New Rat Bins

Finally got around to gettings the pics of the new bins as I promised in another thread.

Here's the list of supplies I used to make them....

Sterlite 35 gallon heavy blue bin (must be snap top lid) - $11.00 each

Super Pet 32 oz water bottle - $4.00 each

1/2" Hardware Cloth - $5.00 for a small roll (does about 3 or 4 tubs...the bigger roll is more cost effective per enclosure) for mice or ASF's use 1/4" cloth

Heavy grade zip ties - $3.00 for 100 (I use 20 zip ties per mesh side so 40 per tub...I like those rats secured in LOL)

So basically not counting bedding and whatever food bowls you use it's approximately $16.00 per large enclosure.

Label from bin....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...atBinLabel.jpg

Label from hardware cloth....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ClothLabel.jpg

Super Pet 32 oz water bottle....I love the spring clip, works very well to remove the bottle without detaching it and the 32 oz gives lots of water to the rats....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...aterBottle.jpg

New bins....they measure 30 long x 18 high x 19 deep....as you can see by this pic there is very little kick out of bedding through the mesh sides...this is about 30 hours after a tub tidy and basically all you get kicked out is a light dusting from their feet when they climb the mesh.....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...nFrontView.jpg

They have a nice strong lid clip on each end and the lids themselves are good and rigid with little give....very easy to grasp and move around even for me and I'm barely over 5 feet...not particularily heavy even with the rats and so forth....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...nLidClosed.jpg

View through both mesh sides....these mesh sides are 24" x 10" and provide excellent flow through ventilation....I'm finding this much more efficient than the top mesh concept I first used....I allowed for bedding kick out by not starting the plastic cut out until about 6 inches up from the bottom of the tub.....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...inMeshView.jpg

The bin I took these pictures of is my grow out bin for my future female breeder rats (that's Violet and Diva climbing)....the rats seem to enjoy climbing the mesh but have not show any interest at all in lid chewing....I think they enjoy the exercise of climbing up and along the mesh and I'm all for fit, happy rats! LOL....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...tsClimbing.jpg

Bird's eye view of the same bin, showing a bit of the mesh sides.....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...rdsEyeView.jpg

Bins stacked two deep...so far this duplex is working out really well for me....I have recently found a large plastic shelving unit that will fit these tubs perfectly and with the mesh sides the shelves of the unit will not interfere with the nice air flow I have going on....depending on the weight of the rats you could likely stack them 3 high without any problem with the lids....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...acked2High.jpg

These were my older big rat bins and I still have some of them in use. The only issue I've ever had with them is the plastic is a bit thin on them compared to these heavier grade blue bins and I did have some chew outs. These blue bins are stronger and have less ridges inside so I believe they will be better on that issue.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ubSideView.jpg

I plan on using these tubs for adult rats, grow out feeder rats and mothers with litters over 15 days of age. I double them up at that point, 2 moms that get along and their litters in one of these bins...seems to be working out very nicely so far. Before that time each female rat is in a 10 gallon tank with her new borns.

The "Maternity Ward"....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...rnityTanks.jpg

Hope this was of interest to some of you. :)

Looks great! So no issues of them chewing the plastic around the mesh?

None at all Robin. Granted it's early days yet, I've only been using this new design a few weeks but I really believe if rats have enough hard food to chew and the ability to move around without overcrowding and a view of their outside world...you just never get all that much cage chewing going on. :) I did allow for some chewing with overlapping the hardware cloth by at least one or two rows bigger than the plastic cutout. I also chose the heaviest grade zip tie I could find as I have seen rats "taste" these before.

nice work Jo!!!

They look like they are enjoying the new digs!

:gj:

Those look good. Nice cross ventilation. I would really put the mesh on the inside though, it will help decrease the chance that they can get to the plastic. If it's eye-level, they will chew it, IME. I wish they made metal zip ties.. I've had enough of the plastic ones chewed to last me a lifetime(although the dwarves haven't touched the zip ties holding their custom cage together... Beats me!).

Thanks all. Good suggestion Becky! I will incorporate that as I tweak this design over time. I'm noticing with these side vents that there is little to no ammonia build up. I'm keeping the tubs pulled out from the walls so ensure the rats get maximum fresh air.

Very nice... A stackable housing unit that doesn't even need shelves.

One piece of advice, though... I bet if you switched to Woody Pet, or some other pelletized wood product, you wouldn't have any smell at all, and would have no kick-out due to them climbing...

Those are pretty nifty, Jo. I'm spoiled by my freedom breeder racks though.

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Originally Posted by CntrlF8

Very nice... A stackable housing unit that doesn't even need shelves.

