Pros and Cons of rats?

I'm getting fed up with my mice. I've gotten advice multiple times and have no pinks after four or five months. I also got some BPs now, so I kinda need rats.

Soooooo... compared to mice, how are rats? Litter sizes, water and food consumption, tub sizes for groups, ect. I can use any info you have to offer.

I'm also curious about these 'motar' tubs I've heard of, if that's the right name. I KNOW I can deal with rats chewing on normal sterilite/roughneck tubs though, so those aren't a main curiosity for me.

The best way to breed rats really depends on how many rats you need and what sizes you need. With a little more information I can tell you which was is best to go about it.

I think rats smell less than mice, and are definitely much friendlier. I have bred rats in the past, and they have larger litters than mice, I am getting back into it for feeder purposes. However, if you are going to get the best advice, I would say ask Tom above, he has been doing this awhile.

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Originally Posted by tomfromtheshade

The best way to breed rats really depends on how many rats you need and what sizes you need. With a little more information I can tell you which was is best to go about it.

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The BPs are eating medium sized rats, but I probably will end up switching my corns and rat snake to rats if they breed well. So right now, probably large pinks, fuzzies, and small-medium adults. Everyone eats f/t, and everyone is happy to eat more than one item if I offer more, so I will probably offer two smaller items like I always do, rather than one large. And like I said, everyone eats f/t, and I have ample freezer space and vacuum bags.

EDIT: I can and plan to also sell any surplus rats I have, as Pet Supermarket gets all their rats that way, and a mom and pop store only carries small-medium adults and will buy other sizes.

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Originally Posted by Shenzi Sixaxis

I'm getting fed up with my mice. I've gotten advice multiple times and have no pinks after four or five months. I also got some BPs now, so I kinda need rats.

Soooooo... compared to mice, how are rats? Litter sizes, water and food consumption, tub sizes for groups, ect. I can use any info you have to offer.

I'm also curious about these 'motar' tubs I've heard of, if that's the right name. I KNOW I can deal with rats chewing on normal sterilite/roughneck tubs though, so those aren't a main curiosity for me.

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I originally started breeding mice for feeders but also decided that rats were the way to go. I personally think that rats smell alot better than mice overall. Honestly, I remember bringing home my first feeder mice from the local Petco and the bottom of the cardboard container was soaked in urine and feces. Those little things to me smell alot worse than any rat. To answer your q's: I usually get 8+ babies (trying to average them out) from my momma rats. I went with water bottles instead of a watering system, so depending on the heat, I give fresh water daily or every other day. I also go through about a 20lb bag of food every 2 weeks but my colony is alot smaller than some others here. I currently run 5 tubs of 1.2 and 1 tub with 1.3. I have all of mine in Sterilite tubs and have not had any chew out in over a year.

You would have to tell me how many of each size you go through each week and I can help you figure out a good game plan. Without actual numbers I can't really give you good advice.

Unless I say other wise, everything's mice.

My normal corn eats two peach fuzzies or 1 large normal fuzzy every week
My okeetee eats one hopper every week (could probably eat a small adult or weanling, but hoppers are what I have and are doing good)
The lucy rat is on hoppers every week
And both BPs were on a schedule of one medium rat every 2 weeks

So pretty much five prey items every week, but I do prefer to feed multiple small items if I can. And again, everyone's on f/t. :D
And with the BPs, since they're every two weeks, I'll feed one of them one week, and the other the next week.

I absolutely hate mice, hate ASFs, but love the rats! They are so much fun. I've tried to breed mice, but they stunk so bad, and I had a lot of issues. Now that I have the ASFs cages so they can't escape I don't mind the ASFs, but just one trio of ASFs wastes more food than all of my rats combined! Rats are so easy, and they don't chew out of things even if they have plenty of room to do so. They are easy to breed, and they are much friendlier than mice and ASFs!!!! Granted you need a good beginning stock. Don't buy adults from the pet store, they are usually retired or bad breeders.

I say go for it!!

:P ASFs are another thing I'll breed for food and pets, as no one supplies them here. Did you try hoppers with them?

I have a 1.3 ratio of soft furs right now and one of the females will drop babies here soon. Ill be getting a 1.4 ratio of rats here shortly. ASF's are cool to watch but they do play in there food alot if its in a bowl. Im going to make a 1/4" mesh hopper for them this weekend and use up my Kaytee Rat Blocks and then switch to some cheap dog food for them.

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Originally Posted by SnakeKB

...if its in a bowl. Im going to make a 1/4" mesh hopper for them this weekend and use up my Kaytee Rat Blocks and then switch to some cheap dog food for them.

