Traditional rodent diets were formulated decades ago based on understanding of rodent nutrition, ingredients, and diet manufacturing at the time. While traditional diets will supply the known nutrient needs of your laboratory animals, we recommend you consider the use of a diet from our newer global diet line for your modern research needs.

Teklad Global Rodent Diets^® are modern formulas designed to reduce research variables. Specifically, these diets contain more appropriate nutrient levels, and limit or exclude ingredients that are reported to have effects on a wide variety of research endpoints.

• Lower, more appropriate protein levels can improve survival and reduce morbidity
• Vegetarian with no nitrosamines (a potential carcinogen)
• Formulated to exclude alfalfa meal, greatly improving fluorescent imaging clarity
• Formulated to exclude or lower soybean meal, thus minimizing the presence of isoflavones, the primary type of phytoestrogen found in lab animal diets
• Extruded rodent diets dramatically reduce clumping and hardness after autoclaving (2018SX, 2019S, 2020SX), and in general result in less diet waste and cleaner cages

Teklad rodent diets are natural-ingredient diets specifically formulated to provide the proper balance of all known nutrients considered essential for the growth, maintenance, and reproduction of rats, mice, gerbils and hamsters. These diets conform to the nutrient requirements for rodents established by the National Research Council (1995).

Teklad rodent diets provide uniform nutrition. They are fixed-formula diets designed to minimize the nutrient variances which otherwise could occur if the ingredient composition of a diet were altered from one batch to the next.

Protein is supplied primarily by plant sources. Supplemental amino acids are added to provide the proper amount and balance of essential amino acids. All rodent diets are fortified with vitamins and minerals to help support the regulation of body fluids and the proper functioning of body systems to ensure the adequate growth, maintenance, and reproduction of research rodents. Autoclavable diets are supplemented with additional vitamins to compensate for losses that occur during autoclaving. Since our diets are nutritionally complete and balanced, it is not necessary to add dietary supplements.

There is no definitive point where one is able to predict when a specific diet will spoil or become deficient in one or more nutrients. The common guideline of a six month shelf life is based on longstanding practice in North America. In Europe and Asia, differences in local practices and regulatory oversight have led to Teklad standard natural ingredient diets being routinely used out to nine months and sometimes 12 months post-manufacture. This practical experience, along with literature support and vitamin testing over time, gives us confidence that these diets continue to support animal health and study integrity out to at least nine months post-manufacture. Please refer to your institution for guidance if you are unsure of local policies.

Recommended storage conditions:

• Cool and dry; at or below 70 degrees fahrenheit with humidity ideally below 50%, but up to 65% is acceptable
• Clean and free of pests
• In original packaging or in a container that prevents continuous exposure to light and minimal exposure to air

Standard natural ingredient rodent diets are complete diets for rats, mice, gerbils and hamsters, that should be allowed ad libitum access to the diet. Fresh water should be available at all times.