One piece of advice, though... I bet if you switched to Woody Pet, or some other pelletized wood product, you wouldn't have any smell at all, and would have no kick-out due to them climbing...

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I can't find Woody Pet anywhere in the city of Toledo. :mad:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shelby

Those are pretty nifty, Jo. I'm spoiled by my freedom breeder racks though.

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Bet you are. They are great racks but out of my current price range LOL.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

I can't find Woody Pet anywhere in the city of Toledo. :mad:

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Ask them directly: http://www.woodypet.com/dealer.html

Just don't call... The guy in their US distribution center will talk your ear off for hours about all the uses of their product. he's REALLY excited to talk to people about it.. lol

Thanks Jim! Hey at least the guy is happy about his job though how you could endlessly discuss bedding is kind of beyond me at this point. :rofl:

They will chew out of that it's just a matter of time. Like becky suggested I would try putting the mesh on the inside.

jo, you mentioned in your post that you have a rack to put them in... well shelving... whatever. any pics?

Nope sorry Aleesha. It's just a huge heavy grade plastic shelving unit from a local store. It's designed I think for organizing a garage or basement. Quite large, really big shelves, runs about $70.00. Why I like it was that I could choose to have it go 4 shelves high or side by side 2 shelves high (a concern for me because I'm so darned short!) I also like plastic shelving with the rat enclosures as it's so easy to keep clean and doesn't tend to retain odors.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

I can't find Woody Pet anywhere in the city of Toledo. :mad:.

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Here you go Jo...not sure where this is in relation to you.

Tractor Supply Company
TOLEDO #145
7716 W CENTRAL AVE - TOLEDO OH 43617
(419) 841-5113

They carry Equine Fresh (same thing as Woody Pet)...and in Indy they just lowered the price to under $6 for 40#.

Hope this helps,
Sean

Sean, want to help me find some in Atlanta? :wuv:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Sean, want to help me find some in Atlanta? :wuv:

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Of course my dear.

Are any of these near you?

DALLAS #1113
115 GREYSTONE POWER BOULEVARD - DALLAS GA 30157
(770) 443-3352

CANTON #1109
2860 E CHEROKEE DRIVE - CANTON GA 30115
(770) 704-8011

GRIFFIN #578
1515 LUCKY ST - GRIFFIN GA 30223
(770) 227-4490

COVINGTON #568
10161 LOCHRIDGE BLVD - COVINGTON GA 30014
(678) 342-2177

MONROE #1131
156 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR - MONROE GA 30655
(770) 207-1670

WINDER #775
10 PLAZA DRIVE - WINDER GA 30680
(770) 586-5558

CARROLLTON #548
912 S PARK ST - CARROLLTON GA 30117
(770) 832-3536

DAWSONVILLE #195
6921 HIGHWAY 53 EAST - DAWSONVILLE GA 30534
(706) 265-2430

ROME #765
420 HIGHWAY 411 SE - ROME GA 30161
(706) 291-4450

CALHOUN #552
490 HIGHWAY 53 SE - CALHOUN GA 30701
(706) 629-2022

Love ya Sean! That place is not far at all from me! Thanks! :banana:

Thanks Sean - a couple are close to me! Thanks!

we are making these bins... i'm picking up the supplies today. thanks jo!!! *kisses*

I have learned more about raising happy healthy rats from you than anyone else.

I am rehauling my rodent wall and am going to revamp my bins and put the mesh on the sides like that. I have been using the hardware cloth on the top and have been changing cages more than i wanted to, and was worried about the buildup.

Now that I see it... I think "well that makes perfect sense!"

Bruce

PS: At work they are throwing out a TON of those hard metal shelving units that you put together yourself. Strong, sturdy and wide. If u only lived a bit closer. :)

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

we are making these bins... i'm picking up the supplies today. thanks jo!!! *kisses*

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You're welcome Aleesha. So far I'm thrilled with this new bin design, the rats are loving it and I'm happy if my rats are happy, breeding, eating, etc. Once I can locate one of those hot knives cutting type tools my cuts will be cleaner. That's the one part I'm not thrilled about is the jagged cuts (yes I'm anal, I know this LOL).

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Originally Posted by Loft Lizard

I have learned more about raising happy healthy rats from you than anyone else.

I am rehauling my rodent wall and am going to revamp my bins and put the mesh on the sides like that. I have been using the hardware cloth on the top and have been changing cages more than i wanted to, and was worried about the buildup.

Now that I see it... I think "well that makes perfect sense!"

Bruce

PS: At work they are throwing out a TON of those hard metal shelving units that you put together yourself. Strong, sturdy and wide. If u only lived a bit closer. :)

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Thanks so much Bruce, I've been pleased to be of help to you and proud of the rat colony you've built yourself.

