I try to do about 19% protein for the rats. Do you have pig farmers where you live? Hog feed is ok for rats. It has the correct protein and is pretty cheap. A commercial dog food is ok as long as the protein is not too high. Its hard to find one with the correct content. The problem with dog food is it will greatly shorten the life of your rats. If you plan to rotate out the breeding females every few months it shouldnt be a problem if you have no other choice.
The male rat should not hurt the babies as long as he is the one who fathered them. Just be sure there is only one male to each group of females.
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