How much food do rats go through?

For those of you that breed your own rats how much food do you all go through per month?
so list how big or small your rat colony is then list how much food (rat chow /rodent blocks)you go through in lbs.

I want to start up a small colony say for six or seven balls then be able to feed what they produce as well. I'm thinking start out with 1.3 adults then have several bins for the weans so that's ruffly 30 mouths to feed a month once the colony gets going(maybe more maybe less).

i have about 5.20 adult regular rats and about 10.40 asf rats and i go thru about 50lbs every 2-3 weeks.

I have 13.43 breeders I go through about 75 lbs a month or so

Cool thanks for the info. Could I ask that you also include how many snakes you are feeding?

thanks again keep em coming.

Lets see I am feeding 100+ snakes, with a breeding group of over 300 rats. and they go through about 75lbs a week..give or take.. :D

I measured awhile back...one rack 6.30 goes through about 12 lbs of 6f per month.

swap out a 50/50 offering of hog feed and the amount grows but the consumption of 6f drops below 5 lbs per month.

I breed just what i need producing 500+ mice n rats monthly. Roughly 3 50 lbs bags a month

I am feeding 15 ball pythons and a dwarf caiman and I sell the leftovers to pay my feed and shavings bill.

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Originally Posted by jason79

I am feeding 15 ball pythons and a dwarf caiman and I sell the leftovers to pay my feed and shavings bill.

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So how much rat feed are you going through /monthly

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Originally Posted by jason79

I have 13.43 breeders I go through about 75 lbs a month or so

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Jason what food do you use, just reading the other responses I was thinking the amount you go thur is alot more than say suzuki4life (6.30 goes through about 12 lbs of 6f per month).

As you stated (13.43 breeders I go through about 75 lbs a month)

If you just double suzuk4life from 6.30 to 12.60 she would average 24 lbs a month.

That 12.60 ratio would be more than you group of 13.43 and you go thru 75 lbs, curious as to what brand you use.

Personally I feel suzuk4life's 12 lb's is alittle off.

I feed over 100 ball pythons at one location and 50 or boas at another location. I use Doggie Bag and go through 80-100lbs per week. $12/40lbs bag.

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Originally Posted by Arabesqueboa

Jason what food do you use, just reading the other responses I was thinking the amount you go thur is alot more than say suzuki4life (6.30 goes through about 12 lbs of 6f per month).

As you stated (13.43 breeders I go through about 75 lbs a month)

If you just double suzuk4life from 6.30 to 12.60 she would average 24 lbs a month.

That 12.60 ratio would be more than you group of 13.43 and you go thru 75 lbs, curious as to what brand you use.

Personally I feel suzuk4life's 12 lb's is alittle off.

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no sounds right on...

two racks in the house used a bag of 6f about once a month

you also have to keep in mind if he is feeding offspring in his figures. I wean at 2.5 to 3 weeks and then they do not affect my figures.

43 females with 10 offspring each....consumption could skyrocket.

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Originally Posted by Arabesqueboa

Jason what food do you use, just reading the other responses I was thinking the amount you go thur is alot more than say suzuki4life (6.30 goes through about 12 lbs of 6f per month).

As you stated (13.43 breeders I go through about 75 lbs a month)

If you just double suzuk4life from 6.30 to 12.60 she would average 24 lbs a month.

That 12.60 ratio would be more than you group of 13.43 and you go thru 75 lbs, curious as to what brand you use.

Personally I feel suzuk4life's 12 lb's is alittle off.

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I get my feed from a rat supplier that lives near me. He has it special made for him for rats and mice. He is the same guy I sell all my excess rats to. And the reason I use much more than him might be the number of offsprig I get and have to feed.

Thanks to both of you for the responses, I really didn't figure any offspring growing up because it wasn't mentioned. So that clears that up, thanks.

jason what kind of numbers are you producing with that group of 13.43?

Right now I get about 125 a month. But I am working on getting a birthing rack set up and I think those numbers will go way up. I seem to loose alot of baby's in the community tubs.

Thanks for the info, ya I would say you take a big hit on the production.

