raising rabbits or rats for dogs

[goatilocks]

Ive been thinking about what Im gonna do when or if I can no longer buy dog food. I started thinking about raising meat rabbits for them. I was hoping to feed them raw, since ive heard feeding raw is what nature intended for them. My dogs weigh around 20 pounds for one, and about 30 pounds for the other two. So a total of 80 pounds of dogs to feed each day. Ive read that rabbits range between 8 ish and 11 ish pounds. Thats really to big. I was hoping I could just toss each dog something. Thats when I thought of rats. I raised rats before, when I had a boa. Its very easy and very prolific. We, as a family, do NOT plan on eating whatever we decide for the dogs. Is there any reason not to feed farm raised rats to my dogs?

 

[cheepo]

personally, I wouldn't think giving it raw...heard so much out there against raw meat for dogs...
but some still do it...
have you considered canning the meat....
canned meat mixed then stirred in with vegie discards would be a good meal...

 

[CheerioLounge]

There are several sites about feeding raw rabbit as dog food. Google "raw rabbit for dog food." Couldn't find anything about feeding a dog rats. (IMHO)

 

[donrae]

That's a very interesing idea. One would have to get past the BLECH factor, but I don't see why not. That's what Jack Russell and all those other rat terrier dogs were bred for, after all. We're currently looking into raising rats to feed our snake, only one pet store in town and they're always out. Demand seems pretty high. We'd have to manage the overflow, selling them is a possibility but I'd also thought of feeding them to the chickens. Hadn't thought of feeding them to the bbds (big black dogs).

And if it's my own, home raised meat, you bet I'd feed it to my dogs in a heartbeat. It is what they are designed to eat. We've done them a great disservice turning them into cooked meat and grain eaters.

 

[pinkfox]

actually raw IS the way to go if you can, as long as its balanced (bone to meat) youll be fine...

rabbit it perfect for raising raw...if your looking for "toss it whole" you can do what alot of snake breeders do and just not allow the baby rabbits to grow past the weight you want

raw feeding is generally 2-3% of the dogs ideal adult body weight, (depending on activity level) general rule of 2.5% if your dog is a good healthy weight,
so your 20lb dog will need 1/2 a lb (8oz) per day (perferably divided into 2 meals)
and th 30lbers will need about 3/4 a lb (12oz) per day (again preferbaly between 2 meals)

so this gives you a number of options...
i personally suggest doing "prey model" if going raw its the easiest way (and would fit into your toss it to them pretty much whole desire)

i wouldnt do rats/mice for anything other than cats as a main diet, the meat to bone ratio is a little off for dogs (there a little too high in bone), as a potential meal once a week though, absolutly...
i WOULD do meat rabbits, you can either wait for the buns to mature to the normal 8-12 week range and then just divide the bun up between the 3 (just make sure if doing this the dog that got a back leg on monday, gets a front leg and some ribs on tuesday...the idea being the dog eats 1 entire animal over the space of however many days an animal that weight would normally last...so a 5lb rabbit should last one 20lb dog 10 days...
or if you dont want th hassle of dividing up, weigh the kits daily and once there the right weight for your dogs meals whole. Butcher then...depending on the breed this could be as early at 3-5 weeks...this would also mean because your does arnt raising litters to completion (i woudlnt kill the entire litter but instead leave 1-2 with her for a few extra days to help her dry up) shell be ready to re-breed earlier than a doe that would be raising a litter to full weaning....

rabbit is going to be your most economincal meat, but some say that its too lean...
so i would also suggest raising cortinux or texas A&M Quail...one day baby rabbit, one day quail...
Id throw in eggs (with shell) once in a while and if possible 1 meal a week should be Fish (preferably an "oily" type like makeral or sardines, but ANY fish high in fish oil)

when doing a whole prey (intestines stomach ect) theres NO need to feed any kind of additional veggie or grain matter either.

