our rodent tubs

Alot of questions and talk about rodent housing lately so I thought I would post a link to some pictures of what I have recently added to my tubs that is making a world of difference. I call the new modification a "silo" as I often reference the rodents using the word "cows" (not real funny but if you think about it makes sense).

Anyway... I'm not using a rack solution but I have several tubs going and they just sit on a hardware type shelf so this idea would work for those with just a few tubs or anyone not using a rack system. Now that I've done this I've seen some other similiar setups so I guess its not completely original but taylored to what works for me. Click on the thumbnails for a larger clearer image and you will get the "picture" of what I've done.

Without further babble: Warren Reptiles Gallery

and i bet it gives a nice little climbing apparatus for the mice!!! BONUS feature!!!

Yes at first they where all over it but once they get used to it being there they are not on it so much. They still climb on it some but even as I look over at them now not a single tub has anyone hanging off it.

I want to point out since hardware cloth sizes where being mentioned in another thread... I use half inch to build the silos and the bottum that holds the food in is quarter inch. I have African rats, regular rats, and mice and they are all able to eat or get pieces of the block food through the mesh with no problems. It really is a food saver I was using a dish to keep as much food available as they wanted and it almost always turned into a litter box half way through the food that it contained and then they wouldn't eat it.

I haven't had any escape issues but I just restarted colonies also so no hoppers at present. I am planning to use a section of quarter inch hardware cloth on each tub on top outside. I will have attached over the existing half inch to keep the jumpers from getting out. I plan on making a flap of sorts so it will completely cover the larger mesh but yet still allow me to open it to add food or change the water. Speaking of water...NO PEE all over the bottles anymore either! yay!

where did you get the clips that hold it together? are they usually around the wire, or are they sold as something else?

Ok yea! I house my rats in a darned tub... and I have food everywhere (blocks) every morning! Not to mention the food bowl has been filled with aspen then pooped in! How can I obtain that awesome little contraption(sp) that holds the water thingy and the food!!!???

very cool . we do pretty much the same thing at the petshop i work at for our breeding colonies . i'm planning on doing the same for my rat colony at home too .

I think the clips can be had around where you would purchase the wire or at a farm store. Honestly I have a big carton of them I got from my parents...we used to build rabit cages and stuff so I think these where left over.

I just kinda measured accordingly so they where hanging above the inside. The rodents can still get around under them so no real "floor space" has been taken up either. The silos don't seem to be putting to much strain by hanging either or causing gaps in the mesh lid.

Thanks for the compliments!