Best Food to Feed Your Small Pet

This article will cover the best brands of food to feed your rats, guinea pigs and hamsters! We will also discuss the foods to stay away from!

Rats

Let's discuss rats first. The most important things to look for when choosing a rats food is nutritional facts and ingredients. You want to look for a food with protein higher than 12% and lower than 24%. A food with protein on the higher end will be better for young growing rats or older rats who may be losing body condition. The lower end will be better for adults. Fat in the food should range between 4% and 8%.

When you're choosing your pets food pay attention to the ingredients. Avoid foods with seeds, dried corn, added dyes and high hay or grass contents. Its best to avoid processed mixes for your rats because rats will typically only eat certain parts and not get the proper nutrition. This is also why we do not recommend making homemade mixes as your rats main diet (these are fine as a treat). Avoid dried corn. Dried corn is prone to molding very quickly which can greatly affect your rats health. Added dyes are not good for anyones health, but especially very small creatures. While small amounts of hay or grass are safe for your rats, food with high content of these should be avoided as they can create blockages in large amounts.

The top foods we always recommend for our rat friends are Mazuri Rat & Mouse Food, Mazuri Rodent Diet 6F, and Oxbow Regal Rat Food. 

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Guinea Pigs

With guinea pigs there are three important things to remember. The first ingredient should be timothy hay/grass. If it is not pass it by. Guinea pigs should NEVER be fed a mix type food. These foods may contain dried fruits and vegetables, seeds and dyes which are all unsafe and should be left out. If you're looking at a food that contains anything but pellets, put it back on the shelf. Although the ingredients in rabbit food and guinea pig food are very similar, guinea pigs should never be fed rabbit food. Guinea pig food contains higher levels of vitamin C, which guinea pigs need to stay healthy. Rabbit food does not. Without plenty of vitamin C in their diets, guinea pigs can become sick very quickly.

The top brands of guinea pig food I recommend for pet owners are Mazuri Guinea Pig Diet and Oxbow Cavy Cuisine.

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Campbell's Dwarf Hamsters

While I am no expert in dwarf hamsters just yet, it is easy to know that not all foods are equal. There are two things that are important to include in your hamsters diet. They need a block food and also a mixed food. It's important to find a mix that doesn't contain a lot of fillers and dyes. Make sure to read through the ingredients. 

The most recommended two foods to feed your hamsters is a combination of the Mazuri Rat and Mouse Diet (blocks) and the Higgins Sunburst Hamster and Gerbil Food.

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If you have anymore questions about your pets food, please feel free to contact us at anytime!