Colony of feeder rats that are optimaly cared for! But seem sick

[Paradoxtal_Pythons]

Breeding colony of 4 racks totaling 26 tubs
watering system with each rack
Food- rodent blocks/chow

I really care a lot about my feeders for my ball pythons
Clean out tubs each week.
Never without food water

Recently and its almost always a female. Never my male breeders but anything from weans to adults. I keep my males for feeders and grow up all females for breeders. But I keep having about 1 or 2 day die.
Reason being there getting thin feal the ribs and eventually die but it seemed like a lot all at once.
Any thoughts
And is there any problem of using the same males for years and growing up his babies to breed back. I have incorporated other rats but with 30 dying a month ...
All my hard work for feeders is basically useless when I have 135 rats that won't breed

Any help please no disrespect

[wilomn]

There are several viruses you may have running through them. If anyone has come in to your rat room they could have brought it in, if you sell to or go into any shop or other breeders facility you could have gotten it that way. It's remotely possible that your feed was not exactly as the ingredients are labeled (I had this happen twice over the years) or it may be genetic. Mico runs through all rats and will occasionally flair up.

This is an excellent group with some really smart breeders in it who know far more than I do. Let them know what's going on and you'll get better answers.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/394092487382461/

[Albert Clark]

Yep. Mycoplasma affects mice too. I breed them and have had to consult my exotic vet on the issue of intermittent coughing and sneezing of one of the female breeders. She advised me to spread out the enclosures of which I am only housing two with 1.1 in each. Deep cleaning and disinfecting is paramount. Especially in tank enclosures which is what I have for my small setup. The substrate is important too. Vet recommended "Yesterday's News" which is a pelleted paper substrate that is dust free. The ammonia content in mice urine is one of the problematic chemicals.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Before this issue did you add new rats to your colony? Did you quarantine them if you did?

[wolfy-hound]

If you are breeding harem style and the dead are thin, you may have overbred females that can't cope with the strain.

If it is random rats of all ages(except for the adult males), I would suspect the food. Sometimes when I've had to feed dog food or something other than the regular rat block, I have rats just fall over dead and they always seem thin too.

Just my own observations with my colony.

If you have a lot of sneezing, then first guess will be that myco, which can kill a lot of your rats. I treated with livestock antibiotics from Tractor Supply the one time I had it run through my colony. I still lost quite a few but haven't had an issue with it since.

[Paradoxtal_Pythons]

Wow everyone thank you very much. This is the most non disrespectfull strait forward answers I've ever had. The most help I've had on a forum. Thanks.

I have introduced about other rats. I will have to keep records from now on.

[Paradoxtal_Pythons]

I have come to realize before with Overbred females and have them extra time from breeding again. I realized it was not helping have large litters and hurting overdoing the female threw stress so I like I said Gave an extra two weeks

[Paradoxtal_Pythons]

If you are breeding harem style and the dead are thin, you may have overbred females that can't cope with the strain.

If it is random rats of all ages(except for the adult males), I would suspect the food. Sometimes when I've had to feed dog food or something other than the regular rat block, I have rats just fall over dead and they always seem thin too.

Just my own observations with my colony.

If you have a lot of sneezing, then first guess will be that myco, which can kill a lot of your rats. I treated with livestock antibiotics from Tractor Supply the one time I had it run through my colony. I still lost quite a few but haven't had an issue with it since.

What are the livestock antibiotics and where do you get them

[Paradoxtal_Pythons]

One thing to note that's very important. My neighbor was having problems with rats and I'm not saying that I've never lost a rat from my colony, but don't ever remember losing a rat, but she was having a problem wit rats. .. I have three cats and multiple rat and mouse traps everywhere in my she'd where the rat racks are.

She had the pest people come and they did everything they could to kill rats. Is there any way they could have come back to my rat racks where the food is on top of my wire mesh to eat and spread something.

They all seemed to start song at the same time, same thing skinny weak and then dead. Never happened before. I may have had some die because of Florida heat but never got skinny.

[distaff]

Bad bag of feed?