rat food/alfalfa meal

Question
Hello. Next week I will be taking home two dumbo rats that we are getting at my store. I have owned rats since I was a little girl, but I never put much thought into their diets until I started working with animals, and learned that many seed diets (for birds, hamsters, rats, ect) are not an efficient food source. I have heard that the best diet is lab blocks, with fruits and veggies, ect. Still, in knowing this I am a bit confused. The only two brands of lab block my store sells are Kaytee mouse and rat diet, and mazuri. The kaytee lists corn meal as their first ingredient, so i sided with the mazuri, which lists soybean mael as its first. Only after further looking over the ingredients, I noticed that there was alfalfa meal in them. Isn't this indigestible to rats? Do you know anything about this food and its grade? I cant seem to find anything else better, anywhere.

Thank you.

Answer
Mazuri has alfalfa?  I didnt know that!  It is too high in protein though.  You want to keep the protein at 15% if possible but no more than 18% for older rats and hairless.

You can find out more about rat food on my site here:

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/ratsandahealthydiet.htm

I love regal rat by oxbow but its hard to find. Have you thought of making your own food?  Check it out on my site too.

Hope this helps!



REVISED:



I am so sorry I missed part of your question. I am so sleepy tonight and I am on meds that dont help me stay awake thats for sure!!

Anyhow, your right, alfalfa is something rats cannot digest so they should not be fed it at all. Also when looking at the ingredients, corn should at least be the second or third ingredient rather than the first listed.
Harland teklad I believe does not contain any corn at all.
I do believe that info is on my website though.  Anyhow, let me know, please,that you read this revised message. Thanks!