Feeding for Reproduction and Growth

Feeding rats for reproduction and growth

The period of pregnancy and particularly lactation places particular nutritional demands on the doe's body, resulting in special nutritional requirements. Kittens likewise are growing at a phenomenal rate and to achieve their potential, nutritional needs must be met. This applies to the quality and quantity of the doe's milk as well as the food given to weanlings.

A word about pregnant does
I do not feel that it is necessary to do more than continue a pregnant doe's regular diet (assuming this is good quality), slowly increasing the quantity available and with the addition of a large daily portion of curly kale, spring greens, clover or young dandelion leaves. Fat does tend to have more birthing problems so efforts should be made to avoid overfeeding. Where the doe is a youngster herself she should still continue on normal diet – which in her case should be diet for growth – such as is outlined in this article. If a young pregnant rat is fed only ‘rat mix’ she will deplete he own reserves and her growth/immune health will probably be adversely affected.

Principles of feeding lactating does and weanling kittens
Nursing does require a diet that is rich in protein, carbohydrate, minerals (especially calcium, magnesium and phosphorus) and vitamins. It is important that a nursing doe is given the necessary nutrition to enable her to cope with the high demands of her kittens, otherwise she will raid her own skeleton and body tissues in an effort to supply her offspring. Nursing does require between two and four times the normal amount of protein when they are lactating. Digestible protein (as opposed to crude protein) is relatively easy for a rat to absorb. Organic calcium, on the other hand, needs other vitamins and minerals to enable the rat to absorb it - notably magnesium and vitamin D. Another essential mineral for growing bones is phosphorus but, as it occurs naturally in the cereals and grain that they eat as part of their staple diet, we do not need to worry about supplementing it, as a lactating doe would simply increase the amount she would normally eat. A lactating doe may pass up to 200 mg of calcium and 140 mg of phosphorus into the milk in one day.

A few years ago I reviewed my own feeding program for lactating does and their litters, and now rely heavily on fresh foods. I make a constant provision of a high quality grain mix (based on my normal rat diet but with extra Burns kibble to increase the protein/calorie content). Along side this (and making up at least 50% of the overall diet) I feed large quantities of high quality fresh foods.

Fresh foods

• Daily (large) portion of curly kale, clover or young dandelion leaves.
• Broccoli.
• Carrot.
• Chicken (whole wings and drumsticks provide the higher protein flesh and the benefits of mineral rich bones to chew on).
• Egg (scrambled, boiled and chopped, mixed into porridge or soaked into wholemeal bread and cooked in a touch of olive oil).
• Fish – especially oily varieties (cooked and tinned [lowest salt] acceptable). Also shellfish.
• Lactol (bottled or made into porridge or over wholemeal bread).
• Dr Squiggles Insectivorous feast (a high quality high protein egg food).
• Nature Diet moist puppy food.
• High Life chicken and turkey cat food sachets.
• Banana and avocado pear.

Supplements
There are a number of supplements that are suitable and useful for growing families. Some of these are:

• Calcivet - saturated liquid calcium/magnesium supplement with vitamin D.
• Seaweed powder - benefits fertility, muscle, bone and tooth formation, coat and skin condition.
• Dried dandelion leaves – another excellent source of calcium and other minerals.
• Daily Essentials or Essentials Plus - general multivitamin/mineral supplements.

Growing period
This is a time of rapid (but gradually decreasing) growth, and adequate diet is necessary for a rat to fulfil its physical potential and remain in good health. Growth requires protein for the development of body tissue, calories for energy (from carbohydrate and fat) and vitamins and minerals (notably calcium) for healthy bone and tissue production. Once growth slows right down (usually around 5 to 8 months, stopping altogether at around a year) it is obviously not necessary to give the same quantities of these nutrients, and failure to change feeding patterns can result in obesity and ill health later in life.

Weaning period
This is the period from about 14 to18 days onwards, when kittens first begin to take food other than their mother's milk. Rat kittens are normally fully weaned between 4 and 5 weeks, but continue to benefit from having some 'weaning diet' for some weeks after this. Weaning foods tend to be soft, moist and initially mimic the milky diet the kittens are used to. (See list above).

From 6 weeks to around 8 weeks – feed about 50% dry mix and 50% fresh food from above list. Daily greens.

From 8 weeks to around 3 months – gradually decrease the amount of fresh food given and the amount of protein. Daily greens.

From 3 months onwards – feed about 80-90% dry mix and 10-20% fresh food. At this point cut out the protein foods and feed mainly carbohydrates, legumes (peas, chick peas, beans etc), and the daily greens plus other vegetables and fruit.

A word on quantities
It cannot be over emphasised how much food a young, growing family will need. Kittens will remain undernourished even if they are given an excellent diet, unless they are given enough of it. As the doe will have eaten a number of placentas and tidied up after the birth she will often eat very little in the first 24 hours post delivery. After this she will begin to eat in earnest and her appetite will increase to match the increasing amount of milk that she is producing for her offspring. This will reach a maximum somewhere around 3 weeks post delivery. After this the volume of food eaten by the babies gradually increases, and the demands of lactation gradually decrease. But the volume of food eaten by the growing family as a whole will continue to increase. As a general rule the family should have food available to them at all times. If you are returning to empty bowls you need to increase the volume given or the frequency of meals (2 or 3 per day). Whether or not their nutritional requirements are being met is fairly easy to assess, simply by watching the progress of both doe and kittens. Most mothers lose a little weight between the second and fourth weeks when the demands of lactation are at their highest. Equally most does return to excellent condition by the time the babies go to their homes at 6-8 weeks. The kittens should be 'substantial' and plump, their tails round and increasingly thick. Generally those who have been fed to their requirements will have come into their shiny 'adult' coats by 5 and a half to 6 and a half weeks.