Temperatures for your feeder rodents

[reptilegirl07]

What's the most extreme cold/hot they can live in?

I'm moving from now a very HOT climate to a very COLD climate. Here I used an AC in the summer to keep temps a little below 80 and have done nothing in the winter so far and night time temps drop around 40 SOMETIMES in the 30's but I don't think it's been that cold at night. I have SUPER production right now. My asf's are banging out babies left and right and so are my mice and rats.

Problem is, where I am moving, right now night time temps are around 7 or 0 and daytime only gets about 30, although tomorrow's high is around 12!

I'm guessing that would be WAYY too cold for them. How would you suggest heating a detached garage to a decent temp (something they can live in) without breaking the bank?

Is it even necessary or as long as there is no direct exposure to wind are they OK?

[shorty54]

I'd recommend having a small room attatched to the house! Heating a garage or storage shed is EXPENSIVE! I live in Seattle area and we had to move our Pit Bull into the pantry. The bill was up over $100 just for one month of having 2 space heaters in the garage and the garage was still cool!

[reptilegirl07]

Ouch! I'm thinking the basement until it starts warming up if it has to be inside. Basement is nice and toasty! Damn you winter!

[starstrukk]

Rodents should be in temps between 75 and 85 degrees, ideally. Taking any animal from one extreme to the other can send them into shock regardless, though. They probably won't continue to breed in anything below 70.

I'm quite sure but, this is working all from memory, so I could be a little off with my numbers.

[reptilegirl07]

Thanks for the info. It doesn't quite explain why my production has increased tremendously when the temps here have gone between 40-70 (mostly on the lower end) *shrug*

[Stewart_Reptiles]

My rat room temps vary from 48 degrees at night during the winter to 84 degrees during the day during the summer.

My colony produces best with temps below 75 degrees therefore I see a drop in production during the summer months.

[Celav]

My mice/rat room temperature over the winter is from 65 to 75f and in summer from 80 to 90f. from january to march production is lower then usual but its not a big problem. I breed mice/rats for over a 2 years and best results i had when temperature is from 68 to 74f.

[snakeman13]

If you want to use your garage, you just have to tarp off the area around the racks. make sure you leave enough room for you to work around in there.
Also you have to plastic off the cieling above them. You can install a small bathroom fan in the area to vent out the amonia smell. much easier to heat the small area.

[reptilegirl07]

Hey, thanks!!

Snakeman, I'll have that garage WALL TO WALL rats everywhere lol so I won't just be able to tarp a small area off, the garage will be packed.

I'm thinking of just insulating it and running a heater? I think that's the only way i can get away with it unless i keep them in my basement.

[tomfromtheshade]

If you take the time to insulate the garage and you heat it you will be fine. Just remember that stale air is bad for rats. You need to move air in and out to get rid of ammonia and humidity.