Mouse Lab Blocks (Should You Feed Them to Your Mice?)
Lab blocks are specially formulated foods fed to mice and rats in laboratories as a quick, easy, and cost-effective way to keep them fed.
I also know some breeders that use lab blocks. They use them for the same reason, it’s a quick and easy way to keep all their mice fed.
They should provide all the nutrition that mice need as part of a balanced diet, but does this mean you should feed lab blocks to your pet mice?
No – I don’t recommend you do so, and it’s not the healthiest way to feed your pet mice as I’ll explain.
I’ve checked the ingredients in the lab blocks from some of the large manufacturers and I can see soybean meal, ground corn, and other variations of soy and corn in them.
Soy and corn in particular are likely to be genetically modified and contain traces of harmful toxins.
Looking at the general ingredients it becomes obvious that lab blocks are not a good substitute for a good balance of fresh food and tailored mice mixes.
When you think about it, they are intended to be cost-effective ways to feed a lot of mice with minimal fuss. Not exactly what you should be looking for with your pet mice.
What Ingredients are in Lab Blocks?
The ingredients vary from brand to brand, but typically you can expect to find:
- Soybean Meal
- Ground Corn
- Dried Whey
- Dried Yeast
- Wheat Middlings
- Fish Meal
- Flaked Corn
- Various Vitamins
- Various Additives
- Calcium
- Salt
- Magnesium
About The Author
Phil
I have kept pet mice for a number of years and always had a fascination with these interesting, fun little creatures. I'm always looking for new and interesting mice related information and will always help other mice owners where possible.