[ray]

I got three hairless boys (less than a year old, full grown, but not fixed) on Wednesday. With them I got their cage and a 50lb bag of Mazuri. So here come my questions:

Is the Mazuri a good food for them (pretty sure it's the 6F breeder version with lower protein) and is it better than Oxbow? I feed my girls the young rat version but they need to be switched to adult rat food after this bag. Would switching them to the Oxbow adult rat food or Mazuri be better?

The cage the boys came with is not really all the nice. I don't think the wires are powder coated. Also I'm unsure about the size. It's 31'' high by 30.5'' long and 14'' wide (or deep). Some rat cage calculators have said that's ok and some say it's not wide enough for any rats. What do y'all think? Cages are expensive so I don't want to invest in a new one immediately if it's not urgent, but I really want to take good care of them especially since their previous owner did not.

Also, if I were to get the boys neutered would they ever be able to live with my three girls (about six months old and not fixed)? Obviously introductions would be slow and probably one at a time, but it'd be nice to have them all together especially to have the hairless with the furred rats for cuddling. But the boys are brothers who have always lived together and the girls are sisters who have always lived together. Would they be opposed to new rats in their mischief? Would it be likely for them to fight?

I'm going to take them to the vet soon hopefully and see about getting them neutered. If that's an option and there's a chance of them all living together peacefully I'd like to wait and buy them a critter nation add on so they can all live together rather than buying another single cage for the boys.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!!!

 

[mimsy]

The mazuri would be fine for your girls. I always recommend supplementing with fresh foods. I wrote a list here: http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?291409-What-do-I-add-to-their-diet of appropriate foods.

If your boys are neutered you can introduce them to your girls. Just give it a few weeks so they will be completely sterile first.

Length and height is really nice on the cage, the depth is pretty shallow, but I think it would be fine for 3 boys, especially if they get regular time out. If it's just galvanized you can spray paint it with rustoleum and that will help keep it from rusting. You will need something temporary for the boys while it drys/sets though. The plus side of the cage, if you do fix it up and if you eventually get all your rats into a bigger cage you can keep it for travel. As shallow as it is you can probably stick it easily in a car.

 

[ray]

Thank you for the reply!

I do supplement their diet with fresh foods I just meant would the maxuri be a better lab block for the staple of their diet then the oxbow lol

I understand I would have to wait before they're sterile to introduce them (no babies please!) But I'm just wondering if, since they're already bonded to their siblings they'd be more likely to fight.

 

[mimsy]

There is always a possibility of some squabbling when doing introductions. Though a lot of people seem to have an easier time when it's boys with girls.

As far as which foods are better, oxbow definately has a lot more folks who trust it. I wouldn't waste the food you have though. I'd use it up and then switch, or just mix the two till there isn't any more mazuri left. Mazuri may not be the very best food, but it's not one of the complete junk and better to toss out kind either. imo