Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
When i first breedeing rats i got the fortie diet..and i got large rats..Then i switched to dog..OL'ROY and now my rats are reaching jumbo and colossal...This dog food is high in proteun..Could this be why they get so big??
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Anthony

1.0 Ball Python
0.1 Columbian red-tail
1.0 Pastel Columbian red-tail
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That's what I feed mine, Ol' Roy. Someone here suggested that. They are growing fast and breeding well so I guess it is good stuff.

>>Hi,
>> When i first breedeing rats i got the fortie diet..and i got large rats..Then i switched to dog..OL'ROY and now my rats are reaching jumbo and colossal...This dog food is high in proteun..Could this be why they get so big??
>>-----
>> Anthony
>>
>>1.0 Ball Python
>>0.1 Columbian red-tail
>>1.0 Pastel Columbian red-tail
>> My Email MY photo gallery MY PHOTO GALLERY
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JMHO, FWIW, YMMV.

the high protein certainly would allow for fast growth in rats. Too much protein can cause problems though, notmally showing up as scabs all over the skin and excessive itching. I feed my rats purina dog chow without preservatives or dyes with 19% or higher protein and about 8% or more fat if I remember correctly. I also mix in a cerial mix as well, for a better balanced diet. Only knew in the rat breeding game but my first batch of babies are growing fast to breedable age and should have litters of their own in a few weeks. My other adult females are both pregnant and one is close to birthing. The two males I have were already fully grown when I got them, both are 600g or more now.

I, also, use the cheaper brands of dog food available for my rats... they have a higher grain content and the right protein content to produce good growth and healthy pups. I usually use Ol Roy or America's Pride (50$ for $8) mix that with sunflower seeds, some cracked corn and rolled oats and thats the mix I use for all my rodents (gerbils and Rats) All of them produce well on it.. It takes me about 2.5 months to get all my females to breeding size and my males are breedable at a little over 6-7 weeks.
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Lucien

1.0 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh)
2.2 Leopard geckos (2 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 1 het Blizzard (Lilith) and 1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
5 Gerbils
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
2 cats (Sahara and Hercules)