Any small animal better than raising guinea pig for meat?

[aPrimitive]

I'm not seeing rats as being better. My rats are Dumbos (which are supposed to be larger than the fancy rat). But It appears that unless I get a larger breed of rat they are still smaller than guinea's. I've never had a guinea pig before so I can't say from personal experience. And after further research I see that guinea pigs are strict vegetarians, and rats are omnivores. Rats can carry illness much easier and are unless diet requirements are kept end up being quite unhealthy.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Honestly, neither of those options are going to feed your family unless you have a LOT of them. The meat to carcass ratio is pretty terrible. The only thing rats have on guinea pigs is they produce more offspring and grow faster.

If you are looking for more self sustainable meat, I would go with rabbits. A few pairs would produce plenty for your family to eat. They do well on copious grass hay with supplemented veggies. I recommend pellets during pre-apocalyptic times, but feeding them on non-commercialized food is certainly doable.

They would produce a good amount of meat with little to spare in case you did not have access to refrigeration. Killing and gutting them is also easier (dunno if you've ever had to cut up a rat or guinea pig, but it is not easy!)

Rabbits can give birth in 30 days and the offspring are usually big enough in a few months (I'm talking larger breeds here) They are also easier to get and do well in the winter. Guinea pigs can not be outside in the winter. Additionally, rabbit fur is quite useful, making the entire animal useful for some purpose.

As for rats, is be careful giving any animal raw meat. At the vet hospital, a lot of animals (dogs, cats, etc) are brought in for salmonella from raw meat. Not only that, any raw meat that touches the animal can potentially spread to humans from contact or through feces.

 

[Plough]

I'm looking in to homesteading soon, but I want to get my household animals on a raw feed diet again and I don't want to buy chicken for them from the super-market like last time.

OP was looking to feed household animals a meat source not to feed a family.

 

[donrae]

I'm not sure why rabbits are a bad choice? The seem to do just fine in the wild here, so what's the feed issue that's more complex than guinea pigs?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Rabbits can do well outdoors... You just have to raise them special to get them used to it. Feed them lots of the plants you want them to eat the minute they hop out of the nest box. Their instincts tell them to eat only what mom eats or what tastes good so show them every good food source you can think of when they're young. Then they need a really dry, really safe place to sleep at night with extra hay. FCR and general production will still be higher than guinea pigs.

Think of it this way... Guinea pigs are south American... They have a lot more sun and heat and resultant plant life there. South American guinea pigs are 3Xs the size of the American ones and are ready to eat at 3mos. They don't handle cold well at all and need lots of supplemental lighting and heat. Rabbits are northern animals designed specifically to survive our climates. They have big ears to cool off in our hot summer and warm fur so they don't loose condition in the winter.They grow fast, produce well even in the winter and can eat nothing but quality hays and some sparse veggies and still produce. An alfalfa & orchardgrass mix can be expected to have 15-18% protein. They can produce lots of babies off of feed like that.

My rabbits eat primarially hay. They produce and successfully raise litters of 8-10 kits pretty regularly that give me 3lbs of feed at 3mo. Guinea pigs will never be able to say the same and they will be dead weight in the winter. I have three litters growing out right now and two more on their way and its in the 20s! Cant beat rabbits.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

I'm not sure why rabbits are a bad choice? The seem to do just fine in the wild here, so what's the feed issue that's more complex than guinea pigs?

Nothing is wrong with rabbits. I've had both GPs and Rabbits. Rabbits are more fragile in a whole, but more survive birthing than GPs (quite a few die). Rabbits tend to have more issues feeding wise, they do best on a consistent source of food (like pellets) vs GPs that can thrive on whatever. Rabbits can too, but the growth is stunted more than GPs.
Just depends on your climate like what Mouse was saying. Rabbits are better if you live somewhere cold, since they don't do hot weather, and GPs vice versa. GPs only work if you can graze them, otherwise you spend WAY more on them than rabbits per lb.

 

[aPrimitive]

I do plan to raise rabbits just later once land and other things are in place and prepared, I just don't want to have enough to make them the main feed for my cats and dogs, but a side for my animals and yes to help feed my family.

 

[mudvstheory]

Don't forget geese. They are vegetarian.

 

[abbymckinn]

You should try quail! They don't need dry much space, and the reg coturnix quail mature at 6 wks, and jumbo at 8 wks.

 

[aPrimitive]

Aren't Geese typically violent? That's the reason I never considered them. What about winter months? Grass hay and Vegetables?