New Food Dispenser

[Mitch21]

I recently changed the feed I use for my ASFs. I've used the Mazuri 6f all along, but paying $32 per bag got a bit outrageous. So I credit Mike Cavanaugh for finding the feed that I now use. It's a hog feed (costs about $10/bag) but instead of blocks of food how the Mazuri feed is produced, the hog feed is in tiny millet form, which makes my 1/2" hoppers useless for dispersing food. I tried simply dumping a handful in the tub, but after one day it was hard to even see how much they had eaten or buried. So I tried to make a new dispenser for the millet feed.

I bought a 1 1/4" PVC pipe for about $5, and I cut the piping into 8" sections. Each T fitting was $0.63.
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Next, I drilled out 4 holes with a 1/2" bit. I also drilled with a circular motion to take out the edges and make the holes a little more accessible.
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I cut out 1/4" screening to loosely hold the millet in the T connection. All you have to do is trace the opening of the PVC over the screening to make a nice snug screen. You don't need any glue or anything. The pressure of the wire screen on the plastic should do the trick.
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Next, use your PVC primer and PVC glue on your fittings.
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And put 'em together...
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I'm sure there are more attractive ways of mounting them, but in case I need to take them off and change something, I simply drilled two screws into opposite ends of the tip of the PVC pipe which supports the dispenser from the screen lid.
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I left the old hoppers that I used to have for the Mazuri block just in case I happen to find some cheap lab block in the future...

Like I said earlier, the sole reason I changed from Mazuri to the new stuff is the price... $32 vs $10 is a big difference. And these dispensers cost very little to make and not much effort.

Well hopefully this helps anyone deciding to use a millet feed!

[tonkatoyman]

What is the name of the feed and can you feed it to normal rats

[suzuki4life]

So what keeps them from chewing the side holes larger, climbing in the hopper (once empty) and escaping?

[suzuki4life]

What is the name of the feed and can you feed it to normal rats

not enough protein for regular rats was the conclusion I got from Mike's findings..

[Mitch21]

I've actually used PVC fittings in some of my tubs before to act as chew toys and hides, and to my surprise the rats can't chew through the Schedule 40 PVC piping much at all.

And obviously you would fill the dispenser once it gets low. You shouldn't let any hopper/dispenser empty out for any amount of time and then decide to refill it. So the rats escaping is not a worry.

[suzuki4life]

I've actually used PVC fittings in some of my tubs before to act as chew toys and hides, and to my surprise the rats can't chew through the Schedule 40 PVC piping much at all.

And obviously you would fill the dispenser once it gets low. You shouldn't let any hopper/dispenser empty out for any amount of time and then decide to refill it. So the rats escaping is not a worry.

I would make extra sure that hopper stays full...because a hopper will have no trouble getting through the hole or the screen. The climb MIGHT slow them down...but depends entirely on how developed they are at that point.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

nice hopper. Only problem i see with it is they will make a game out of taking the food out of it... not just to eat it. so you will still probably see a lot of wasted food when you clean. (this is why i simply dump measured amounts directly on the substrate on scheduled days)

sooner or later they will manage to pull out that hardware cloth (or enlarge the holes enough to get in), pull out the feed, and run up the pipe. Because of this you have to put an end cap on it. they are like 50 cents. just don't glue it so you can easily pull it off for refilling the tube.

[Mitch21]

If major problems arise, I'll get rid of the dispensers... but for now (lol the past 24 hours) they're working.

For a total of about $8.50 and one hour of my time, I figured I'd give it a try.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

they look good, and should work pretty good. just make sure you get those caps!!!! (take it from me as someone who once had 65 adult asf's running loose in my garage....)