Food Hopper for ASF's

[MikeM75]

I read on here about the food hopper and saw the pictures and thought it was a great idea. I was able to find someone from BP.net and local and we swapped regular rats for ASFs. I just put together the food hopper using the 1/4" hardware cloth and it just looks SOOO small.

I guess I am just looking for reassurances, I don't want them to go hungry.

Here are a few pictures.

[Rhasputin]

1/4 inch sounds very small to me. 1/2 inch might be better.

But I think the hoppers are pretty useless all together anyways, when you can just throw the food on the bedding.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

they won't go hungry... they will waste a lot of food though.

[enchinoman]

I use 1/4 inch but I cut little crosses out to make a few of the holes 1/2 inch. Also I disagree with my friend and college Rhasputin about thowing the food on the bed, it is a waste of food, it is messy and hard to keep track if they have enough food.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

Also I disagree with my friend and college Rhasputin about thowing the food on the bed, it is a waste of food, it is messy and hard to keep track if they have enough food.

If the food is measured when thrown on the bed it is the only way to assure as little wasted food as possible.

A food hopper, unless you let it go emply on a regular basis, assures that you ARE wasting food.

[JohnNJ]

If the food is measured when thrown on the bed it is the only way to assure as little wasted food as possible.

A food hopper, unless you let it go emply on a regular basis, assures that you ARE wasting food.

I have used a hopper and some chew all the food out of it and waste it and some don't. I put lab block on the bedding. Some eat it, some chew it up and waste it. Some take the untouched lab block and place it on their urine pile and pee all over it. I have some in lab cages that chew the block through the bars and waste it and some that don't. Some eat their babies and some don't. Some bite and...

I have stopped trying to figure them out. I do not like them but they are a necessary evil .

[Mike Cavanaugh]

I put lab block on the bedding. Some eat it, some chew it up and waste it.

this is why you should give measured amounts in predetermined intervals. If you do this, almost no food at all will be wasted, cause they don't have a choice.... When they are hungry they will eat what is there.

[Rhasputin]

I feed mine, on the bedding every other day. That way I know they go through on the second day (the one i don't feed on) and pick out the 'lost' food bits, and little is wasted.
I think this is the most effective method of feeding, without waste.

[JohnNJ]

this is why you should give measured amounts in predetermined intervals. If you do this, almost no food at all will be wasted, cause they don't have a choice.... When they are hungry they will eat what is there.

What's your method for determining the correct amount of food and the interval?

[Rhasputin]

Trial and error.