-
Hello!
Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.
Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....
Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.
Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.
Natal Rats...
- Thread starter bribrian
- Start date
snakemom1961
Spring is here!
Just a question here, I have mice who are preggers right now,and if they dont' eat them. Can any that are still born be fed to my snake? Not sure i'd want to do that was just wondering......thanksbribrian said:
Natal rat litter update
Here's the litter at 5 days with the mother, nasty biter that she is. Not much fur yet, just a little, but their markings are visible.
Here's the whole litter in their nest
Size comparison shot, 5 day old pinks
Here's the other female, looking pregnant as well
It's hard to tell from these pics, but it looks like a couple will be albinos, or at least very lightly colored.
Here's the litter at 5 days with the mother, nasty biter that she is. Not much fur yet, just a little, but their markings are visible.
Here's the whole litter in their nest
Size comparison shot, 5 day old pinks
Here's the other female, looking pregnant as well
It's hard to tell from these pics, but it looks like a couple will be albinos, or at least very lightly colored.
bribrian
Cubes "Я" Us
Good pics of the young ones, they're coming along nicely. I know what you mean about the biting, all mine go for the kill when a hand goes into the cage. :sidestep: I've resorted to thick rubber gloves at all times...lol...
No problem, it would just be like a freshly killed pinkie...snakemom1961 said:
new pics and another litter
Well, the 2nd female didn't look nearly as pregnant as the first one before giving birth, and I just found 13 new pinks in the nest. Much larger first litter, and she doesn't bite as much. Maybe this new litter will be keepers instead of the first.
The first litter is at 8-9 days old now, about 6-7 grams
Well, the 2nd female didn't look nearly as pregnant as the first one before giving birth, and I just found 13 new pinks in the nest. Much larger first litter, and she doesn't bite as much. Maybe this new litter will be keepers instead of the first.
The first litter is at 8-9 days old now, about 6-7 grams
Are they worth breeding?
Well now that I have a couple litters to compare, I have been able to watch the growth rate of natal rats as compared to mice.
At this point, at about 16 days old, I have a mouse litter born within a day of this natal rat litter and at this time the mice are almost the same weight, all around 10-12g. I currently need hoppers so I'm trying to grow out mice to 12-16g.
So far, natal rats seem to grow at pretty miuch the same rate as mice, so no time saving on smaller sizes at least.
One pic shows a mouse and natal rat both at 16days old. Other pic is my 1 albino or pink eye dilute natal rat. Anyone know what albino natal rats look like?
Well now that I have a couple litters to compare, I have been able to watch the growth rate of natal rats as compared to mice.
At this point, at about 16 days old, I have a mouse litter born within a day of this natal rat litter and at this time the mice are almost the same weight, all around 10-12g. I currently need hoppers so I'm trying to grow out mice to 12-16g.
So far, natal rats seem to grow at pretty miuch the same rate as mice, so no time saving on smaller sizes at least.
One pic shows a mouse and natal rat both at 16days old. Other pic is my 1 albino or pink eye dilute natal rat. Anyone know what albino natal rats look like?
Attachments
Perhaps I haven't been breeding them long enough to really make a determination, but frankly at this point I don't see any positive reason to favor breeding natal rats over mice or domestic rats. Sure the lack of a strong smell is nice, but they certainly are not odorless, and the lack of smell doesn't really make up for the numerous negative factors.
Pro -
1. No strong urine or feces smell
2. adults grow larger than mice
3. Allegedly they produce larger litters, a fact not borne out as of yet
Con -
1. overall bad temperament. They bite. a lot.
2. They do not allow handling, no fear of falling so they jump out of your hands from heights unlike mice and rats
3. Growth rate is as slow as mice, they take too long to grow to a decent size
4. They seem to start breeding at a later age than mice
5 while at early ages they are the same size as mice and grow at the same rate, they require much more space than mice. Space that would be more productive growing more mice.
