How much food do rats go through?

[Arabesqueboa]

Jason what food do you use, just reading the other responses I was thinking the amount you go thur is alot more than say suzuki4life (6.30 goes through about 12 lbs of 6f per month).

As you stated (13.43 breeders I go through about 75 lbs a month)

If you just double suzuk4life from 6.30 to 12.60 she would average 24 lbs a month.

That 12.60 ratio would be more than you group of 13.43 and you go thru 75 lbs, curious as to what brand you use.

Personally I feel suzuk4life's 12 lb's is alittle off.

[FatBoy]

I feed over 100 ball pythons at one location and 50 or boas at another location. I use Doggie Bag and go through 80-100lbs per week. $12/40lbs bag.

[suzuki4life]

Jason what food do you use, just reading the other responses I was thinking the amount you go thur is alot more than say suzuki4life (6.30 goes through about 12 lbs of 6f per month).

As you stated (13.43 breeders I go through about 75 lbs a month)

If you just double suzuk4life from 6.30 to 12.60 she would average 24 lbs a month.

That 12.60 ratio would be more than you group of 13.43 and you go thru 75 lbs, curious as to what brand you use.

Personally I feel suzuk4life's 12 lb's is alittle off.

no sounds right on...

two racks in the house used a bag of 6f about once a month

you also have to keep in mind if he is feeding offspring in his figures. I wean at 2.5 to 3 weeks and then they do not affect my figures.

43 females with 10 offspring each....consumption could skyrocket.

[jason79]

Jason what food do you use, just reading the other responses I was thinking the amount you go thur is alot more than say suzuki4life (6.30 goes through about 12 lbs of 6f per month).

As you stated (13.43 breeders I go through about 75 lbs a month)

If you just double suzuk4life from 6.30 to 12.60 she would average 24 lbs a month.

That 12.60 ratio would be more than you group of 13.43 and you go thru 75 lbs, curious as to what brand you use.

Personally I feel suzuk4life's 12 lb's is alittle off.

I get my feed from a rat supplier that lives near me. He has it special made for him for rats and mice. He is the same guy I sell all my excess rats to. And the reason I use much more than him might be the number of offsprig I get and have to feed.

[Arabesqueboa]

Thanks to both of you for the responses, I really didn't figure any offspring growing up because it wasn't mentioned. So that clears that up, thanks.

jason what kind of numbers are you producing with that group of 13.43?

[jason79]

Right now I get about 125 a month. But I am working on getting a birthing rack set up and I think those numbers will go way up. I seem to loose alot of baby's in the community tubs.

[Arabesqueboa]

Thanks for the info, ya I would say you take a big hit on the production.

[suzuki4life]

Right now I get about 125 a month. But I am working on getting a birthing rack set up and I think those numbers will go way up. I seem to loose alot of baby's in the community tubs.

Using a birthing rack will probably end with close results.

I mean in theory if all 43 females dropped litters of 10=430 babies....

one month gestation+one month in the birthing rack+ one more month of gestation= 430 babies over 3 months time frame

that's roughly 144 a month.(430/3)

That's building of 2 racks and down time you could be producing for a gain of 19 babies a month.

[GregBennett]

Using a birthing rack will probably end with close results.

I mean in theory if all 43 females dropped litters of 10=430 babies....

one month gestation+one month in the birthing rack+ one more month of gestation= 430 babies over 3 months time frame

that's roughly 144 a month.(430/3)

That's building of 2 racks and down time you could be producing for a gain of 19 babies a month.

You can double the number of females in rotation. I always have the same number of females in the breeder bins.

I've found that I lose more than half the babies if I have more than 2 females in one bin. One female seems to end up doing all the work and see can't handle the work load so the babies suffer. Another good point for birthing bins is they allow you to see if a mother is doing her job and is a good mom or eating babies or just not having that many babies per litter.

[suzuki4life]

You can double the number of females in rotation. I always have the same number of females in the breeder bins.

I've found that I lose more than half the babies if I have more than 2 females in one bin. One female seems to end up doing all the work and see can't handle the work load so the babies suffer. Another good point for birthing bins is they allow you to see if a mother is doing her job and is a good mom or eating babies or just not having that many babies per litter.

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.