this is what i personally plan on doing and is the basis behind my rabbit project (meat for me and the dogs)

right now im planning on raising rabbit and quail as mine and the animals primary meat sources. the quail are the perfect size for cats and smaller breed dogs...
rabbit is a "cheap" protein source that grows well, just cull the kits early (like snake owners do with young rabbit for thier snakes)

theres LOTS of info out there for raw feeding, but i deifnatly suggest focusing on "prey model raw" if this is somehting that realy intersts you because its the most naturally balanced method and the one with the least amount of work weighing measuring and trying to balance everything out.

also dont rule out the "byproducts" of any meat you raise for yourself, those chicken backs and necks (and turkey necks) and pig and cow tails ect make great additions to the dogs diet...

as a generality i think trying to breed rats as a main protein source for dogs of your dogs size youd have to have a good number of breeding groupd to get the kind of numbers you need.


cheepo, assuming the dog is healthy and the meals are balanced raw meat is 100% safe and natural for dogs, dogs stomachs are designed to digest RAW MEAT
(they actually cant digest grains and cant digest vegatables unless theyve been partially digested (pre-chewed or blended or heavily cooked first) a healthy dog is highly unlikely to deveop food poisening as thier stomachs are highly resistant to e-coli (again assuming a healthy dog)
the bacterias that make raw meat dangerous to humans if inproperly handled simply cannot survive in a dogs stomach as the ph is completly different and the digesitive tract much shorter.
dogs can also safely eat freezer burnt and even slightly "off" meats (they can even eat rancid but why would you feed it, but that meat you left in the fridge 1 day too many is completly safe for a healthy dog whos accustomed to eating a NATURAL diet)
dogs arnt made to eat cooked meat...if they were theyd have opposable thumbs so they could turn the spit over the fire...

 

[Denim Deb]

Found this.

http://www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Food_Diet/thread/672691

 

[terri9630]

Feeding raw is natural for dogs, but if your only considering it because of the price of dog food it probably won't be cheaper. Around here rabbit food costs more than dog food. If I fed my dog a rabbit a day I would have to breed a lot more and I already use the same amount of dog feed as rabbit feed.

 

[lorihadams]

We have a lady that feeds her show dogs raw only. She has a deal with a local processor that does beef to get the organ meat for her dogs. We also give her all our deer and chicken carcasses.

Rabbit meat would be fine for them. You may want to switch them to a feed that is no wheat, corn or soy and suppliment with the raw meat. That is what we do for our dogs and the dry food we use now has made a big difference in their condition. Our lab no longer has any yeast infections in his ears after switching and they have both lost weight. Their coat is much shinier and they overall just seem better.

We get our dog food from TSC, it is Diamond brand and is $27.99 for a 40lb bag but they don't need as much food as they would on a grain included feed. You could also use Taste of the Wild but it is more like $40 for a 40lb bag. Both are grain free. I highly recommend it if you have dogs with yeast issues, smelly ears, long ears, etc. I have a lab and a bassett hound and they both no longer have any ear issues. Everyone comments on how soft and silky their coat is, no more dandruff, better body condition and no more weird poops.

 

[the funny farm6]

I don't know why you couldn't feed rats. (I raise them also for hubbys snakes) and some of them can get good size in a hurry. We feed rat blocks supplimented with vegies and small amounts of grains(cracked corn and scratch grains) stale bread, and small amounts of dog food, and a little cooked meat. Mostly left overs.

Wolves in the wild eat rats and mice so it isn't too far out there. And with being home raised they wouldn't carry any disease. I might feed some to my dogs next time we have too many. I have joked about cooking them for my family. In some countrys they DO eat rats.

 

[pinkfox]

the biggest concern with rats is there a little high on the bone ratio...
(ive never heard of wolves and wild dogs eating rats as a main protein source, foxes yes, but wolves tend to go for rabbit, birds and baby deer)

but once again i wouldnt feed any single source of protein as th ONLY source...
id do rats if your comfortable (adult males can reach 1 1/2lbs so definatly an option for whole prey), baby rabbit and quail or chicken (bantams might be perfect )
Id alternate the 3 as the main pritein sources (youll get better balance by feeding 2-3 main protein sources) and then throw in a fish meal each week...

Ill be quite honest and say after having rats as pets, i dont think i could butcher them...theres just something about them LOL. there so stinking smart!