6. Murky legal status. There is a CDC ruling about "African rodents", that may apply to natal rats, making them illegal to own or sell anywhere in the United States.
At this point I'm planning on letting them breed and grow until I have at least covered my initial outlay. I guess somewhere around 75-100 units of various sizes in the freezer.
Perhaps if my socialization efforts work and the new ones don't bite, I may change my mind, though I doubt it. I've heard too many comments from other breeders about them biting to expect it to be eliminated that easily.
Pro -
1. No strong urine or feces smell
2. adults grow larger than mice
3. Allegedly they produce larger litters, a fact not borne out as of yet
Con -
1. overall bad temperament. They bite. a lot.
2. They do not allow handling, no fear of falling so they jump out of your hands from heights unlike mice and rats
3. Growth rate is as slow as mice, they take too long to grow to a decent size
4. They seem to start breeding at a later age than mice
5 while at early ages they are the same size as mice and grow at the same rate, they require much more space than mice. Space that would be more productive growing more mice.
6. Murky legal status. There is a CDC ruling about "African rodents", that may apply to natal rats, making them illegal to own or sell anywhere in the United States.
At this point I'm planning on letting them breed and grow until I have at least covered my initial outlay. I guess somewhere around 75-100 units of various sizes in the freezer.
Perhaps if my socialization efforts work and the new ones don't bite, I may change my mind, though I doubt it. I've heard too many comments from other breeders about them biting to expect it to be eliminated that easily.
schilsound
getting out of hand.
Yea- the only real reason to own them is if you plan to/are breeding Ball Pythons- they're a much easier approach to problem feeder than Gerbils ever were [remind me NOT to tell the story of the freakshows I have sen at the actions of insane gerbil mothers!!!] and they don;t cause the same kind of colony/sociological issues.
NI GUY
Sci from N.I.
I have just started a colony myself and have I have also found the smell
is less compared to fancy mice.
I have to say I haven't found them aggressive.I can hold any of my colony like this,there pretty tame and cute and love to be stroked on the head and neck.
Saying that I have a line of fancys that would have your finger off
when they are young but are prolific breeders.
is less compared to fancy mice.
I have to say I haven't found them aggressive.I can hold any of my colony like this,there pretty tame and cute and love to be stroked on the head and neck.
Saying that I have a line of fancys that would have your finger off
when they are young but are prolific breeders.
Attachments
Well you lucked out there if they actually let you hold them.
I've been trying to socialize the new litters but once they reach about 2-3 wks they just jump away and don't want to be handled at all. So far the little ones aren't biting, so I'm hopeful.
Growth rate after 3 wks now is even slower than mice. At 26 days I just culled 3 males and they were only about 15g each.
Female 1 had her 2nd litter yesterday, 13 this time up from 8 the first time.
I've been trying to socialize the new litters but once they reach about 2-3 wks they just jump away and don't want to be handled at all. So far the little ones aren't biting, so I'm hopeful.
Growth rate after 3 wks now is even slower than mice. At 26 days I just culled 3 males and they were only about 15g each.
Female 1 had her 2nd litter yesterday, 13 this time up from 8 the first time.
schilsound
getting out of hand.
Numbers are up with some of the lab strains; seeing births in numbers of 15 or so.
But I have to restate; except for a couple of the lighter coats they're just unsocial as hell. I got another major bite on the right index while feeling for their water float just a couple days ago.
Mean gits. I need to post a couple pics
But I have to restate; except for a couple of the lighter coats they're just unsocial as hell. I got another major bite on the right index while feeling for their water float just a couple days ago.
Mean gits. I need to post a couple pics
bribrian
Cubes "Я" Us
Well, after an unsuccessful first litter, i appear to have at least 12 babies in this one. Fingers crossed that they look after these. I have to say that i'm very impressed with the lack of smell from them, certainly makes up for they're vampire attitude. Pics taken at 3 days old....
Attachments
attackturtle
Registered Superhero
schilsound said:
I have been considering gerbils... What stories?
:-offtopic