Rat set up...

well i picked up my trio of rats today, and got everything all set up. all three will live in the 20 gal until the 2 females get pregnant, then they are off to a 10 gal maternity tank. i then have 2 large tubs where the weanlings will go. i only have one finished but i will have the second tub ready later tonight. i have enough room to add 2 more tubs to the shelfs, if i decided i need more breeding going on. it's all nice and compact in one area of the room. pictures..

the set up...
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...8/IMG_2170.jpg

the tubs....
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...8/IMG_2169.jpg

I also would like to thank Jo (frankykeno), for all the help getting things set up. YOU'RE THE BEST!!

You're welcome Kev, glad to be of help. You may need to rethink that mesh though, it's screening and it's something they can pretty easily get through if they want to. Now where's the pics of the rats! LOL

yea i don't really like the mesh, but i figured those tubs are only gonna be used for the weanling and they won't be in there too long, and it's a pretty tall tub. but i will get some hardware cloth next time i'm at home depot.

as for the rats, i was letting them get settled a little before i whipped out the camera. i did snap a few shots tho...





Miss Bianca...
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...8/IMG_2181.jpg

Bernard...
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...8/IMG_2182.jpg

and Jojo taking a nap...
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...8/IMG_2183.jpg


i think i am gonna add another pair of females once i get another set up for them. there is a pet store i found near me that breeds their own rats. i also "adopted" to young (5 week old) females from a craigslist add that i am gonna give to my roommate as pets until they can breed. i just hope they are not as addicting as snakes....

Awww they are cute!

I'm with Jo on the screen...I wouldn't risk it no matter how tall the tub. Rodents can and will jump and find ways to attach themselves to that screen and ultimately chew right through it like nothing. Better to be safe than sorry ;)

And please don't breed Bernard for obvious reasons. If he's from a Pet store, you don't know his background or what genetics he's carrying.

correct me if im wrong but it looks as though you are using pine for bedding. pine can cause respiratory infections. if you want to use wood shaving then use aspen. i prefer yesterdays news though, its way more absorbant.

maybe i missed that obvious reason? Why cant you breed bernard? Is there something wrong with breeding him?

He's VERY high white. Lightning Blazed, capped, as well as being blue.. Odds are not in his favor, and I would never use a rat from a pet store for breeding that looked like him. The chance is extremely high that he would produce megacolon babies.

If you're only breeding for food for your snakes, get some selfs, hoodeds, berkshires, irishes, and don't worry about making pretty markings. Stick with the normal colors too(agouti, black, fawn, PEW, beige, etc), as blues from pet stores are very inbred and generally have poor parenting skills. The snakes don't care and you will be providing higher quality prey items that don't have genetic problems.

is there any clearly defined rules for "good breeders" and not so good breeders. I'm new to the whole thing, I wanna make sure im not doing any disservice to the rats. Any good sites? Or just stay away from blue rats and high whites?
Or better yet, is it the recessive genes you should stay away from?