home made diet for mice

Question
Hi!  I have written before for medical advise and you have been right on the money.  Now, I have a question about mouse food.  In the course of continued research in order to be the best parent for my little ones, I have read many times that the dried corn in ALL store bought mouse food is very bad for mice, as is all the sunflower seeds found in this stuff.  So, I have been removing all corn and sunflower seeds from mix.  Within a few days, my mouse, Kit, who has had chronic eye infections has not had a problem with her eyes at all.  Why do companies make food with ingredients that are harmful to your pets?  Do you know a healthy, well balanced home made diet for mice that can be made from regular, easy to find grocery store items?  I have found many rice, wheat, oat cereal based diets for rats (also have some pasta, groats and dried fruit and dog kibble).  I assume mice would not eat the same thing, but is there some thing that can be made that meets there needs?  Thanks once again for any advise you have to offer.

Answer
Dear Debbie,

Why do companies make food for pets that is harmful to the pets? One part ignorance, one part greed..  In cat and dog foods, for instance, the USDA regulates it instead of the FDA, and the USDA IS 'Big Ag.'  Those pet products only have to be 12% digestible!  My cat was pooping quantities because it was so much-- pardon the pun-- crap.  I don't even know if any body regulates mouse food.  Corn is cheap, cheap, cheap (because it is ridiculously government subsidized) and so it is in everything in this country.  

Corn, sunflower seeds, and peanuts are common allergens for mice, just as peanuts and wheat are for people.  Many mouse food mixes include peanuts, which I do take out.  I don't take out the other two.  My guess (from human experience) is that peanut allergies can be more serious than others.  It is good that you tried the food allergy route with Kit.  What I often suggest with allergic mice is the same as people-- put them on a very basic diet for a couple of days then introduce one possible allergen at a time.  You may not want to subject Kit to experimentation to figure out which of the two is the problem.  

Actually, rats and mice can pretty much eat the same things.  These days at least we don't have to feed them hamster and gerbil food, but it is generally rat and mouse food.

The following is a homemade mix from a site for show mice.  The rat mix on the same site is similar but not identical:

http://www.afrma.org/pp_seedmixmouse.htm

Note there is no corn but there are sunflower seeds. I wouldn't give my mice the dog food, though.  That's a personal opinion. "Animal byproducts" just gross me out!  Still it gives ideas of what you might want to include in a homemade mix.  

Best of luck for Kit.  She has a great mom!

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha