Things I wish I had known when I started out breeding rats...

I thought it would be interesting to have a thread where people share the tricks of the trade they have learned. Things that would be useful to a breeder just starting out, or useful to established breeders.

I'll start out with some things I wish I had known about....

1) Pine shavings.
Most are kiln dried, and thus won't hurt the rats.
Helps a ton with odor control.
Cheaper than aspen most of the time.
Less dusty than many brands of aspen.

2) Buying rodent food in bulk. Buying online and at feed stores.
Even cheaper than dog food.
Much healthier than dog food.
Pet store prices are outrageous.

3) NOT using dog food.
It made the smell noticeably worse.
Rats got cysts due to greasy skin from the dog food.
It's more expensive than buying a decent lab block.

4) Using tubs instead of tanks.
Tanks are really freaking heavy.
Tanks have sharp corners that are hard to clean.
Tubs are very lightweight.
Tubs are very easy to clean.
Tubs are cheaper.

Who else has helpful tips? :)

I dont have any tips to add becuase I havent bred any rats yet.
But this helped me, thanks! :gj:

Thx for the tips!

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If anyone can get a hold of SWIFT premium horse pine, it's GREAT!
$5 for 45 lbs, EXTREME odor control due to the shreds being very small, and packing tightly!

I use Dwayne Davis pine bedding. its shredded to the size of Sani Chips. Works GREAT.


BUt the Best and MOST Important Info is to Start off with HEALTHY STOCK.

Yeah im using a product almost like sawdust

Works great

Though i do like the pellets too

Be aware of nursing moms wanting to bite

Dont use pellets on babies, and keep bedding to a minimum. Ive lost a few babies after having them burrow and suffocating.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

Yeah im using a product almost like sawdust

Works great

Though i do like the pellets too

Be aware of nursing moms wanting to bite

Dont use pellets on babies, and keep bedding to a minimum. Ive lost a few babies after having them burrow and suffocating.

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To add to this, Sawdust type bedding like pellets once they break down, Are small enough for the babies to breath in and plug up the air ways and die that way. Why i dont use pellets with my rats.

best tip i have is to assume it will take a while to get a good size variety. ive got a TON of smalls still waiting to grow up some meds and larges lol.

Good point. Don't START breeding when you need feeders. Breed before you need them, then you might have some by the time you need them. :P

Where do you buy the rat food in bulk? Im doing the dog food,rat food, and scraps now. But I can clearly tell the dog food isnt too good...