How much food do rats go through?

[GregBennett]

it is irrelevant if you can double the females.....you still only have so much space versus just running two colony racks. Plus we are talking output per rat, per consumption, per space....birthing racks may seem more humane and allow babies to grow larger but output and production still pales versus keeping them in colony form non stop.

I've been breeding rats for a very looong time so we'll just have to agree to disagree on the subject of birthing bins.

I will also add: every successful large scale rodent production facility I've seen uses birthing bins. On a small scale level keeping females and babies in one bin may work.

I'll let this thread get back on topic.

I've never kept track of how much food each of my rats eat. I've always wondered but have never come up with a good way to keep track.

[chromeitout]

Well, unsure on rats alone. I have 5.20 rats and around 60.400 mice breeders. The rats are fed off as smalls, but the mice are used at all ages. I normally have around 200 adult feeder mice all the time. So about 700 adult mice and 25 adult rats I go through about 75 lbs of 6f per week. I only feed about 60 snakes, but I sell to pet stores as well.

[Zach Spyker]

thanks again for all the data.
I just went out and bought some muzuri rat/mouse food the other day and noticed it says on the package aprx. how much a rat and how mucha mouse will go through in a day.

"Adult Rats: 16 - 26 grams per day (approx. 4 to 7 pellets)
Adult Mice 4 - 5 grams per day (approx. 1 to 2 pellets)"

[chromeitout]

"Adult Rats: 16 - 26 grams per day (approx. 4 to 7 pellets)
Adult Mice 4 - 5 grams per day (approx. 1 to 2 pellets)"

That's funny, there's no tellin how many tons of that stuff I've gone through and have never read the bag. Go figure.

[littleindiangirl]

I believe the average is 5g/food per 100g/weight for each rat. This is usually right on when I sit to do the numbers.

Also take in to account that most lab blocks are jammed packed full of nutrition, whereas some cheap dog feed, I see my rats just fly through it and look like crap after a week.

Hey, maybe I'm just picky, but I hate feeding doggy bag to my rats. Stink to high hell, get all greasy, and blow through it in no time. Yuck.

[suzuki4life]

I believe the average is 5g/food per 100g/weight for each rat. This is usually right on when I sit to do the numbers.

Also take in to account that most lab blocks are jammed packed full of nutrition, whereas some cheap dog feed, I see my rats just fly through it and look like crap after a week.

Hey, maybe I'm just picky, but I hate feeding doggy bag to my rats. Stink to high hell, get all greasy, and blow through it in no time. Yuck.

I finally found this elusive "doggie bag" here locally....


at $16/40 lbs....didn't seem like a better deal than 6F

[steveboos]

I finally found this elusive "doggie bag" here locally....


at $16/40 lbs....didn't seem like a better deal than 6F

I've made the same realization as of late. It cost me $25 for a 50 lb back of 6F, so why would i spend $15 a 40 lb bag of dog food that falls through the mesh, doesn't have the correct nutrition except for protein and the rats just straight up stink. Just special order yourself some Mazuri and just order ahead to make sure you never run out.

[suzuki4life]

I've made the same realization as of late. It cost me $25 for a 50 lb back of 6F, so why would i spend $15 a 40 lb bag of dog food that falls through the mesh, doesn't have the correct nutrition except for protein and the rats just straight up stink. Just special order yourself some Mazuri and just order ahead to make sure you never run out.

I am always looking for an alternative in feeds....

I use hog feed/seed and then supplement 6f to TRY to lengthen the life of the 6f until I could find SOMETHING to provide the fat content I was looking for. I thought the answer was dog food....but with the 3 combined by bill became $28/bag..much higher than the $18 a bag for bulk 6F

[littleindiangirl]

Lately we've been having really spotty service getting Mazuri,... I wonder if there are production problems at the plant, or if it's just the pet store I'm going to. I'm ready to throw in the towel and drive to the next town over for Kent from now on, unless TSC decides they can get it for me too.

I do prefer 6F, but I've been waiting for close to a month now for 6F to come in. We had to buy a little 25lb bag of the Purina Lab Diet, and 50 lb bags of the same crap last month for close to $30 a damn bag (more expensive because it can be sterilized) and stretching with dog food until my order comes in.

[phoerner]

I go through 4000lbs every 35 days. Here is a complete chart..
Rats

Scientific Name: Rattus novegicus
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Body Temp: 90 degrees F (35.9 - 37 5 degrees C)
Respiration Rate: 85.5 BPM

Weight:

* Adult Male 300 g
* Adult Female 200 g
* Newborn 5 g

# Water Consumption: 40 ml (100 ml/kg/day)

Food Consumption: 32 gm (100 ml/kg/day)

Sexual Maturity:

* Male 13 weeks
* Female 13 weeks

# Estrus Cycle: 4 - 5 days

Gestation period: 20 - 22 days

Life Span: 3 years

Avg. Litter size: 7 - 11

Breeding Life:

* Male 1.5 years
* Female 1.5 years

# Age at weaning: 21 days

Recommandad Temperature: 64.4-78.8 degrees F(18-26 degrees C)

Relative Humidity: 40 -70%

Photo Period (light/dark): 12/12

Identification Methods: ear notch, punch; tattoo

* Housing Requirements: floor area/animal = 17 - 70 sq. in.
__________________________________________________

Mice

Scientific Name: Mus musculus

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Body Temp.: 99 degrees F (36.5-38 degrees C)

Respiration Rate: 163 BPM

Weight:

* Adult Male 25 - 50 gm
* Adult Female 25 - 50 gm
* Newbom 1.0 gm

# Water Consumption: 15 ml/100 gm/day

Food Consumption: 15 gm/100 gm/day

Sexual Maturity:

* Male 7 weeks
* Female 7 weeks

# Estrus Cycle: 4 - 5 days

Gestation period: 19 - 21 days

Life Span: 2 years

Avg. Litter size: 5 - 10 pups

Breeding Life:

* Male 8 months
* Female 8 months

# Age at weaning: 21 days

Recommended Temperature: 64.4-78.8 degrees F(18-26 degrees C)

Relative Humidity: 4 0 - 7 0 %

Identification Methods: ear tags, ear punch, notch

Photo Period (light/dark): 10/14

* Housing Requirements: floor area/animal = 6 -15 sq. in.