Not only are HT/NE customers supporting animal research, it just plain isn't a good food. Oxbow is a better option, but better yet are the handful of dog foods that are suitable for rats (yes, they exist).

 

I would love to learn what types of dog food are good rat diets too.
Eventually I want my girls off HT. Right now at 40lbs for 24 bucks (I split with a friend), it's a ridiculously good deal. I would like a better food for not too much more money. Eventually I would like to make my own mix. Right now the time is just not there.
Right now I get 20lbs of HT for $12 and then there's Oxbow where at first glance 20 lbs is going to cost you $40. I know I can't make 20lbs of rat food for cheap. :/

It would be good to have a deals thread where we can post good deals on various things?

 

Solid Gold Holistique Blendz is the best out there at the moment. The protein is a little high, but that is easily brought down with the addition of fresh vegetables, and even some good grains, as the nutritional content is not catered to rats and therefore can be "watered down", unlike folks do with rat blocks incorrectly. Solid Gold has a specific non-GMO stance, again placing it ahead of the curve as far as health goes.

The second is the vegetarian Natural Balance formula. While the company doesn't have a holistic or non-GMO stance, the ingredients are still very well suited to rats.

Both of these foods are absolute crap for dogs, but the same reasons that make it bad for dogs makes it excellent for ratties.

http://www.solidgoldpet.com/productDetail.aspx?p=7
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/product.aspx?ProductId=18&product=Vegetarian+Dry+Dog+Formula

 

As someone who has worked with lab animals, will be going to vet school to major in lab animal medicine, and has rats let me clear the air a bit. Lab animal research is not what is depicted on TV or the pictures that PETA shows you. There are very strict laws and guidelines surrounding the use of animals for research. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee or IACUC MUST approve all experiments, methods, and facilities before testing can begin. If IACUC does not approve an experiment it must be altered until it is deemed acceptable if it is going to be done at all.

The do not approve: unnecessarily painful procedures, experiments that don't show reason to be repeated, or facilities that do not provide adequate veterinary care. Did you know that animals are only allowed to undergo ONE surgery or procedure that requires an extended recovery time. Did you know they stop the experiment if the animal is showing pain or administer medications? Did you know that if the testing facility is not checking for the potential lethality of a drug they will halt the experiment if the animals are showing signs of distress due to the medication? Do you think animals like cats and dogs come from shelters? No, the don't. All lab animals are specifically bred to be used in a laboratory facility, they are not taking pets from shelters. The facility where I worked even adopted out animals after they were done with experiments instead of euthanizing them.

People who test on animals aren't monsters. Is it unpleasant? Yes. Is it a fact of life? Yes. Those animals save the lives of countless humans and animals.

 

The fact of the matter is that regulations are wonderful and are made with good intentions, and definitely help keep a lot of companies in line. To anyone that believes that this makes animal testing a place where rainbows and unicorns live, I have a bridge to which I can sell them.

Anyone that doesn't agree with animal testing on any level is perfectly reasonable and justified.

It also doesn't change the fact that it's a rubbish food that was designed specifically for animal testing and doesn't really have a place in the pet world.

 

It also doesn't change the fact that it's a rubbish food that was designed specifically for animal testing and doesn't really have a place in the pet world.

I've been using this food for about 3 years now, my boy will be 3 in August and my girl is 2. The boy was a rescued feeder albino rat and never had any health problems surprisingly. The girl was from Petco (black & white hooded rat) and had a huge tumor removed last summer. Not sure if the food caused it or what.

But anyhow, i'm debating on whether to get the 40 pound bag again or switch to something else. The bag lasted me a very long time. I love buying in bulk cause it saves money in the long run. I tried Regal Rat before but my rats really didn't seem to like it. These were the only blocks they actually ate -_-

 

Psychologic testing is what their rats are used for more nowadays (Sprague). Psychological testing of animals is NOT necessary, IS cruel. http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pain_distress/tips/campus_policy_suffering_examples.html Since I wanted a reputable site. http://www.neavs.org/research/cbt

I feel awful. I'm still trying to find a budget-friendly way of supporting my rats. Oxbow was so stupid to discontinue their bulk. I need at LEAST 11 pounds of food a month; I prefer to buy bulk because I will soon be out of a job.

I can only hope they split NE to commercial and do HT as research; they could then spend NE funds elsewhere. But unless someone advocates...well...

 

@Squeekers:

Not ALL "facilities" follow the rules, and we all know that. There's countless of technology to replace animal testing that is much more accurate. Most companies are converting to technology over animals anyhow. One day animals won't be needed for research as the years go on. We don't have the anatomy of an animal body, so it's pretty much pointless. There's lots of people who participate in studies and get a little money out of it. I think that's more appropriate as they're giving their own consent. Animals don't have a say in it, and it's sad how they get taken advantage of.

I didn't say people who tested on animals are monsters either. The testing is just not necessary and is more money taking care of them, feeding them, ect.

I've never heard of any "facility" adopting out their animals. If you don't mind me asking, what facility did you work at ?
I've heard of people going in and rescuing animals, but never heard of a facility advertising them for adoption on their own. Maybe the "facility" you worked at did follow the guidelines and such, props to them. But not all of these places follow the rules.

 

@nanashi7:

I agree, also cosmetic testing is cruel and unnecessary.

Also, I'm on PetFoodDirect now and there's a 20 pound bag on sale for $41.29 it's the last bag here's the link
http://www.petfooddirect.com/Product/7203/Oxbow-Essentials---Adult-Rat-(Regal-Rat)

Are they discontinuing the 20 pound bag ?

We can both advocate together I'm sure there's other people that would join us as well.

 

No, but they used to sell a 50lb bag for like $60.

Caged runs her own site that sells good food that isn't block but is just as well. Just looking her up, she's rave reviews and a big background in nutrition. One of her diets is $5/pound, which isn't as bulk as you are getting but it's healthier than NE (especially if you are using 18% undilluted, that protein is too high) and with two rats for three months that'd be $30.

 

@ Kindhearted

I worked at a private contract lab that also has affiliations with a University. Because I signed a waiver I am unable to describe the exact nature of the experiments or its clients. They are a facility that can hired by companies to test the effectiveness of different drugs and medical equipment in altering the progression/curing/preventing heart disease. There was one day in the lab where we ended a terminal experiment (the animal would never wake up from anesthesia) with applause and tears because we had a successful conclusion to a 3 year long experiment which will one day change the lives of children with heart disease and congenital heart defects.

There are models, there are computer programs, but there is nothing that can simulate a human body's reaction the way an animals can. Would you suggest we had used an untested experimental procedure in a "willing" child participant instead of ensuring it worked by first trying it in sheep? Animal testing is an unpleasant fact of life that will never be discontinued in health care. I feel strongly enough about it that I want to become a trained veterinarian in lab animal care. One of the surgeons at the facility, and my mentor said, "When there is a day that I become insensitive to the needs of lab animals and terminal experiments stop bothering me, I need to find a new job."

The truth of the matter is, the people who work at these places with these animals have the needs of the animals foremost in their minds. I'm not going to attend 8 years of schooling + residency and intern/externships just to be cruel to my patients. I support animal testing because I've seen first hand the amazing things it can do. I've seen fake organs keeping a sheep alive, I've seen a new heart drug take a listless dog in heart failure and make it rambunctious. I am going to dedicate my life to research, and I won't feel bad doing it.