This design actually came to me because of space issues. I couldn't stack my old design tubs due to the lid mesh and with some shelving I looked at, the tubs just barely fit so there wasn't going to be a lot of room for that mesh to allow fresh air in. Then I thought, well what the heck I can go with side mesh, double my ventilation in one fell swoop, give the rats a view of their world (and an easier peek in for me to see how everybody's doing) and even without a rack I can stack these tubs 2 or 2 high. I can't for the life of me figure out why I didn't think of this earlier LOL. These tubs are a heavier grade plastic too than the old ones and have a better lid lock down clip, which are always considerations when you are keeping rodents.

Wish I did live closer to you Bruce, those metal shelving units sound perfect! I missed out recently when I didn't get to a KMart store in time and could have picked up huge metal racks for next to nothing. :mad:

This is a rack I'm considering for these big bins. I can put 5 bins per rack so a nice space savings for me. The other rack I'm looking at is about twice as wide so in theory could hold 10 of these big bins. It's a heavy grade plastic so huge but not ungawdly heavy. Unfortunately it's at a store here locally that doesn't have it's full product line online. That particular shelving unit retails for around $65.00. If it's not workable than this one at Lowe's for $40.00 will likely do quite fine for our needs.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...5BK&lpage=none

Well other than with me being a short thing I'm going to have to invest in a good sturdy step ladder LOL.

Looks terrific Joanna, thanks for sharing. The pictures are sooo useful!
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i have a question for you jo. i have water bottles which need to hang on a special hanger... it measures 9" high. will it fit in the space you've created? is that mesh over 9" high?

what are the exact dimensions of the tubs.

i didn't get out yesterday but i will today... gotta get these mamas moved around before they give birth!

Yep the mesh is 10 inches high by 24 inches wide. If you re-read the first post I made Leeshie I included all measurements (tubs, mesh, etc.) as well as a picture of the actual label off the tubs and the mesh. I always like to see things rather than have them described to me. :)

hahahaha of course... sorry.

thanks for the info about the mesh. i'm off to buy the stuff now.

okay so i bought the bins. couldn't get the ones you got here, so i got some other ones... rubbermaid ones which are very similar in size.

they are a little less deep though so we are making the mesh opening a little smaller... with a dip in it for where the water bottle will be. so 8" deep except at the water bottle it'll be 10"

we are also using nuts, bolts and washers instead of zip ties... that way they can't eat through them. so one on each corner and then the zip ties in the middle... or we may put a long metal strip instead... we haven't finished making that decision yet.

i'll post pics when we are done. thanks jo!!!

Can't wait to see them Aleesha. :)

I think after the holidays, we'll give this a try. I like this idea, alot. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Raven, I'm really enjoying this new design. So far no chewing around the mesh, no buildup of smell at all, not much kick out of bedding. Once I get a hot knife I can make my cuts much cleaner...that's the only part that's bugging me about these new tubs...I don't like those jagged cut lines. LOL

Just remember to use the hardware cloth not chicken wire. Any rat worth it's teeth can get through chicken wire in a moment or two.

How did you cut the opening for the mesh and what type of product are you referring to when you say "hot knife"? I have an idea in my head as to what it is, but can't place the name of it.

my hubby uses a jigsaw - it's electric and does a fine job! we just moved some rats into our first finished bin... looooooks good jo!!! i'm impressed!

i was telling a friend yesterday that when jo does something with/for her ratties... i always stand up and take notice. never met anyone who takes care of ratties like i try to... just like it was a pet dog. same level of love and care. i salute you woman, you are who i aspire to be!

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Originally Posted by Reptilian

How did you cut the opening for the mesh and what type of product are you referring to when you say "hot knife"? I have an idea in my head as to what it is, but can't place the name of it.

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Couldn't find the link I thought I saved but here's one from ebay to show you what I mean. Basically it's an exacto knife that heats up and apparently cuts plastic like a hot knife through butter. Another member here mentioned he found his either at Hobby Lobby or Home Depot, yet another member mentioned finding something similar at WalMart as part of a wood burning hobby type set.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

i was telling a friend yesterday that when jo does something with/for her ratties... i always stand up and take notice. never met anyone who takes care of ratties like i try to... just like it was a pet dog. same level of love and care. i salute you woman, you are who i aspire to be!

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Thanks so much Aleesha, that's awfully nice of you to say hon.

I wouldn't say I'm as much about my rats being pets as I am of the mind of a good small farmer, like those I grew up around. Good farmers know their stock, know that good in is good out and most every one of them I knew growing up, respected and treated their animals well in their management of them.

