Larger Litters and Less Killings

[jjsnakedude]

For the past few weeks I have been feeding my ASF's mostly a mix of grains, nuts, and dried fruit, bread, vegetables and fruit instead of Mazuri.

My litter sizes went up from 5-6 to now 9-10. I know thats still pretty low, but they are probably going to rise even more.

I also am now putting peanut butter on the wire of the cages of nursing mothers, so they can get the protein calories they need. Since that, out of 25 births, there was only one killing, compared to 8/25.

Just some stuff I thought was interesting.

[wolfy-hound]

Hey that's spiffy! You want to share the 'recipe'? I just weaned 18 babies from my asf, but I've had a adult who had eaten the face off a baby at least twice now, only when they're newborns.

I also have been told never to give peanut butter to rats because they can choke?

[angllady2]

Wanna know my secret ?

Baby food.

Seriously, baby food. I mix 1 jar of first foods meat, 1 jar of third foods chicken/vegetable mix, 1 container of second foods fruit, 1 container of second foods vegetables, and enough rice cereal to make it thick.

The parents gobble this stuff up like a kid with cotton candy, and if you have to pull babies early, they can eat this until they are old enough to eat the lab block.

It works with mice, rats, ASF and hamsters.

Gale

[wolfy-hound]

I've been giving any moms that looked peaked a dish of Ensure soaked lab block. The lab block absorbs the Ensure really well(let set for a few minutes) and the rats all gobble it up.