Feeding of Rat

Dr. Manju, G.U.

Assistant professor
Dept. Animal Nutrition
Introduction
Laboratory rats : Rattus rattus – Black rat
Rattus norvegicus – Norway rat
Rattus norvegicus – Brown rat
These are most preferred experimental model for biological research because
of :
1. Moderate size
2. High reproductive efficiency
3. Adaptability to diversified conditions including diet.
4. Can be used as source of biological materials (cells, antibodies serum etc)
5. For testing of drugs and pharmaceuticals
Physiological parameters of rats:
Birth weight:– 4-5 g
Eyes opened:– 14-16th days of age
Weaning age:– 21 days
Weaning weight:– 35g
Gestation period:– 21 days
Age at first litter:– 93 – 111days
Litter size:– 4-8
Productive life of female- 480 – 512 days
Life span:– 2.5 – 3 years
Adult rat weight: Male – 203g
Female – 193 g
Gastro intestinal tract of Rat:
These are omnivorous animals eating wide variety of
seeds grain and plant materials.
Stomach has both glandular and non glandular region
Small intestine is of moderate length
Ceacum is well developed
 Gall bladder is absent.
Comparative GIT of Rat and man
Feed Intake
Growing rat/ Adult rat for maintenance - 15g/rat/day
Pregnant rat - 15g/rat/day
Lactating rats - 30-40g/rat/day
Nutrient requirement:
Maintenance:-
Daily maintenance energy requirement of adult rat- 114kcal/ kg w0.75
Growth: -
Energy requirement for growth varies because of variation in
composition of weight gain, genetic efficiency and net protein and fat
production.
Growth rate of male is higher than female
Minimum avg. daily requirement for growing rat 227 kcal/ kg w0.75
Gestation and Lactation:
Energy requirement for gestation is 10-30% higher than non reproductive
female.
Daily ME requirement 143 kcal/kg w0.75– Early pregnancy
265 kcal/kg w0.75 – Late pregnancy

Lactation requirement is 2-4 times more than non lactating rats and it
depends on number of off springs nursed.
During peak lactation energy requirement is 311kcal/kg w0.75
 Protein
Requirement depends on:
1. Energy concentration in the diet
2. Amino acid composition of the proteins
3. Bio availability of amino acids
Maintainace :- 12% CP in the diet
Growth and gestation :- 18% CP
of the total protein 25-30% must be from animal origin
 Minerals (For both maintenance and production)
Ca should be 0.5%
P should be 0.4%
Fe – 35 mg/kg diet
 Fibre
Inclusion of fiber in rat diet not essential but inclusion found to be
beneficial.
Effect depends on properties of fiber ie. Viscosity, solubility and
fermentability.
Feeding fiber increases bulk of faeces and decreases intestinal transit time.
Inclusion of fiber lead to enlargement of colon and Ceacum and there will
be fermentation of fiber and release of VFA’s which can be used as energy
source.
Inclusion of fiber increases the utilisation of dietary nitrogen.
 Mouse Nutrition
Mice (Mus musculus) extensively used in biomedical research due to
1. Small size high fertility rate
2. Short gestation
3. Easy maintenance

They are extensively used because they are mammals and share high degree of
homology with humans
Mice are omnivorous can eat wide variety of seeds grains and plant materials
and animal origin food.
 Nutrient requirement
Energy :- As per NRC 1995
Daily ME for maintenance:- 160 kcal/kg w 0.75
Diet containing 3800 kcal /kg can meet the requirement
ME requirement of growing mice (21-42d) is 263 kcal ME/ w 0.75
During 3rd trimester of gestation energy requirement 358.5
kcal/kg w0.75
Fat : -
 Concentrated source of energy
 Source of essential fatty acids
Carrier of fat soluble vitamins
Fat level in the diet of mice should be 10-11%

Protein:-
Requirement depends on content of digestible AA’s
Diet having 18% CP support the growth of > 1g/day

Mineral:- Ca:- 1.2%; P 0.9%; Fe:- 255mg/kg

 NUTRIENT REQUIREMENT IN DIETS FOR RAT AND MICE

Nutrient Rats Mice

Maintenance Growth Gestation
Lactation
ME Kcal/kg 3800 3800 3800
Protein % 12 18 18-20
Fibre % 5 5 5
Methionine % 0.2 0.6 0.5
Lysine % 0.1 0.7 0.4
Calcium % 0.5 0.5 1.2
Phosphorus % 0.4 0.4 0.9
Iron mg/kg 35 35 255
BIS specifications for compounded feeds for laboratory mice and rats