I can't help but respect and care about any animal as social as a rat plus it's ability to fully support my snakes is always appreciated. :)

I'd love to see how your tubs turned out Aleesha, feel free to post them if you like.

well in my world (as i'm not nor have ever been a farmer) that's the care given to my gaggle of critters! (or at least i attempt to do that)

so... you are my inspiration! thanks for inspiring me jo!

Jo, just to recap, how did you cut the holes? I read through this three times and can't find it. Don't have a jigsaw. :-(

We used a blade heated up in the stove burner, which was messy and smelly.

i don't know about her... but we used a jigsaw. worked like a dream

I've used a dremel with a cutting wheel(not the cheap ones, the reenforced ones) to cut. Also the never-need-sharpening knives work like a "hot knife through butter" if you press down, instead of sawing. It's really hard to keep the knife going in the correct direction, but doable if you pay close attention.
If I hadn't gotten some of Wild Bill's racks, I'd be doing this too. Nice work! And thanks for sharing, especially all the pictures of the labels.

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Originally Posted by slartibartfast

Jo, just to recap, how did you cut the holes? I read through this three times and can't find it. Don't have a jigsaw. :-(

We used a blade heated up in the stove burner, which was messy and smelly.

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Jess, I traced the rectangle I needed cut out. Then I actually melted a bit of a starting hole and then had Mike cut them out with his big box cutter knife from work (I won't touch that deadly thing!). It worked but I'm still on the hunt for that exacto hot knife thing here locally in Toledo. I think that will do the trick a bit easier though of course it would still need to be done in a very well ventilated area.

Just further feedback on these tubs. It's been going beautifully. I'm seeing zero attempts to chew out, the rats seem to be content with climbing up and down and sideways on the big wire cutouts, I like that I can peek in on them and see easily how the group in each tub is doing. Weightwise they are perfect, big enough but not so heavy they slay my poor back. Stacking three high is fine, no wobble or lid sag. What I'm liking the best is how clean they smell even the day before cleaning day. With the cross ventilation they really are just not allowing any ammonia build up which is nice for my nose and the rats health. All in all I'm thrilled with them and feel I've finally found the just right tub setup for how I raise rats. :)

I does need said that for a major production breeding these tubs wouldn't be particularily space effective. For me and our needs they work beautifully. Should I need to jump up production in a major way down the road then I'd have to reassess but for now I'm a happy camper.

Thanks again for this great idea! I plan on doing a couple of these soon, and got to thinking.

Would it be feasible to cut out a hole in the side wire, just big enough for a food hopper (such as the ones they sell for rabbit hutches) to fit in? That way someone little like me could refill food without unstacking or opening tubs, and the rats wouldn't be able to scatter it like from bowls. (Well, they would, just not as quickly, LOL)

Also, to the person securing the wire with bolts, please post pictures! :)

when i get a chance... i will post pics for you. my hubby ended deciding we didn't need them though so he only made one using the nuts and bolts. the zip ties are soooo tight and flat against the bins... that we doubt they'll chew on them.

AND there's enough of them, that if they did eat one... they couldn't escape.

Thank you very much :)

you are very very welcome :bow:

None of mine have touched the zip ties yet. I do use the heaviest grade zip tie I can find, really tighten them down as much as possible and have the end of the zip tie I snip short on the outside of the cage so there's nothing to interest them to chew on. They seem to pretty much ignore them.

You could snip the mesh though you'd need to be careful there was no give for them to squeeze by and the mesh stayed good and rigid. I can't tell you if it would work as I use interior bowls not exterior food hoppers.

Well Jo...Jeff and I made a one of those last night also!

I have a few more to get done but I have to get some more materials.

Instead of using zip ties though Jeff took some wire and laced it through the holes. It worked out great!

I'll post a pic after while but just wanted to thank you Jo, for the idea!!!

:gj:

Oh the lacing would work great too Meme! Can't wait to see yours. Glad this idea was helpful to you too. :)

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Originally Posted by jeffnme

Well Jo...Jeff and I made a one of those last night also!

I have a few more to get done but I have to get some more materials.

Instead of using zip ties though Jeff took some wire and laced it through the holes. It worked out great!

I'll post a pic after while but just wanted to thank you Jo, for the idea!!!

:gj:

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The wire lacing is a really good idea... I'll be using that one for sure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CntrlF8

The wire lacing is a really good idea... I'll be using that one for sure.

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yea ...has a good idea every now and again.

;)

I think Jeff called it bailing wire...

:oops:

ok so here are a few pics of what we did with Jo's idea...

;)

This is the view from the top.



http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...mage0001-3.jpg



a side view.


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...mage0002-3.jpg


the other side.


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...mage0003-4.jpg



inside view from the top.


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...mage0004-3.jpg



and the inside look at the stitching.


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...mage0005-2.jpg