FOOD CONSUMPTION AND PREFERENCE OF THE ROOF RAT, Rattus rattus (Linnaeus).

Food consumption and preference of the roof rat, Rattus rattus, were investigated. Two groups of foods were used: the first included wheat, barley and maize; the second included peanut, date and squash. Daily rate of consumption of wheat, barley, maize, peanut, date and squash was 77.16, 86.33, 96.06, 70.19, 88.74 and 326.51 g/kg body weight /day when introduced individually (no-choice feeding test). Further, foods were introduced to rats in double-choice and triple choice feeding experiments. In double-choice feeding experiment, wheat was more preferable than barley (65%:35%), barley was more preferable than maize (60.47%:39.53%), and maize was less preferable than wheat (69.23%:30.77%), also, squash was more preferable than peanut (61%:39%), peanut was more preferable than date (53.63%:47.37%) and date was less preferable than squash (43.08%:56.92%). In triple-choice feeding test, preferences of foods could be arranged in descending order as follow: wheat, barley and maize (49.11%:26.45%:24.44%) – in the first group, and squash, peanut and finally  date (77.5%:13.32%:9.18%) – in the second group. When wheat was tested against peanut in a double choice feeding test, the first was found to be more preferable (65.96%:34.04%).