Can I feed a whole mouse for dinner?

maralum

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Hello all,

I was just wondering, if I'm feeding raw or dry for one feed, can I feed one or two mice for her dinner? Maybe a rat pup once in a while? Would this be healthy enough?

Thanks for reading, any answers appreciated. Mara and Miss Lola.
 
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maralum

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I've also just found a site that offers "pinkie" rabbits, can I feed them whole too?
 

strange_wings

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As long as the source is a clean reputable one. Do you know for certain that you cat will eat thawed mice yet? If you don't, try finding a local petstore with decent frozen.. usually any place that sells snakes will sell frozen mice.
When you go to order from a site you'll have to order a minimum amount per box and pay for packing + fast shipping. That can get pricey, especially if you find out your cat won't eat it.

Hopefully there are some other people around here who can talk to you about balancing this sort of raw diet.
 

sadieandziggy

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Animal Magic sell mice (dead ones). My sister-in-law has a snake and Andy and I used to go up and get mice for it to eat. Doubt they have those rabbits though
 

strange_wings

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^Technically that's not anymore disgusting then going into a grocery store and buying a package of ground beef.
 
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maralum

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Thanks for getting back to me strange and sadie. I'm going to try her with a pup or two first, before I order a big package (cheers for the heads-up on animal magic sadie, I might pop to yours for a cuppa tomorrow if that's ok. You could always try your babies on a couple too if you like, I don't mind adding an order to mine if they like it.).

The thing I liked best about this site was the sheer variety of stock. They had mice at four stages of development/size, rat pups, gerbils, mice, hamsters, quail, rabbits, birds and chicks. Must admit, the chicks may be a step too far even for me and I was raised in a farming community! I just thought that little Miss Lola would like lots of different treats to eat if she's going to be a house cat.

I trust the source too. Most suppliers to reptile owners have to have very high quality stock - reptiles are such a large financial commitment to buy, their owners demand that their food be clean and safe.

Thanks again.
 

sharky

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BE careful... Here the snake rats at the pet stores are not healthy and were killed in a manner not humane
 
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maralum

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The site has this to say about their animals:

"All the animals are farmed specifically for the pet industry and are maintained in accordance with current legislation. The dispatch of animals is also carried out under controlled conditions and utilizes non toxic and fast acting gasses."

I trust the legislation, too. Brit laws about animals are really tough. Did you know that we had the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals before we had the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children? I hate to think what that says about our country.
 

jellybella

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I used to take care of reptiles (a whole exhibit full of snakes, monitor lizards) we got our rats and mice from a mail order dealer. They were always clean and ( I don't know if this is true or not, but they were supposedly gassed, not electrocuted). As long as you don't buy it out of the back of a skanky pet shop, it should be ok. Reptiles are, as someone pointed out, often a large $$ investment and surprisingly fragile, so if someone is selling dirty mice, the word gets out.

I would worry more about a cat not wanting to eat something it didn't kill
 

sunfairie

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

^Technically that's not anymore disgusting then going into a grocery store and buying a package of ground beef.
Ditto....\t

Is it an oxymoron to be a cat lover and a vegetarian?

(referring to myself
)
 

EnzoLeya

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Do you ever feed them live mice??? I never knew people actually bought mice for their kitties to eat. I never thought about that
 

strange_wings

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^Live feeding isn't a good idea, for reptiles or cats. By using frozen (and thawed) rodents that have had around 3 months in a freezer the chance of passing on parasites is much less. That and there's the cruelty of it..

BTW, feeders are gassed. CO2 chambers are used because they're quick, cheap, and don't leave any sort of harmful chemical in the feeder's body.
(not sure if I could use one myself, it would probably bother me..)
Also, like with frozen meats and veggies you buy at the grocery store, the prekilled frozen feeders are typically flash-frozen as normal freezing can make large ice crystals. (not just tossed in some freezer at a pet store...)
Originally Posted by sunfairie

Ditto....\t

Is it an oxymoron to be a cat lover and a vegetarian?

(referring to myself
)
Maybe, maybe not?

I eat meat but am incredibly fanatical about not touching raw meat. It's gross.
 
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maralum

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I don't know about the U.S, but here in Britain it's illegal to intentionally feed live food to your pet.

ETA, I should have specified - that's animals though, insects don't count.
 

amberthe bobcat

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Feeding whole prey such as mice, rats or rabbits, is an excellent source of food for your cat. It is a complete source of nutrition in one package. Feeding whole prey or raw meat also eliminates the problems with tartar buildup on the teeth, as feeding many dry foods can cause. However, as others have said, the food should come from a healthy source. Freezing the mice, rats etc, also kills the majority if not all, parasites that may be in the food as well. As for feeding live prey, this should be avoided. Not that it is unhealthy, but our domestic cats do not know how to hunt or kill prey quickly. Killing of live prey is a learned behavior, that a kitten would learn by watching their mothers hunt. Yes, cats have the instinct to chase down prey, but killing it is not an instinctive behavior. Again, they learn by watching their mother hunt and kill. If your cat does catch live prey, many times, the prey dies from fright. So, feeding live prey is cruel for the prey animal, because unlike a cat that knows how to hunt and kill, the animal would not be killed immediately. A wild cat would kill the prey as soon as it is caught, with very little suffering to the prey animal. Also, feeding live prey can be dangerous to a cat that does not know how to properly hunt, if the prey is large enough. My exotics are fed an all raw meat diet, but they never get live prey, not even our cougar. Pre killed whole prey, is an excellent food source however
 

annericebowl

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Just a quick tip if you are going to use frozen mice or rats:

Put the mouse or rat in a plastic sealable bag, then into a bucket of water to thaw. Less mess, and no soggy rodent.
 

annericebowl

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Originally Posted by Ethereal

Aww man, people auctually feed their cats mice? Poor mice
Poor mice???? How is it "poor mice" if they are already dead? Feral cats hunt mice. It's called a "food chain".
 

ethereal

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Originally Posted by AnneRiceBowl

Poor mice???? How is it "poor mice" if they are already dead? Feral cats hunt mice. It's called a "food chain".
"Poor mice" because they are dead, and I like mice :p I didnt know people auctually fed their cats mice. It seems kind of weird because it seems like something a cat should hunt and not just be given.
 

annericebowl

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Originally Posted by Ethereal

"Poor mice" because they are dead, and I like mice :p I didnt know people auctually fed their cats mice. It seems kind of weird because it seems like something a cat should hunt and not just be given.
I am not understanding this way of thinking--it's just weird. I like rats, but I would still feed a rat or mouse to my cat. Would I feed my pet rats to my cats? Of couse not. Would I feed my fish or shrimp to my cats, absolutely not. Just like some people keep aquariums and still eat fish, or someone who has a pet cow and still eats beef, or someone who has a pet chicken and still eats poultry. There are members here who feed a raw diet to their cats that includes beef, chicken, tuna, and other raw meets. So why would you think it was weird to feed a rat or mouse to a cat? What do you think are the ingredients in dry and canned foods? How do you think we feed our cats? Cats are a domesticated animal, not all of them know how to kill (which has already been mentioned in this thread). We as humans have removed an animal from the wild (albeit thousands of years ago), and now we have made it our duty to properly care for an animal. What better way than to feed a food that's as close to natural as possible?
 
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