Raw Feeders.. Quick question..?

Question

Does anyone know if there have been any studies about using whole carcass rats rather then say rabbit as a meat source?
I was just curious as I was browsing around looking for snake food and wondered if anyone used rat carcass for raw feeding either cats or dogs.. Please include any links you have as I can't find anything on the subject..
Thanks
To anyone who's anti-raw feeding..
I've already researched raw feeding and after comparing it to the crud that goes into commercial diets I think the small risk of my pet getting something like E. coli to be much less terrible then the kidney disease and urinary tract illnesses caused by commercial foods.. I personally eat plenty of raw meats without having ever caught any kind of illness from it.. I'd rather have my pet perhaps on rare occasion get a bit of diarrhea rather then die from mold toxins or melamine..

I do have a source for mice and rats that are parasite free and lab quality that are used to feed expensive reptiles, so, I would assume they are disease free. There's not too much carried by animals in general that cross species. Most of the dangerous ones are species specific.. Yeah, I wish I could find something on it..

Answer 1

I have never fed rat carcass but it is listed in Tom Lonsdales book called 'Work Wonders' as a fine source of food for dogs and cats.
I'd just be careful where you got them to make sure they have not recieved any kinds of drugs.

Answer 2

The only thing I recall is that wolf story where the guy watched wolves for a while and they existed on a diet primarily made up of mice -- I don't know that they were in great condition though -- but they did survive and he event took to eating the mice, although cooked :) I wouldn't have any issue about the various bacteria as most are dealt with adequately with a health digestive tract anyway but the only concern I would have about feeding primarily rodents that you had no real way of knowing where they were obtained or how they were maintained is that there are several known viruses that can be problematic contracted from mice/rats. Have you done any searches on the subject that might give you more informtion? I just sort of stick with what I know and can easily obtain from a known source but it would be interesting to find out the pros and cons of utilizing this source -- don't know that the protein/bone ratio would be able to sustain a dog in the condition we often want our domestic dogs to be...

Answer 3

I suppose a well fed, 'farmed', rat or mouse could be a good addition to a dog or cats diet. It wouldnt become a very popular addition in the mainstream though, as people would have to get over their preconceptions of rodents as dirty, diseased, disgusting things. If you use properly stored, fresh meat, the chance of a pet getting any sort of a bacterial infection from raw meat is virtually none. The only problem i have ever had in the last 6 years of feeding my pooches a raw diet was the first week of change over from commercial to fresh foods, oh the mega poops that came with that, but it settled quickly.

Answer 4

It depends on the size/breed of dog. I know a couple of people with small dogs (One owns two Chihuahuas and the other breeds Rat Terriers) who feed their dogs mice and rats on occasion. The thing with rats and mice is that they don't always supply the proper amount of nutrition and need to be supplemented with other animals. I don't know of any studies about it but it would seem that a meat source is a meat source as long as they are disease and parasite free.

Answer 5

I do know people who buy this sort of feeder rats for their cats. Makes perfect sense since rat, mouse, and bird are the most logical natural prey for domestic cats.

I do not know anyone who buys it for their dog, at least as part of a regular diet.

I definitely do not know of any studies that include rat carcasses as there are far too few studies of natural diets in the first place.

I do not see any reason why you couldn't feed carcass rats as supplemental diet, though I wouldn't think they are the best thing for a regular diet. I have absolutely no basis for that judgment. It could actually make sense that certain types of terriers or other farm dogs have historically had rat be a major part of their diet.

Answer 6

I doubt there are any links to websites indicating how to use rats and/or mice to raw feed dogs.

The main risk I can see is that they'd recognize these as related to the field mice and rats out in nature, who could be contaminated with bad germs.

Personally I find feeding of rats or mice to a dog disgusting. They are snake food.

Answer 7

there should be no problem feeding rats, though i wouldn't feed them all the time. There isn't enough meat on them for one. It might be a case where you but several frozen rats to feed maybe once or twice a week, or if you run out of your other meats.

Answer 8

You can feed them to your dog or cat, its a complete meal that includes muscle meat, bones and organs all in one.

You'll probably find that most raw feeders won't feed them to larger pets and it isn't because they aren't a good food source its because buying feeder rats and mice wouldn't be very cost effective.

A couple places you might want to look at are http://www.hare-today.com and http://www.miceonice.com

Answer 9

well its a rare case that pets develop any of those problems from bagged foods. And if you eat raw meats, you are taking your life into your own hands..good luck with that. To be totally safe, the best thing is to make your own dog food. using cooked meat and veggies. and really, i dont know where you can buy rats to feed dogs. you'd probably have to buy them from a place that sells them for snakes, kill them yourself, skin them and make sure they arent carrying any sort of disease. snake and dog phisiology is different

Answer 10

I'm not sure what you mean by rat carcass, but I wouldn't do that. Some wild varmints, etc. have worms and diseases. I wouldn't want to pass that along to my dog. Even if their shots, etc. are up to date.