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I use wire food hoppers and they don't waste much food.

I would stick with quality food for your feeders so they will grow quicker, stronger, and generally healthier.

Mike

A high quality dog food can still be much cheaper than rodent food. If you buy in-store, PetCo and Petsmart want 10 or 11 bucks for a 5lb pound of Kaytee lab block, and Pet Supermarket wants almost 5 bucks for a 2lb bag of the same thing buy LM Animal Farms.

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Originally Posted by Shenzi Sixaxis

:P ASFs are another thing I'll breed for food and pets, as no one supplies them here. Did you try hoppers with them?

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Yeah, the 1/4th inch is the absolute largest you can go, but if you have it for the lid of the tub they cannot get the food through the space. So if you have them in a rack system you can't put the food on top, you have to put it in side. I also made storage tubs to keep them in, and I made hoppers for those. They still waste the food and the babies crawl all over it since I used 1/2 inch hardwired cloth (and a 1/4th inch as a lid for it so the little b words won't get out).

Cheap dog food is fine, but I would also use rat food. I feed 1/2 and 1/2 Mazuri and cheap farm dog food. The expensive dog food has a lot more meat than cheap dog food. Cheap is just fine, it's corn and grains, it has more calories and fat because of that.

So i was looking around at the different Rat, Dog, and Cat foods. Mizuri blocks are 16% min protein, 6% min fat, 6% max fiber. Now the dog foods average in the 25% min protein range, % of fat is up or down depending on puppy, adult, or small breed formulas, and fiber is mostly at 4% max. Now cat foods seems pretty crazy with protein. Many showing 30% min protein, 10% min fat, and 4% max fiber. Now my question is based on the Mazuri info, would the massive amounts of protein, slightly higher fat %, and slightly lower fiber % hurt the rats? If not then cat food would be my choice of food for some big strong healthy rats.

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Originally Posted by SlitherinSisters

Yeah, the 1/4th inch is the absolute largest you can go, but if you have it for the lid of the tub they cannot get the food through the space. So if you have them in a rack system you can't put the food on top, you have to put it in side. I also made storage tubs to keep them in, and I made hoppers for those. They still waste the food and the babies crawl all over it since I used 1/2 inch hardwired cloth (and a 1/4th inch as a lid for it so the little b words won't get out).

Cheap dog food is fine, but I would also use rat food. I feed 1/2 and 1/2 Mazuri and cheap farm dog food. The expensive dog food has a lot more meat than cheap dog food. Cheap is just fine, it's corn and grains, it has more calories and fat because of that.

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So 1/4 inch for ventilation and 1/2 inch for hoppers?

Hmmm... makes sense. However, I find that most cheap dog foods have dyes in them, including the red 40 dye. :rage:
I'll have to keep looking through dog foods at stores... I need big kibbles and no dyes.

What all is harmful to the rats? I never thought of the dye in a food product untill brought up.

I know a few people have had chew outs with mortar tubs. I am going on two years with no chewing at all with these bus tubs.
I think the HDPE bus tubs must be a bit tougher than the plastic mortar tubs. 16 tubs in my rack ...zero chewing.:D It will be two years for this rack in Feb.:gj:
Tubs came from http://www.webstaurantstore.com/21-x...0%20%20BK.html

http://davidperkinsreptiles.com/foru....php?f=13&t=13

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Originally Posted by Shenzi Sixaxis

A high quality dog food can still be much cheaper than rodent food. If you buy in-store, PetCo and Petsmart want 10 or 11 bucks for a 5lb pound of Kaytee lab block, and Pet Supermarket wants almost 5 bucks for a 2lb bag of the same thing buy LM Animal Farms.

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I will not go to the big box pet stores, they don't carry the best products and they generally cost more then the superior products.

Go to a feed store (like a "real" feed store for farm animals) and check out what they have. Most of the time the old men in there ain't real busy and will take the time to find you a great feed with what your looking for at a reasonable cost. Just remember the cheaper you buy generally means a cheaper product.

You can find a good feed at a good cost, which might be dog food or hog feed or rat food.

Mike

50lbs of Mazuri 6f for $28 at the feed store versus $3.50 a lb at petsmart :O

I feed nothing but Mazuri and table scraps, you def get what you pay for.

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

50lbs of Mazuri 6f for $28 at the feed store versus $3.50 a lb at petsmart :O

I feed nothing but Mazuri and table scraps, you def get what you pay
for.

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do you find that the rat poo smells less with mazuri vs dogfood and what table scraps do you give?

thnx