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Originally Posted by jason79

Right now I get about 125 a month. But I am working on getting a birthing rack set up and I think those numbers will go way up. I seem to loose alot of baby's in the community tubs.

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Using a birthing rack will probably end with close results.

I mean in theory if all 43 females dropped litters of 10=430 babies....

one month gestation+one month in the birthing rack+ one more month of gestation= 430 babies over 3 months time frame

that's roughly 144 a month.(430/3)

That's building of 2 racks and down time you could be producing for a gain of 19 babies a month.

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Originally Posted by suzuki4life

Using a birthing rack will probably end with close results.

I mean in theory if all 43 females dropped litters of 10=430 babies....

one month gestation+one month in the birthing rack+ one more month of gestation= 430 babies over 3 months time frame

that's roughly 144 a month.(430/3)

That's building of 2 racks and down time you could be producing for a gain of 19 babies a month.

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You can double the number of females in rotation. I always have the same number of females in the breeder bins.

I've found that I lose more than half the babies if I have more than 2 females in one bin. One female seems to end up doing all the work and see can't handle the work load so the babies suffer. Another good point for birthing bins is they allow you to see if a mother is doing her job and is a good mom or eating babies or just not having that many babies per litter.

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Originally Posted by yotaman

You can double the number of females in rotation. I always have the same number of females in the breeder bins.

I've found that I lose more than half the babies if I have more than 2 females in one bin. One female seems to end up doing all the work and see can't handle the work load so the babies suffer. Another good point for birthing bins is they allow you to see if a mother is doing her job and is a good mom or eating babies or just not having that many babies per litter.

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it is irrelevant if you can double the females.....you still only have so much space versus just running two colony racks. Plus we are talking output per rat, per consumption, per space....birthing racks may seem more humane and allow babies to grow larger but output and production still pales versus keeping them in colony form non stop.

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Originally Posted by suzuki4life

it is irrelevant if you can double the females.....you still only have so much space versus just running two colony racks. Plus we are talking output per rat, per consumption, per space....birthing racks may seem more humane and allow babies to grow larger but output and production still pales versus keeping them in colony form non stop.

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I've been breeding rats for a very looong time so we'll just have to agree to disagree on the subject of birthing bins. :D

I will also add: every successful large scale rodent production facility I've seen uses birthing bins. On a small scale level keeping females and babies in one bin may work.

I'll let this thread get back on topic.

I've never kept track of how much food each of my rats eat. I've always wondered but have never come up with a good way to keep track.

Well, unsure on rats alone. I have 5.20 rats and around 60.400 mice breeders. The rats are fed off as smalls, but the mice are used at all ages. I normally have around 200 adult feeder mice all the time. So about 700 adult mice and 25 adult rats I go through about 75 lbs of 6f per week. I only feed about 60 snakes, but I sell to pet stores as well.

thanks again for all the data.
I just went out and bought some muzuri rat/mouse food the other day and noticed it says on the package aprx. how much a rat and how mucha mouse will go through in a day.

"Adult Rats: 16 - 26 grams per day (approx. 4 to 7 pellets)
Adult Mice 4 - 5 grams per day (approx. 1 to 2 pellets)"

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Originally Posted by Zach Spyker

"Adult Rats: 16 - 26 grams per day (approx. 4 to 7 pellets)
Adult Mice 4 - 5 grams per day (approx. 1 to 2 pellets)"

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That's funny, there's no tellin how many tons of that stuff I've gone through and have never read the bag.:cool: Go figure.

I believe the average is 5g/food per 100g/weight for each rat. This is usually right on when I sit to do the numbers.

Also take in to account that most lab blocks are jammed packed full of nutrition, whereas some cheap dog feed, I see my rats just fly through it and look like crap after a week.

Hey, maybe I'm just picky, but I hate feeding doggy bag to my rats. Stink to high hell, get all greasy, and blow through it in no time. Yuck.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

I believe the average is 5g/food per 100g/weight for each rat. This is usually right on when I sit to do the numbers.

