You also know then that seed mixes are very much recommended against when looking at proper rat nutrition. Yes it would be a complete diet IF they ate it all, but any animal will pick out the tasty stuff and leave the nutritious stuff behind. Lab blocks are the best store-bought diet for rats.

The problem with Ethoxyquin is not necessarily that it makes rats SICK, but that later in life in can cause them to develop tumars. So perhaps you just have yet to see the effects of this diet on your animals. It is cumulative, so the fact that there is very little in the food makes no difference.

I know many people who insist that they have used Pine or Cedar as bedding for years with no problems, but that doesn't make it okay IMO.