Sl. No Characteristic Requirements

1. Moisture (Max)% 10
2. Crude protein (Min)% 24
3. Crude fat (Max)% 5
4. Crude fibre (Max)% 6
5 Total Ash (Max) 9
6. Acid insoluble ash (Max)% 1
7. Calcium (Min) 0.6
8. Available phosphorus (Min) 0.3
Types of diets for rats and mice during experiment
Since rats and mice are used for biomedical research, importance
should be give for feeding balanced ration to rats and mice as
nutrition will influence…
The genetic potential for growth
Reproduction
Response against pathogens
Nutrition will influence the research results.
Types of diets:-
1. Natural ingredients diets: -
Diet formulated from Agriculture and animal by products.
2. Purified diet: -
Concept of preparing purified diet is providing required nutrients in pure and highly
digestible form so that all the provided nutrient are better utilised.
Here extracted and purified raw materials are used such as pure sugar like
 Starch as source of carbohydrates
Casein and soya protein isolate as protein source.
Vegetable oils and lard as source of fat.
Chemically extracted cellulose as fiber source
Chemically pure inorganic salts and vitamins.
3. Chemically defined diet: -
This type of diet is prepared during research on specific chemicals or drug which
have chances of interacting with the other nutrients then such a interacting
nutrients are avoided in the diet.
When concentration and specific nutrients is essential only such ingredients are
included.
Such as:- Specific sugars – Glucose/ fructose/ Galactose
Specific amino acids
Defined triglycerides – Essential fatty acids
Inorganic salts- only required minerals in pure form
Vitamins- vitamin in chemically pure form
Such diets are called chemically defined diets they represents highest degree of
control over nutrient concentration.
These diets are usually less palatable and costlier
For feeding germ free and specific pathogen free animals, diets must be sterilized by
irradiation, autoclaving, gas fumigation and pasteurization
 Feeding of Guinea pigs
Introduction:
Domestic guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) are herbivorous animals being used as laboratory
animals like rat and mice since long time.
Male guinea pig called boar ; Female – Sow
Sex ratio 1:5
Avg litter size : 3.5 (1- 8)
Weight at birth – 85 -100g
Weaning age 12-14 days or at 170 g weight
Age to breed – 2.5 – 3 months
Gestation period – 66-72 days (68±2)
Breeding life : 4-6 months of age to 2 year
No. of litter / year – 3
Avg. Body weight of adult – 500g
Adult animal consume diet @ 7-8% of B.wt.
 GIT of Guinea pigs
Simple stomached animal
Lined with glandular epithelium
Intestine contain predominantly G+ve Bacteria
These bacteria contribute to nutritional needs both through direct absorption
of bacterial metabolite as well as through coprophagy.
Guinea pigs are strongly coprophagic eating faeces directly from anus or
cage floor.
Faeces contain essential vitamins produced by microbes by fermentation.
It has large semi circular Ceacum with numerous lateral pouches which help
in synthesis of vitamin and essential amino acids by microbes and recycling
of intestinal content by coprophagy.
Feeding habit:
Guinea pig takes small meals throughout the day
Feed intake is influenced by form of diet and composition of diet,
pelleting and moistening of diet will improve the intake.
Growing Guinea pig consume:- 20-30g/d
Adult Guinea pig consume : - 30-50g/d
Pregnant and lactating :- 40-60g.
Growth rate: -
Normally gain 5-7g/day during rapid growth when allowed to eat
adlibitum.
 Growth slows after 2 months maturity is reached ie after 5
months of age.
Weight gain continue un till 12- 15 m of age levels off at 700-850
g for female and 950-1200g for males.
Diet of Guinea pigs / Nutrient requirement
Energy content of diet should be 2800 – 3500 kcal/kg
 30% of the total protein requirement should come from animal source like
fishmeal skim milk.
Guinea pig lack enzyme Gulano lactone oxidase.
Hence Vit C should be supplemented.
Young growing guinea pig have relatively high dietary requirements for
arginine and folic acids.
Guinea pig needs to be provided with linoleic acid @ 4g/kg to meet dietary
essential fatty acids or add 1% ground nut oil or corn oil
Diet should contain 9-18% CF
Green fodder like berseem lucernce cabbage cowpea etc are given along
with stock diet.
 Nutrient specification in the diet of Guinea pig

Nutrients BIS (%) NRC (%)

Crude protein 22 18
Ether extract 4 1.33 – 4.0
Crude fiber 9-14 15
Total Ash 9 8-9
Calcium 1.2 0.8-1.0
Phosphorus 0.6 0.4 – 0.7
Vitamin C 200 mg/kg 200 mg/kg
 Model diet for Guinea pig

Feed ingredients (g/kg diet)

Cowpea grain/Oat hay 250
grounded
Maize grain / wheat grain 400
Bengal gram grain 200
Soybean meal 60
Fish meal 75
Mineral mixture 10
Salt 4.5
Vitamin C 0.5

About 10-20g of green fodder may be offered to each animal to meet Vit A requirement
 Diets for guinea pigs may be formulated as per the
specification below using any method of ration formulation.
Nutrient requirement Sample Diet
DE Kcal/kg 2800 Ingredient G/Kg
Protein % 18 Alfalfa meal 350
Fibre % 15 Ground wheat 236
Calcium % 0.8-1 Ground oats 252.5
Phosphorus % 0.4-0.7 Soyabean meal 120
Zinc mg/kg 20 Ground limestone 10
Iron mg/kg 50 Iodized salt 7.5
DCP 5
Soybean oil 15
Minerals and 4
vitamins
Questions related to laboratory animals
I. Fill in the blanks with suitable answers.
1. Maintenance energy requirement of adult rat is ____ kcal/kg w0.75
2. Energy requirement of rat in gestation is higher than adult
maintenance requirement by _____%.
3. Maintenance energy requirement of adult mice is ____ kcal/kg w0.75
4. Fat level in the diet of mice should be _______%
5. According to BIS compound feed of rat and mice should have ____%
of CP.
6. Vitamin C is essential in the diet of Guinea pig since it lacks ______
enzyme for synthesis of vitamin c.
7. Crude fiber level in the diet guinea pig should be ______%
8. According to BIS the diet of guinea pig should have ____ % CP.
II. Answer the following.
1. Why rat and mice are selected as biological model for the
experimental purpose.
2. Why fiber should be included in rat and mice diet.
3. Write in detail types of diet for laboratory animals.