where do you get them?
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lab rats...
the-mikester
Jun 06, 2003 04:00 PM
Replies (6)
patricia sherman
Jun 06, 2003 08:36 PM
>>where do you get them?
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tricia
crazyhorse
Jun 07, 2003 07:35 AM
I wouldnt feed lab rats,who knows what has been injected or fed to them
sartori
Jun 07, 2003 06:05 PM
those arent really concerns when dealing with lab strain animals..
first off a lab isnt going to sell you animals that have been injected with anything..
secondly labs feed their rodents strict diets of LAB BLOCKS (hence the name) to their rodents so they all recieve the exact same intake so it doesnt throw off experiements done on the animals..
lab animals would be far more safe to feed than petstore animals IMHO
dan
mkreptiles
Jun 12, 2003 05:52 PM
I agree with Dan.
Labs spend way too much money per rat to just sell them off as food.
All the rats you get from a lab are their excess. They breed far more then they use.
There is no chance that any of those rats have been injected or exposed to any disease.
They also do feed all their rodents with the appropriate Lab Diet depending on type of strain. There are many kinds of Lab Diets available with different protein and fat percentages.
As for breeding.... I have many females that were obtained from a local lab and other breeders. I have to say that out of the hundred females that I am breeding the lab strain females definately out produce the others...ie. hooded, dumbo and rex's
Mike King
MK Reptiles
mykee
Jun 16, 2003 09:28 PM
Mike hit the nail right on the head. I also breed Harlan-Teklad lab rats, and they, by far, out-produce my 'pet' quality rats. For a first litter, most 'pet' quality rats, produced between 8-12 rats, with maybe one or two still borns thrown in there for good measure. My lab rats, as a first litter, produce between 10-16 with virtually no stillborns.
DeMak
Jun 07, 2003 08:52 PM
Why do you want them? I know some people swear by them but consider:
Breeders of feeders are just as concerned with production volume as breeders of lab strains, maybe even more concerned because of lower profit margins.
Their price has alot to do with their value as lab animals, i.e. they are geneticaly the same so that they respond the same, they are raised in tightly controlled enviroments so that they don't have infections that could skew an experiment, they are availlable so that others can replicate an experiment.
Many people get fine results with pet store rats. I average 12 per litter out of a tiny colony (1.5) and thats actually too many for my snakes. Extras go in the freezer, when thats full, they go to a rescue group.
DeMak
