Mixes can be an enriching diet for rats, however there are many things to keep in mind when feeding a mix. Learn all about how to feed mixes, the concerns about them, and the safe ones to use, below.
How to Feed a Mix:
Do not feed a mix from a bowl, they will eat selectively, choosing their favourites (often the fillers like corn, nuts, or seeds) and then wait for you to fill the bowl again the next day. I advise this for all diets, but mixes should especially be scatter fed. This is when you scatter the food in the bedding, this forces the rats to forage and dig for food as they would naturally in the wild. You should only be feeding about 12-15 grams per rat per day, but this can vary depending on the age/weight of your rat(s), I would say not to exceed 20 grams of feed each in a day. You can divide this in half into two daily feedings but measuring is vital, studies show rats fed an ad-libitum diet can be more prone to tumours, specifically mammary and pituitary tumours (Rat Guide sources support this fact). If feeding a mix, one must also provide supplements, as homemade mixes are often lacking in specific vitamins and such.
US/Canada and UK/EU considerations:
US/Canada:
Those within the US and Canada want to avoid store bought mixes, these do not provide a balanced diet. They are often filled with seeds or peanuts, or even hazardous ingredients. There is rumour that dried corn within pet and livestock feed are dried improperly here, which results in moisture build up becoming mold and fungus. I cannot attach any sources to support such claims, I just thought it should be highlighted.
US/Canadian rat owners may want to consider making their own mix at home, learn how to do so below.
UK/EU:
For those within this part of the world, you should know that most store bought mixes can be a good base to homemade mixes (like Harrison's Banana Brunch) but are not good on their own. Apparently corn is dried properly here, not sure where the difference lies as I do not work in the food industry or I would shine more light upon that topic.
Making a mix at home may be the best option, or ordering from Rat Rations.
Store Mixes:
Some store-bought mixes can make a good base for a homemade mix, however it is not suitable to fed as a main diet. They often contain too many fillers, they are not nutritionally balanced to suit their needs, and they are often marketed towards animals with varying dietary needs. These are best avoided as a sole diet.
Information About Dangerous Mixes on the Market:
*All store bought mixes alone are unbalanced, so I am only highlighting those I know of that sell dangerous or extremely poor quality food.
Rat Rations Mixes:
A great website, amazing mixes, many of which can meet specific health needs and such. This is a great option, many food choices with other animal feeds available as well.
I highly recommend it if you can do it. More information can be found at their website here:
Homemade Mixes:
Do not mix foods at random, you need to balance it out and provide a proper diet. Following a mix based off the shunamite diet will be the best option here. For those within the US/Canada, go to the Shunamite Diet facebook group, they will assist you in making a balanced feed.
Note that if you are making a true mix without pellets, you need to provide supplements like Dr. Squiggles and such. You can order these from Rat Rations (UK) and The Natural Rat (US).
Those within the UK/EU have better access to things I can list here, such as this link to a video about making a simple balanced mix.
Kaytee Mixes:
Kaytee does not make good diets, they are often marketed toward multiple different animals as well. These are best avoided, even as a base to a properly balanced mix. I have seriously seen bags with more corn and seeds than any other ingredients.
Vita Prima Rat and Mouse Mix:
This company is clearly extremely uneducated, they market their mix diet towards mice and rats, yet their bag depicts a dumbo rat as a mouse. They quite literally advertise their lack of knowledge within the animals they formulate diets for. To make matters even worse, they make a pellet (pictured) catering to four very different animals.
Pure (Puur) Mouse and Rat Food:
Aside from being completely unbalanced with all the peanuts and seeds, this contains a dangerous ingredient, dried eucalyptus. Eucalyptus is toxic for rats to eat, it is obvious those making this food do not care about much of anything apart from the money these dangerous products bring in.
Tiny Farm Friends Reggie Rat & Mini Mouse Food
This is not the best alone, but could be used as a base. This is one of the better store mixes actually, made in the UK and available in the US and Canada too. I have gotten this with a secondhand cage, and use it to make a fun 'party mix' to scatter feed once a week.