Problem with my ASF colonies

[spitzu]

I couldn't disagree more. I'm using a total of 48 water nipples on two separate systems and haven't had any problems in months. And even if I had to clean up a mess once a month it would still be worth it.

I can't imagine how much time and effort this has saved me so far. I literally spend about 3 minutes filling the water tubs twice a week.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

I couldn't disagree more. I'm using a total of 48 water nipples on two separate systems and haven't had any problems in months. And even if I had to clean up a mess once a month it would still be worth it.

If I were you I would buy a rabbits foot or find some wood to knock on after making such a statement.

I know several big snake breeders that make their own rats, and also know a few small business rodent breeders whos selling rodents is their number one business. Not a single one of them doesn't HATE their automatic watering system. Granted with a larger breeding setup it can be a necessary evil. Give it some more time... you will end up hating it.

No way I would EVER consider using one in the OP case with only 10 tubs. But again, that is just my opinion.

[spitzu]

Maybe my plumbing job is just superior.

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[Rhasputin]

Insulting the man's plumbing? It's going DOWN now!

[Lana's_mom]

I love the watering system, and I am working on expanding my rack systems. No one in my area sells rodents for feeders, so I am building up. I already get a ton of calls a week lol.

I use Aspen bedding and its changed once to twice a week depending on the tub, grow out tubs are changed more often. I will start to pull the babies sooner and see how that goes. Here is a picture of my setup.



And here is one of the colonies



And here is a link to the food information, I am planning to try a different one the next time i order.
http://labdiet.com/pdf/5001.pdf
But I have to order if from a distributor that is 2 hours away. No one sells rodent food in bulk around here, only rat poison. No one understands why I want to feed rats and not kill them

[Mike Cavanaugh]

Why does only one of the tubs have food?

[Lana's_mom]

I normally only put food on top of the grow out bin's only. The other bins I put fresh food in every night directly in the bin. That way I know that they can get it. They seemed to struggle to reach it when it was on top and the babies couldn't reach the top so it was just easier to put it directly in.

Not to mention it attracts wild mice when it sits on top. And I am not fond of feeding them

And an update. I moved the racks into a different room that has natural sunlight and better air flow and all problem have seemed to stop, the hopper ASF's seem to be healthier and I am no longer finding half eaten babies anymore. Thank you for the responses.

[SquamishSerpents]

glad i came across this thread, i am having the same sort of problems with the kids dying at about hopper stage.

same situation, no lack of food/water, i don't THINK they're overcrowded (1.3 or 1.4 groups), and i don't think the bedding would be the issue either, as it's just the babies dying off. i use pine pellets (it's called Equine Fresh) and some aspen as bedding. sometimes i throw in paper from the paper shredder in my office.

perhaps i'm not pulling the babies soon enough though. i pulled a batch and most of them died, so i was hesitant to wean them as soon as their eyes opened. perhaps it's because they couldn't reach the food hopper. at Mike's suggestion i have switched from putting the food in the hopper to putting it directly into their bins, so perhaps i'll pull the kids and put food directly with them and see how they do.