From what I know, rats that eat Kaytee live 2-3 years. Rats that eat other foods live the same lifespan. If Kaytee was so bad wouldn't they die far before their already short lifespan?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is what I believe. I do not believe Ethoxyquin is as dangerous as some people say. My vet is known to be one of the best avian vets in the area. I asked him about Kaytee and ethoxyquin, and he said it has never been proven to cause any harm or threat to birds (don't know about rats). He said its just an assumption and that his own birds eat Kaytee seeds and Zupreem pellets. I also asked breeders and people who have been raising birds for decades on the tiel forum I'm on, and they said that in the decades they've had their birds, not once have they have a problem with ethoxyquin, and their tiels lived happy, healthy longs lives of 25-35 years.

Again, I don't know about rats, but I've always heard of Kaytee to be a good brand until I met Luckies4me.

Ps. Logan, I'm glad you found out that litters are bad for birds early. Birds do not need any litter in their cage at all, nor should they be there. The best thing to use is black and white newpaper (colored can be toxic) or paper towel. Some people use nothing and just wash the cage tray everyday, but I go with the newspaper.