Also take in to account that most lab blocks are jammed packed full of nutrition, whereas some cheap dog feed, I see my rats just fly through it and look like crap after a week.

Hey, maybe I'm just picky, but I hate feeding doggy bag to my rats. Stink to high hell, get all greasy, and blow through it in no time. Yuck.

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I finally found this elusive "doggie bag" here locally....


at $16/40 lbs....didn't seem like a better deal than 6F

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Originally Posted by suzuki4life

I finally found this elusive "doggie bag" here locally....


at $16/40 lbs....didn't seem like a better deal than 6F

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I've made the same realization as of late. It cost me $25 for a 50 lb back of 6F, so why would i spend $15 a 40 lb bag of dog food that falls through the mesh, doesn't have the correct nutrition except for protein and the rats just straight up stink. Just special order yourself some Mazuri and just order ahead to make sure you never run out.

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Originally Posted by steveboos

I've made the same realization as of late. It cost me $25 for a 50 lb back of 6F, so why would i spend $15 a 40 lb bag of dog food that falls through the mesh, doesn't have the correct nutrition except for protein and the rats just straight up stink. Just special order yourself some Mazuri and just order ahead to make sure you never run out.

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I am always looking for an alternative in feeds....

I use hog feed/seed and then supplement 6f to TRY to lengthen the life of the 6f until I could find SOMETHING to provide the fat content I was looking for. I thought the answer was dog food....but with the 3 combined by bill became $28/bag..much higher than the $18 a bag for bulk 6F

Lately we've been having really spotty service getting Mazuri,... I wonder if there are production problems at the plant, or if it's just the pet store I'm going to. I'm ready to throw in the towel and drive to the next town over for Kent from now on, unless TSC decides they can get it for me too.

I do prefer 6F, but I've been waiting for close to a month now for 6F to come in. We had to buy a little 25lb bag of the Purina Lab Diet, and 50 lb bags of the same crap last month for close to $30 a damn bag (more expensive because it can be sterilized) and stretching with dog food until my order comes in.

I go through 4000lbs every 35 days. Here is a complete chart..
Rats

Scientific Name: Rattus novegicus
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Body Temp: 90 degrees F (35.9 - 37 5 degrees C)
Respiration Rate: 85.5 BPM

Weight:

* Adult Male 300 g
* Adult Female 200 g
* Newborn 5 g

# Water Consumption: 40 ml (100 ml/kg/day)

Food Consumption: 32 gm (100 ml/kg/day)

Sexual Maturity:

* Male 13 weeks
* Female 13 weeks

# Estrus Cycle: 4 - 5 days

Gestation period: 20 - 22 days

Life Span: 3 years

Avg. Litter size: 7 - 11

Breeding Life:

* Male 1.5 years
* Female 1.5 years

# Age at weaning: 21 days

Recommandad Temperature: 64.4-78.8 degrees F(18-26 degrees C)

Relative Humidity: 40 -70%

Photo Period (light/dark): 12/12

Identification Methods: ear notch, punch; tattoo

* Housing Requirements: floor area/animal = 17 - 70 sq. in.
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Mice

Scientific Name: Mus musculus

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Body Temp.: 99 degrees F (36.5-38 degrees C)

Respiration Rate: 163 BPM

Weight:

* Adult Male 25 - 50 gm
* Adult Female 25 - 50 gm
* Newbom 1.0 gm

# Water Consumption: 15 ml/100 gm/day

Food Consumption: 15 gm/100 gm/day

Sexual Maturity:

* Male 7 weeks
* Female 7 weeks

# Estrus Cycle: 4 - 5 days

Gestation period: 19 - 21 days

Life Span: 2 years

Avg. Litter size: 5 - 10 pups

Breeding Life:

* Male 8 months
* Female 8 months

# Age at weaning: 21 days

Recommended Temperature: 64.4-78.8 degrees F(18-26 degrees C)

Relative Humidity: 4 0 - 7 0 %

Identification Methods: ear tags, ear punch, notch

Photo Period (light/dark): 10/14

* Housing Requirements: floor area/animal = 6 -15 sq. in.