at all times is the HHB's. So, I stopped wasting my money on the rest. The big commercial blocks are mixed in massive quantities and when it comes down to it, there is really no guarantee that each block contains the amounts as listed on the back of the bag, it is simply impossible when mixing such massive amounts.

The "primary" diet should be the Healthy Veggies and those healthy veggies should be supplemented with 2 HHB's.

If your squirrel is already eating the Kaytee blocks, perhaps giving 1 HHB per day and a large handful of Kaytee along with the healthy veggies would be an option that you may find more cost effective. This would make each bag last longer, thus saving you money.

[Fireweed]

I use Kaytee (although, I agree it's not very good), Harlan Teklad, and Oxbow Rat to make the HHBs stretch out as long as possible. :D
You can also make your own HHBs if that is more cost-effective for you. Most buy the vitamin mix from Henry's (way-ay-ay easier that way) and then buy the other ingredients locally.
I'll PM you the HHB recipe if you'd like. :thumbsup

[KathyBee]

I use Kaytee (although, I agree it's not very good), Harlan Teklad, and Oxbow Rat to make the HHBs stretch out as long as possible. :D
You can also make your own HHBs if that is more cost-effective for you. Most buy the vitamin mix from Henry's (way-ay-ay easier that way) and then buy the other ingredients locally.
I'll PM you the HHB recipe if you'd like. :thumbsup


Could you please PM the recipe to me? I'm currently feeding over 300 wild squirrels and would love to treat them to this every so often!

Thank you!

[kastillo]

I use Kaytee (although, I agree it's not very good), Harlan Teklad, and Oxbow Rat to make the HHBs stretch out as long as possible. :D
You can also make your own HHBs if that is more cost-effective for you. Most buy the vitamin mix from Henry's (way-ay-ay easier that way) and then buy the other ingredients locally.
I'll PM you the HHB recipe if you'd like. :thumbsup

Ooo, oo! Me too!!!! I've always wanted to know how to make the blocks. I'm currently spending about 100 dollars a month on HHB's.
sorry for threadjack

I space my squirrels out with the mazuri rodent block and HHb's and veggies.

[kastillo]

I use Kaytee (although, I agree it's not very good), Harlan Teklad, and Oxbow Rat to make the HHBs stretch out as long as possible. :D
You can also make your own HHBs if that is more cost-effective for you. Most buy the vitamin mix from Henry's (way-ay-ay easier that way) and then buy the other ingredients locally.
I'll PM you the HHB recipe if you'd like. :thumbsup

Ooo, oo! Me too!!!! I've always wanted to know how to make the blocks. I'm currently spending about 100 dollars a month on HHB's.
sorry for threadjack

I space my squirrels out with the mazuri rodent block and HHb's and veggies.

[sleeping koala]

I'm currently feeding over 300 wild squirrels
What are their names ? ;)

Sleepy K

[island rehabber]

:D omg, KathyBee!!!

I start babies off on Zupreem monkey biscuits. They have the strongest corn flavor, I think, and it attracts the little ones to gnawing on something solid and delicious. Once they are about 7-8 wks old and I'm not worried about them choking so much anymore, I start them on 1 HHB per day, and introduce the Mazuri Rat Blocks at that time. (They are quite affordable directly from mazuri.com -- free shipping!) So my rehab squirrels end up with about 60% of their diet being mazuri blocks, 1-2 HHB's per day as they grow, and lots of salad (kale, escarole, spring mix) broccoli, cauliflower and a few sugar snap pea pods as a treat. After 9-10 wks old they get a couple of almonds or hazlenuts as a nitey-nite treat, as well. Never during the day because they kill each other :shakehead

I've ended up with this block/veggie way of feeding my squirrels because:

* they really can't fill up on veggies only, once they're weaned. You'll get lean, lanky teenagers with no bulk on their bones
* I was going insane driving all over town every day trying to find "certain" veggies that they preferred or new veggies because they were bored. Enough already! :D
* All the truly excellent long-time high-volume rehabbers I know feed BLOCKS as 60-70% of their squirrels' diet. If that's what you start them on, and if they never taste a nut until they are at least 9-10 wks old, you will not have a problem.

NOTE: ferret food is not recommended for squirrels for the same reason cat & dog food is not recommended: they are carnivores. The nutritional balance is way off.

[Earth Mama]

I use Kaytee (although, I agree it's not very good), Harlan Teklad, and Oxbow Rat to make the HHBs stretch out as long as possible. :D
You can also make your own HHBs if that is more cost-effective for you. Most buy the vitamin mix from Henry's (way-ay-ay easier that way) and then buy the other ingredients locally.
I'll PM you the HHB recipe if you'd like. :thumbsup

OOh! can you send it to me, too? :jump