Experiments on the food preferences of wild rats (<i>Rattus norvegicus</i>Berkenhout)

Barnett, S. A.; Spencer, Mary M.

doi:10.1017/s002217240001545x

Cited by 35 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Nile rat responses to groundnut oil were similar to those shown by Philippine rice rats (R. r. mindanensis) (Kuehnert, 1976). In contrast, Norway rats have been shown to increase acceptance when wheat or whole meal was treated with groundnut oil (Barnett and Spencer, 1953). We should emphasise that Nile rats may have preferences for other vegetable oils even though groundnut oil tended to be rejected by the animals in our study.…”

Section: Laboratory Testscontrasting

confidence: 58%

“…We should emphasise that Nile rats may have preferences for other vegetable oils even though groundnut oil tended to be rejected by the animals in our study. Many reports (Crabb and Emik, 1946;Barnett and Spencer, 1953;Shumake, 1978) have indicated that rats of a given species will show varying degrees of preference for certain oils added to their food.…”

Section: Laboratory Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Johnson (1946) found that rolled oats with mineral oil and sugar were accepted more readily than meat and fruit. Barnett and Spencer (1953) found that rats in colonies preferred wheat meal mixed with sugar to wheat meal alone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food Preference in the Nile RatArvicanthis niloticus

Suliman

Shumake²,

Jackson

1984

Tropical Pest Management

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Individually tested Nile rats, Arvicanthis niloticus Desm., consistently preferred sorghum to wheat, groundnuts and standard laboratory food, and whole sorghum to cracked and ground sorghum. The addition of 5% sugar enhanced their consumption of sorghum bait. Similar results were obtained with groups of 2-4 animals in enclosures. Whole sorghum to which 2% by weight groundnut oil and 5% sugar had been added was preferred over all other foods. Small groups of rats in four enclosures were exposed to 0.18% zinc phosphide baits with either the normal cracked sorghum or the experimental whole sorghum-oil-sugar formulation. During pre-baiting the rats consumed twice as much of the experimental bait as they did of the normal. During toxic baiting, however, consumption and mortality were similar for both baits. It is suggested that the experimental bait could be useful for attracting more rats to bait stations and that zinc phosphide may be effective at lower levels than usually applied for the control of A. niloticus populations.

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Section: Laboratory Testscontrasting

confidence: 58%

Section: Laboratory Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food Preference in the Nile RatArvicanthis niloticus

Suliman

Shumake²,

Jackson

1984

Tropical Pest Management

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“…Feeding behaviour of rats and mice flour (75 % extraction) took very little of the wheat germ and fed almost entirely on the flour (Barnett & Spencer, 1953). These observations are also against the explanation of the choice being due to nutritional value.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The behaviour of rats and mice feeding on whole grains

Spencer

1953

J. Hyg.

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(With Plates 2 and 3)Samples of kibbled (broken) grain have been collected and examined during experiments on rodent control in the field and on rats and mice in the laboratory. The behaviour of rats and mice when eating whole grains has been observed, both in the laboratory and in colonies in conditions approximating to the wild. Kemper (1940) describes similar observations, though in less detail than is given here.The species studied were Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout, R. rattus Linnaeus and Mus musculus Linnaeus. The grains studied were wheat, barley, oats and maize. RATSRattus norvegicus and R. rattus do not differ greatly in the way in which they eat cereal grains. Direct observation of hungry rats shows that R. norvegicus more often takes mouthfuls of whole wheat back to the nest from an exposed position than does R. rattus; the grains are then disgorged and eaten one by one (Barnett & Spencer, 1951). Both species pick up one grain at a time, generally with their mouths and, squatting on their hind-quarters, hold the grain in their forepaws while eating it. The grain is held with the long axis towards the mouth, as a man holds a cigar, and is bitten across the long axis (P1. 2, figs. 1 and 4-6; P1. 3, figs. 7, 8). Both species leave similar residues of broken grain.Kibbled grain is found only when well-fed rats are supplied with a surplus, and its occasional absence in the field may be due to the fact that all the grain taken is removed to a nesting site or to a point under cover before it is consumed.Wheat. Wheat residues are shown in P1. 2, figs. 1-4. When wheat is kibbled the proportion of a grain discarded usually varies from a quarter to a half of its length. The discarded part is nearly always the bearded end of the grain. Small pieces of the bran consisting of pericarp and testa are also dropped and these may have pieces of endosperm attached (P1. 2, fig. 1).Soaked wheat residues are shown in P1. 2, fig. 3. These residues are quite different from those of plain wheat. Discarded bearded ends though present are less apparent; the more noticeable feature of the kibbling is the large semi-transparent pieces of bran which have been peeled off. There is also a marked increase in the number of grains which have been held at both ends and nibbled along the cheeks: the discarded pieces usually consist of the crease with small pieces of endosperm attached at each end.Oats. Oats contain a relatively large proportion of husk even after threshing. These husks are always bitten off and discarded, and the grain is then eaten from 3.2

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“…This would suggest that the palatability of the food was decreased duo to additives. This is a paradoxical situation because in many other rodents (•attus norvegicus; (Barnett and Spencer, 1953) and Rattus rattus (Khan 19 74) these additives have B K Son~, I Prakash and R P Mathur been found to have increased the consumption of the test foods. This observation may, however, indicate that due to these additives when the calori~c value of the food iazreases, their intake increases.…”

Section: Tastementioning

confidence: 99%

Laboratory evaluation of poison-base for the control ofFunambulus pennanti

Soni

Prakash

Mathur

1980

Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. (Anim. Sci.)

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Funambulus pennanti, the northern palm squirrel preferred wheat in its different forms out of ten cereals and oil seeds offered. It is revealed that the squirrels are selective feeders since out of eleven forms, i.e., whole, cracked, roasted and flour, wheat was found to be most palatable in seven trials followed by bajra (three trials) and jowar once. The addition of vegetable oils, salt and sugar does not enhance the bait acceptance. However, they preferred sugar in comparison to salt, and arachis and sesame oils. Wheat in its whole form is, therefore, recommended for use as a poison base for the control of F. pennanti. In the absence of wheat, cracked bajra can also be used, which is the next preferred bait. The calorific requirement of F. pennanti ranges from 16-18 to 34-98 k cal/100 g body weight/ day when the bait is provided in single food choice.

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Experiments on the food preferences of wild rats (Rattus norvegicusBerkenhout)

Cited by 35 publications

References 17 publications

Food Preference in the Nile RatArvicanthis niloticus

Food Preference in the Nile RatArvicanthis niloticus

The behaviour of rats and mice feeding on whole grains

Laboratory evaluation of poison-base for the control ofFunambulus pennanti

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