Food preference by Nile rat Arvicanthis niloticus in multi choice of different cereal and legume seeds under laboratory conditions

The total consumptions from cereals whole and grinded in the 1^st day of the trial were 3.1, 1.1, 1.5, 1.6, and 1.9 g / 100 g body wt. of wheat, maize, sorghum ,rice and barely, respectively. The total intake from whole and grinded cereals in the 2^nd day exceled the intake in the 1^st day recording 3.4, 1.4, 1.7 and 2.0 g / 100 g body wt., consecutively. The total accounted consumptions from these cereals (whole and grinded) in the 3^rd day recorded the highest amounts of 5.4, 1.6, 2.4, 2.8 and 1.6 g/ 100g body wt., respectively. The counted total consumptions of these foods (wheat, maize, sorghum, rice and barely) in the 4^th day were reduced than the 3rd day recording 3.9, 1.8, 2.1, 2.5 and 0.9 g /100 g of body wt., respectively. At the 5^th day (the trial finale) the total consumed of both whole and grinded cereals reduced to be 3.2, 1.3, 1.8, 2.4 and 0.8 with wheat, maize, sorghum, rice and barely, respectively.
Total consumption of lentil, fenugreek, cowpea, broad-bean, soybean, sweet pea and groundnut (whole and grinded) in the 1^st day were 1.2, 0.0, 2.4, 0.7, 1.6, 2.7 and 3.2 g /100g body wt., respectively. In the 2^nd day the total consumed amounts of lentil, fenugreek, cowpea, broad-bean, soybean, sweet pea and groundnut in the 2^nd day were 1.6, 0.0, 2.3, 1.1, 2.1, 3.1 and 3.2 g /100 g body wt., respectively. The 3^rd day recorded the highest consumed values from  lentil, fenugreek, cowpea, broad-bean, soybean, sweet pea and groundnut these values were as follows 2.0, 0.0, 2.2, 1.4, 1.9, 3.2 & 3.4 g /100g body wt., from the total (whole and grinded), respectively. The 4^th day of trial show less total consumption than that of the 3^rd day recording 1.9, 0.0, 2.1, 1.0, 1.6, 3.0 and 3.2 g/ 100g body wt., respectively. In the last day of the trial (5^th day) the intake of legume food items was in similar and didn’t differ obviously than the consumption of the 4^th day recording the total intake of the whole and grinded legumes as follows 1.6, 0.0, 2.0, 1.3, 1.7, 3.0 and 3.1 g / 100 g body wt., respectively