Couple Noob Questions....`

[Aes_Sidhe]

I recently Have 2 Cages with Are empty and i wonder if they will be suficient for ASF.

I have RBI Rat Cage :
http://www.reptilebasics.com/R10

and RBI mouse Cage:
http://www.reptilebasics.com/M10

I possible have 1.1 0o even 1.2 i that Rat Cage ??

And Is Necesary/Recomended to seperate Pregnant Mother??

I was Hoping I can Use Mouse Cage to Seperate Pregnant/ Nursing Mother till Youngster will be able to eat on they Own and Then return female back to main colcony...

I'm thinking About Smallest Colony possible so I can Feed Them Off and Eventually sell rest to local Pet Shop...

[Kaorte]

I'm not sure about those cages since I've never used them, but I know that baby ASF can squeeze through 1/2" gaps..

Also, they loooove to chew so if that plastic is too soft they will just mow right through it.

You don't need to separate the females from the male. Actually I think it is detrimental to the group. When it comes time for me to retire groups, I always kill the male first and let the females nurse their remaining babies before I feed them off. I've noticed that the females get really stressed once the male is gone. Sometimes they even stop caring for their babies So yeah. Keep them together. They have nice happy little families.

Also, they will fight if they are separated for too long. Just another reason not to separate them.

[MootWorm]

Agreed. ASF do best in established colonies, so unless you want to split the group forever, leave them in. I've tried adding growouts back to the original colony... It wasn't pretty. Even trying to reintroduce after only a hour of separation didn't fare well. Just my .02

[Aes_Sidhe]

Well RBI rat Cage is labeled as Laboratory Rat CAge...

Durable HDPE rat size lab breeding cage. Stainless wire top will hold several days worth of food and a water bottle (sold separately). These will also work with the RBI watering vales, just snap the valve in between the lid bars and you are ready to go or use our 500ml bottles. Latching wire top with 1/4" spacing. Good for a pair of rats OR a larger colony of mice if you build up the bedding so they can reach the food/water.

18.25" x 12" x 6.25" tall

Question is in that Space Floor Should i go with 1.2 or just get pair....

[Kaorte]

My tubs are 23" x 12" approximately and I put either 1.2 or 1.3 groups in there.

[Aes_Sidhe]

Ok so another Question... Can I seperate Young after they wean and eat regular food and keep my Breeding 1.1 or 1.2 and After They Get Older just Swith Them With Younger (mean keep Additional female and Male with rest of colony till they Mature...) ??

And Other Question... Are Natals are really so Aggresive... Gloves required ?? worse bite than Hamster ??

i dont really want to handle them but I dont want to be Affraid to reach to cage every time...

[MootWorm]

I think it all depends on your individual rats. I can pull mine off of babies, flip them around, blind them with my flash when I'm taking pics, and they're perfectly fine. I've only been bit by one big mama and that was because she was mad I was out of cheerios. Otherwise they come running up for treats And yes, when it comes time to replace old breeders, just let the chosen ones grow out in your colony.

[Aes_Sidhe]

Hmm I think i will order some I found guy on CL he have some where I live He charge 3$ each for Fuzzies to weaned and 20$ for 1.3 Young Breeders... I need just Order Another Rat Cage and some block Rat Food first.

Another Question... How long 10lb bag Should last for 1.2 Group ??

[MootWorm]

I'd imagine that would lasy quite some time, especially if you feed conservatively/ with a hopper. I use about 50 lbs in six months with 40 or so ASF at any given time, plus a handful of regular rats.

[Mephibosheth1]

Each animal should have 15 square inches of space (based on The Guide for the Care and Keeping of Lab Animals). I only go 1.2 in my small sterilite tubs I use for my mice, and they do OK....make sure you clean them at least every 2 weeks though, because when you have a litter of 9 3-week old mice and the 1.2 adults....PEEEEW


Not sure about ASF, but "regular" mice/rats mature at about 4-5 weeks. Classical models wean at 3 weeks, but I wait til 4-5 to make sure they could live on their own. Couldn't quite decipher what everyone else's take was on this, but I would recommend "storing" some of the unused "growers" to use to replace the older ones as they poop out. This is great if something takes out a couple of breeder cages or something (water leakage, food shortage, etc.), as you can immediately reload. And I find that over time, the individual cages get inbred, and can start producing weird mice in that cage. I'd try and get at least 3 breeding sets (preferrably from different sources, so they aren't related) so you can have lots of genetic diversity. I've done that with my colony, and my mice routinely are twice as big as same-aged mice from other suppliers.

And make sure that you don't introduce new animals into a cage while there are still young in the cage (up to 3 weeks). I've done that before and come back to see a row of hopper heads sitting in the nest...the male killed the entire litter.


Hope all goes well with your endeavors...I have empathy for anyone who endeavors to breed rodents.


EDIT–hardware cloth makes great hoppers (if you have the lab cages you have one built in), but PLEASE use one of those instead of a bowl....cleaner, cheaper due to less waste, etc.