When To Cull ASF Rats

[msav]

I posted this in Jason's thread and realized that it may be better as a thread of its own for maximum exposure and more suggestions, and easier to search in the future if someone else has this question. 


I am now looking at about 80-100 juvenile ASF rats. I am trying to get a feel for the most economical time to Cull them. Trying to get their weight high enough to supply the most amount of food for the ferrets to the amount of food to keep feeding the rats. doing some weight calculations on my Adult males, I have found them to be 2.4 - 2.8 oz. Right now my largest Juvenile male is about 1.9 oz.



Organic rat mix is expensive so as soon as they reach the target weight they need to be culled. Just need to determine that target weight.



I have used only males in the measurement above, Because I am not sure if any of my Adult females are pregnant and nursing and that would throw off the measurement basis for the Juvenile females.



The big question is how much feed is it going to take to get the males to the Adult weight of 2.4 - 2.8 oz and is it worth the feed to do it. I just hate wasting a life and would like to get maximum food per life while minimizing cost to feed once their weight hits the target weight.





I imagine you have already thought this through with your mice and wondering what you determined.



Unlike your mice My ASF rats are living in perfect harmony with almost 50 per bin. so No need to Cull them because they are fighting, As long as I don't accidentally toss a female in there they will not be any drama.



Read more: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/16395/plunge-new-mouse-colony?page=5#ixzz3R5sHdd75

[RedSky]

I can't offer any advice but wanted to say:
WOW! That must be a big bin with 50 rats in it!

[msav]

36in x 24in x 7in bin.

I have about 70 4 week old ASF in one of them as well. but they are still small.

My Current count minus my 18 breeders is 176.

I have about 78 pinkies born this week.

I may end up dispatching before I want to just to make room.

I will snap a couple of pics of them tonight when I get home. 

[bitbyter]

WOW, 18 breeders. I'd be scared to go that large. Right now I have one ASF group breeding and another maturing to be a breeding group.

As your babies are weaned, have you just been putting them in with the older previous litter in a growout tub? I've been considering that route but am not sure about how it will work because of ASF's territorial nature.

[msav]

As long as they are a only a couple of weeks age difference I have had no issues. at about 6-8 weeks I separate them by sex and they are just fine. I only had that one psycho rat that went on an attack spree.

SO I am using 4 bins for growouts and 4 bins for breeders. The growouts are one 7-8 week old for Males and one for females, and 2 bins for the 4-5 week old un-separated.

my breeder bins are 2 1:5 bins and 2 1:4 bins. I seem to be getting constant babies. by the time they are weaned I have new pinkies. I almost think the females hold off giving birth until I remove the wean-lings. Just has been working out like this lately.


Any older that 8 weeks I would go through the breaking up groups instructions found on this page www.metalmonkeyexotics.com/blog/?page_id=822

[msav]

pic of the 7-8 week old bin


pic of the 4-6 week old bin

[bitbyter]

Cool, thanks. What are you using for bedding?

[msav]

same litter as what I use for the ferrets. Swheatscoop.

It clumps where they pee. Generally in one or two corners, so I only have to scrape out the corners. Really cuts down on the work.

I leave the seed shells in there as extra litter helps give them traction in the litter.