As mentioned earlier, I've been thinking about the food prep side of things.
Four aspects come to mind:
- Basic ingredients: food and nutrients
- Moisture content
- Compatibility with the pelletizer machine
- How palatable the result is for the mice
Coming up with a mix that forms good pellets is one thing. However, an equally important issue is whether the mice will be willing to eat the result -- and to confirm that, one would need actual mice (which I don't have).
I think you could approach it something like this:
- Start with a basic mouse food like the one from Oxbow (which is already in pelletized form): https://amzn.to/2GWNbDA
- Make sure the mice are happy with the out-of-the-bag food.
- Put the food in a good blender and mix with just enough water to develop a paste that's compatible with the pelletizer. Be careful not to overheat the mix in the blender.
- Run a small batch through the pelletizer, let it dry/cure (overnight?) and make sure the mice are still willing to eat the result.
- Measure and add supplements to the mix in the blender (proportional by weight), again being careful not to overheat. Adjust moisture content if needed.
- Repeat the pelletizer/dry/cure process.
- Test again with the mice.
- Store the blenderized and pelletized food in the refrig.
It may take a few iterations to perfect, but shouldn't be too bad. Should get the process nailed down with a few test mice, before the full numbers arrive.
Control mice should have everything the same, including blenderizing and pelletizing -- just not the added supplements.