Considering a small rat breeding colony - Page 2

mykee · 04-19-12, 08:20 AM

I buy my food from a feed store; $28 for a 50 lb. bag.

Snakefood · 04-19-12, 09:34 AM

I use the rack system, gravity fed, fully enclosed watering system (no filling all those nasty bottles, just one big reservior!) I feed hog feed mixed with cat food, and lots of garden scraps. The males have thier own tubs, but don't spend much time in them, since they are usually "visiting" a female. I use aspen bedding.

mykee · 04-19-12, 01:53 PM

"Hog feed and cat food" for your rats?

Lemme guess, you feed your dog alpaca food and tortoise chow...

Snakefood · 04-19-12, 01:55 PM

yup, and they're thriving generation after generation!!

Mose · 04-23-12, 12:41 PM

Members of several other feeder forums also swear by hog feed for rodents, so I gave it a try (it's way cheaper than rodent block). My rats, ASFs, and mice all hated it and would barely eat it, and their productivity went into the toilet. I switched back to rodent block, and all is again right with their world. Just my $0.02, your mileage may vary. I had a hard time finding rodent block locally for a long time. I eventually called my local farm co-op, and even though they don't stock it, they are happy to order as many bags as I want. Since they simply come in on the next truck from their supplier, they don't charge for shipping, which would otherwise cost an arm and a leg. I pay about $28 for a 50 pound bag of Mazuri 6f, and it's worth every penny.

hellosugaree · 04-23-12, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mose

Members of several other feeder forums also swear by hog feed for rodents, so I gave it a try (it's way cheaper than rodent block). My rats, ASFs, and mice all hated it and would barely eat it, and their productivity went into the toilet. I switched back to rodent block, and all is again right with their world. Just my $0.02, your mileage may vary. I had a hard time finding rodent block locally for a long time. I eventually called my local farm co-op, and even though they don't stock it, they are happy to order as many bags as I want. Since they simply come in on the next truck from their supplier, they don't charge for shipping, which would otherwise cost an arm and a leg. I pay about $28 for a 50 pound bag of Mazuri 6f, and it's worth every penny.

Yeah I was definitely going to do the rodent block anyway. Hogs and breeding rodents might have slightly different nutritional requirements to say the least. I'm doing it on a small scale anyway for quality, not to get the most rodents for the least investment. Just as I look for the best food for myself, I do the same for my pets, even if it costs twice as much as the cheapest stuff out there. And yes, I would consider feeders pets until they go in the freezer. No reason they shouldn't eat right and be healthy too. Besides that, I would imagine healthier feeders make healthier food. Thanks for your input though. I am looking to see if I can get Mazuri 6f locally, since I've heard it recommended by a lot of people. Have you tried any other brands of rodent block?

How big is your rodent colony? What do you use for bedding?

Thanks for your response.

Snakefood · 04-23-12, 04:27 PM

I have had no problems with my mixture at all, my females are huge producers (usually 13-16 in a litter, except for first time moms of course)

Mykee- you wouldn't believe what I pay for my dogs' food, so hold your toung already!!!

Mose · 04-24-12, 08:21 PM

Mykee - If it works for you, go for it. There is no single "correct" way to raise rodents, I'm just saying it didn't work for me. Results using hog block are mixed, some love it, some hate it. I wish mine did well on it, because it would save me a ton of money.

Hellosugaree - I started out with 1.3 and considered them pets too. Unfortunately, they pretty much are too old to breed at about a year of age. Then you are left with a bunch of pets that eat you out of house and home, but don't produce anything for your snakes. My solution was to have 2 or 3 females that are purely pets and will never be fed off. The rest are livestock, as harsh as that might sound. Getting attached to all of them is...impractical.

I usually have 3-4 tubs with anywhere from 2-4 females per tub, depending on my needs. I put a male into tub 1 for 3 weeks, or at least until all of the females are pregnant. Then I move him to tub 2, and repeat the process. This way, the females from tub 1 have several weeks to give birth, wean their babies, and recover before becoming pregnant again. With my mice, I just leave the males in with the females, because they don't handle new members of their little "groups" as well as rats.

Oh, and I use a combination of beddings, depending on what I have available. Mostly I use shredded aspen, but I sometimes use shredded newspaper too. I tried Purina rodent block, and it was okay, but not great. I found a source for Mazuri at the same price, and never went back. It's great. Our local university has a breeding colony of rodents for research projects, and they use Mazuri too, it's good stuff.

exwizard · 04-25-12, 01:55 AM

I pay $12.65 for 50 lbs of rat chow from Kent and it works great.