Envigo-Harlan Global Lab Blocks 14% Protein Rodent Diet - 33 lb Bag

**ONLY SHIPPED WITHIN CANADA**

**SOY-FREE FOOD**

Flower Town Chinchillas is Proud to be Harlan Teklads Representative for Canada's Pet Owners and Breeders.
We regularly bring in new stock to insure that your pets Harlan feed is always fresh and current.

Harlan Global Lab Blocks 14% Protein Rodent Diet is ideal for
• Mice
• Gerbils
• Squirrels
• Pet Rats

Often times we think that we are bettering the small animals life by giving them a loving home, but actually it is the other way around, the small animals actually give us love and comfort when they come into our lives and become part of our family. This is why we should always provide our pets the best diets possible like Harlan Teklad Global Rodent Diets, the most nutritionally advanced rodent diets available to promote a long happy and healthy life.

Harlan's special integrated range of vegetarian rodent lab block diets was developed to be nutritionally complete for your pets various life stages, from breeding through long-term maintenance. Traditional rodent diets frequently contain excessive amounts of nutrients that are now known to be not only unnecessary but detrimental for optimal health. Harlan Global rodent lab block diets contain levels of protein, energy, vitamins and minerals that are more appropriate to the needs of your animals.
Furthermore, particular attention has been placed on avoiding as far as practical, ingredients that are reported to have adverse effects on your animal's health. This has resulted in a range of rodent lab block diets that contain:

• NO Fish Meal
• NO Meat Meals or Meat By-Products
• NO Alfalfa Meal
• NO Soybean Meal or Reduced Levels
• NO Animal Fat

Harlan Teklad Global 2014 Rodent Lab Blocks, is a 14% Protein Vegetarian Formula made as a maintenance diet for Adult Rats, Mice, Gerbils, Hamsters, and Squirrels.

Feeding Guide: 5 grams of lab block per 100 gram of body weight (2 medium lab blocks weigh 5 grams)

A breeding rat or mouse only needs about 18% crude protein and a non-breeding adult rat only needs about 9% crude protein or perhaps less.
Excess protein can cause kidney damage in aging rats, mice, gerbils and squirrels. Rodents that are not actively breeding do not require as much protein so it is appropriate to feed this diet rather than diets that contain 19-24% protein.

Harlan Teklad Global 2014, 14% Protein Lab Block Rodent Diet is also available in 5 pound and 10 pound bags.

Harlan Teklad manufactures their diets using the same formulas each and every time. They have standard operating procedures that are followed with each and every production. They test their ingredients when they arrive to their production facilities and they audit their suppliers. So you can rest assured that when you feed Harlan Teklad diets to your pets, that you are feeding a consistent and quality diet.

Increasing protein potentially can harm the kidneys of aging rats, mice, gerbils and squirrels but it does not make them fat. In fact, it has a slight negative effect on weight and fat composition (remember the Atkins diet). Energy intake by the mouse or rat controls body weight and fat deposition. Diets 2014 and 2016 contain about 4% fat while diets 2018 contain about 6% fat. So diets 2018 and 2019 contain slightly more energy than 2014 and 2016. Rats and mice fed diets 2014 or 2016 may put on less weight than mice and rats fed 2018 over the long term. But it is not the protein content that is responsible. It is the increase in fat and thus the increase in energy content of the diet that is responsible for weight gain and increase fat deposition.

You can supplement their diet with high fibre foods such as fruits and vegetables. High fibre foods will fill their stomachs making them feel full but contributing little to their energy intake. However, make sure that in feeding these high fibre supplements that you do not displace the diet by more than 33%. The animal is relying on the diet to meet its nutrient requirements. The supplements are for enrichment and an attempt to reduce excessive weight gain. Also, place items in the cage which decrease boredom. If I put you in a room with nothing to do, but with food always available you are going to spend a great deal of time eating and drinking too.

Avoid high calorie supplements which while tasty, encourage excessive weight gain.

Excess weight gain is the enemy of longevity in rats and mice as it is in humans and all mammals. Excessive body weight will accelerate the onset of the diseases associated with old age which for many mice and rats is cancer.

Do not feed 2014 to breeding rodents. It is too low in protein and will lead to deficiency. Instead use Harlan Teklad Global Rodent Lab Blocks 18% Protein Diet

Above information is from Harlan Teklad's web site and a letter written by a Harlan Teklad employee, Chuck Benton, Ph.D.