how I do it, nice results.

[Jimi_Reptile]

I know how everyone's saying that 10gallons are the way to go, but racks are still more space efficient and cheap.

5 slot rack, Mortar Mixers for bins. constructed with 2x2's, screws, a bit of 1/4 inch wire cloth, and some heavy duty staples.


Water system is gravity powered from a bucket with tube coming down and channeled to each bin. water taps are located in the front corner of each bin.



Food hoppers are held an inch from the bedding up to the ceiling made of 1/2 inch wire cloth. They are screwed onto the front side of the bin and the screws are covered by the hopper itself to prevent chewing. They are filled daily to ensure that no just weaned baby's slip into the top and chew at it.

The grow-up's are fed Kent 23% protein lab rat diet, mixed fruits and veggies, and the occasional crickets.


The breeder's are the same setup, but their diet consist of Kent 23% and suet cakes, it is cheaper than mazuri and seems to be working out so far. Suet cakes are about 1-2 dollars, ranging from where you buy them, and one lasts about a month with a colony of one male and two females.


I have been using this setup/strategy and the results pretty much speak for themselves... after THREE months and also after snake feeding day (it also was the day before we cleaned the bins so the grow-outs are a bit dirty)

male growout 35+rats


female growout 30+rats

there are also five females ready to pop and several batches of babies not yet weaned, but you get the idea.
thanks for looking!

[singingtothewheat]

I usually feed off my males the quickest because keeping them together can end in fights but mostly they are just pissy and are marking like mad.

[Jimi_Reptile]

yeah, I found that my males grow larger than the females, so I let them be till they are big enough for my big female BP's, then I kill them off. I do have them marking the cage, but simply spot clean the corners every other day. I have never seen or recovered a injured rat from my grow outs, no matter how many or how old the rats are. The females seem the most skiddish, the males just sit there and relax, even when it's time for the bin to be cleaned, they just sit there and go from one bin to the next.

[pliskin]

nice setup . do you find they waste a lot of food still?

I think I may start to supplement my ASF's with some more fruits and veggies. anything that will cut down on them wasting the mazuri, since its a lot further to go and buy the mazuri as well.
I'm gonna check out the suet cakes you mentioned as well, if they're cheaper than the mazuri.

[Jimi_Reptile]

I have found that after adding the fruits and veggies they don't eat as much of the rat diet. I believe they will eat whatever food they have until all their nutritional need are met, that may mean taking too much protein and just enough fat, but with the fresh veggies and suet, they can choose what they need and when. That gives them, expecially the grow-outs, vitamins, minerals, and protein for their meeting with the chamber of death, lol.

The suet cakes should probably be just thrown in the bin somewhere, I found that the lard gets on the hopper's wire cloth and attracts dust, not a good combo. They seem to like it, lasts them about a month for one block. If you lean it on the side of the bin, it keeps it from getting soiled.

The biggest reason I wanted to try the suet was I was feeding all my rats, including the breeders, Kent 23%. The mothers weren't getting enough fat in their diet and would eat some of the babies, bringing the batch count to 8 or so per litter. I tried the suet blocks and I haven't counted one missing pinky. Suet is cheaper than Mazuri and it is less wasted by the rats.