When to wean?

I was wondering what is a good age to wean baby ASF's?? My asf had her litter about 2 or 3 weeks ago. I just didn't know when to take them out and put them in different caging from the parents. Any help will be appreciated...

Thanks
Alan

It depends on what you want.
If you want them big and fat then don't ween them and let them ween themselves.

If you want them to stay smaller, ween early. :] Not too early, but when their eyes are open and they are definite hoppers.

We just remove them one month to the day after they were born. Usually by then the females are on to the next litter and they need the break from nursing two groups, as well the older ones are quite able to be independent by then. It is fun to watch the big babies help out with the little babies though. :)

I've weaned before the mothers had the next litter.

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

It depends on what you want.
If you want them big and fat then don't ween them and let them ween themselves.

If you want them to stay smaller, ween early. :] Not too early, but when their eyes are open and they are definite hoppers.

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Do you have any proof that rats that wean early stay smaller? Or is that just a guess?

I wean as soon as their eyes are all the way open. that is usually a few days before the next batch of babies come.

I disagree on it having a negative impact on the size of the babies to pull them as soon as their eyes are open. Once seperated, they grow at the same rate, and get the same size as ones that are not pulled.

Common sense tells me that it is probably better for the moms if they don't have to nurse all day long the few days before delivering 12 more!!! I believe that pulling the babies when I do increases the health and weight of the next round of babies because mom gets a rest from nursing for the last few days of pregnancy!

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Do you have any proof that rats that wean early stay smaller? Or is that just a guess?

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I don't have any significant proof of it happening to anyone else except for me. I didn't ween or separate my first litter of ASFs and they're all the same size (pretty big) and the second litter I did ween. They are about 1/4-1/5 smaller than the first litter. :]

I also heard of this happening with other litters. Heres a picture of mine.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...DSC04932-1.jpg
On the left is the bigger 4 month old non-weened. On the right is the weened (about 3 months and a week old?)
The left one was this big by the second-third month aprox.

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Originally Posted by mcavana

I wean as soon as their eyes are all the way open. that is usually a few days before the next batch of babies come.

I disagree on it having a negative impact on the size of the babies to pull them as soon as their eyes are open. Once seperated, they grow at the same rate, and get the same size as ones that are not pulled.

Common sense tells me that it is probably better for the moms if they don't have to nurse all day long the few days before delivering 12 more!!! I believe that pulling the babies when I do increases the health and weight of the next round of babies because mom gets a rest from nursing for the last few days of pregnancy!

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I don't think it's a negative effect, they've just been smaller for me for some reason. :[
Thats about when I would ween them. They still get as fat as ever, but they seem a bit smaller in size. I donno, maybe I have weird genes or something..

I pull them between 21-24 days.

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

I don't think it's a negative effect, they've just been smaller for me for some reason. :[
Thats about when I would ween them. They still get as fat as ever, but they seem a bit smaller in size. I donno, maybe I have weird genes or something..

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What I meant is there a difference in adult size? Knowing what I do from regular rats, it makes zero difference in their adult size if I wean early or late.

The ones just weaned later or from a very small litter have more fat deposits, but they are the same size as the other adults.

In the post above the one you quoted I have a picture of two adult males. One not weened and one weened. The difference for me has been largely in size. The picture isn't very good but when I hold them by their scruffs right next to each other, one hangs almost half an inch lower than the other one. :]

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

In the post above the one you quoted I have a picture of two adult males. One not weened and one weened. The difference for me has been largely in size. The picture isn't very good but when I hold them by their scruffs right next to each other, one hangs almost half an inch lower than the other one. :]

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But one is 3 weeks older than the other one right? Not to mention, the mother was feeding her first litter while the second litter was born, which does cause for some competition if the first litter is still nursing while the second one is days old.

I think that may be a little more into play. Like I said, when they are full grown, I have never noticed a difference in size or production in dom. rats.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

But one is 3 weeks older than the other one right? Not to mention, the mother was feeding her first litter while the second litter was born, which does cause for some competition if the first litter is still nursing while the second one is days old.

I think that may be a little more into play. Like I said, when they are full grown, I have never noticed a difference in size or production in dom. rats.

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Perhaps. But they've been that size since two months, just as the bigger ones have been that size from two months.

They had they're eyes open (I'm pretty sure it was three weeks) so when the other babies were born, they weren't really suckling that much anymore if at all. I recorded seeing them eat one to two days after the second litter was born.

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

Perhaps. But they've been that size since two months, just as the bigger ones have been that size from two months.

They had they're eyes open (I'm pretty sure it was three weeks) so when the other babies were born, they weren't really suckling that much anymore if at all. I recorded seeing them eat one to two days after the second litter was born.

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So, if they weren't nursing after the 2 days after the second litter was born where does the late weaning come into play for their larger size?

Unless I'm misreading what your trying to get across, it seems that either way they were weaned when that second litter came around.

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

Perhaps. But they've been that size since two months, just as the bigger ones have been that size from two months.

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??? That would mean that they reached full size in one month? It takes mine a lot longer then that!!! :rolleye2: