building a rodent rack: spacing for mixing tubs, size of lumber questions

Hey guys, going to FINALLY!! build our breeder rodent racks. hoping to keep 3 actively breeding colonies of ASF's, 1 "grow up" group to replace the old breeders, 1 bin for storing the weanling ASF's, and have 1 bin for cleaning rotation.

that gives me 6 bins in total, but i want to build 2 separate racks of 3. i'm going off these plans, but i'm going to adapt it for 3 bins instead of 4. i also am going to make the legs short enough so that the bottom bin is only about 2 inches off the ground, as both racks will be sitting on a table-top. my question is how much space to leave between the top (food/water area) and bottom of each bin? i am probably not going to be plumbing them with an automatic watering system, since there will only be 5 bins with rats i think i can handle changing out bottles. i guess just leave enough room for my hand to throw in a bit of food?

another question, these plans say to use 2" X 2" lumber for the shelf part. i know 2" x 2"s are only actually 1.5 x 1.5, but the lip on my bins is only 1" wide. that would leave a gap of 1/2" between the side of the bin and the rack. is that going to pose any problems?

i'm hoping to get this done tomorrow. i absolutely cannot wait, cleaning glass tanks is AWFUL, not to mention the rats seem to be really nasty; i'm assuming it's because they feel "exposed" all the time.

i leave a few inches between shelves, basically just enough to give them food

well it would leave a gap between the lip of the tub and the rack, the side of the tub should be close to the rail.

BAH!!!! i think i'm just going to support the tubs from underneath. might cost a bit more in lumber but it will cost me far less in painkillers for this massive HEADACHE!!

lol

Make each level 1" bigger than the tubs and thats it. If not mistaken i made mine 20.75 wide which is 1" wider than the mortar tubs.

And depth can be 1" longer than tub to clearance. And to make cutting the screen easier, use a circular saw and turn the blade so it spins backwards and cut the screen when stapled to the pieces. I was able to do this all in under 15 mins of stapling and cutting

ugh and OF COURSE the mesh only comes in 3' x 5' sheets, that means i have to buy 3 rolls of it...that's gonna be like $90. FML.

they come in bigger rolls than that. I bought 2x10ft rolls and seen some 2x15ft rolls at Lowes.

ya or so i've heard, lol. i hope i can find some. my local home depot NEVER EVER has what i want. today they were out of the mesh, and the 5' x 3' was the only size they carried.

it took me forever to even find the mortar tubs.

i guess i'll be hitting up Rona tomorrow crossing my fingers for the mesh.

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

BAH!!!! i think i'm just going to support the tubs from underneath. might cost a bit more in lumber but it will cost me far less in painkillers for this massive HEADACHE!!

lol

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im still not seeing why its a head ache? also making shelves under the tubs reduces air flow out of the tubs below it.

I think you should reconsider using an automatic watering system. Changing bottles gets old quick. The tubs in the plan you're using are 8 inches tall which is too high for some ASF's to reach water. Take a look at the LARGE size litter pan from Petco.

I built my second rack different from my first and I'm dying to make a third because of the things I want to change from the second.

Good luck.

Split a 2x4 down the middle, run rails instead of plywood. No air circulation problems that way, and plenty of room for food and water line...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

I think you should reconsider using an automatic watering system. Changing bottles gets old quick. The tubs in the plan you're using are 8 inches tall which is too high for some ASF's to reach water. Take a look at the LARGE size litter pan from Petco.

I built my second rack different from my first and I'm dying to make a third because of the things I want to change from the second.

Good luck.

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They can be used for mice or asf as i have done already. When they want water they will get water one way or another as same with food.

You cal always get a piece of wood or glass bowl and put it inside as a step if need be.

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

They can be used for mice or asf as i have done already. When they want water they will get water one way or another as same with food.

You cal always get a piece of wood or glass bowl and put it inside as a step if need be.

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Rich:

You use a tub that's 36” x 24” x 8” for mice? IMHO, that's big rat size and overkill for mice or ASF's.

I am using a rat rack for ASF's (jumbo pan 22.25" L X 16.75" W X 6.75" H) and have to use a glass bowl for them to reach the water. The weanlings cannot get that high up. I guess they could jump up to the screen and drink upside down but I think that would just be mean on my part. I keep the little ones in a separate tank with water bottles. The ASF's would have been better off with the large pan - 18.5" L X 15.25" W X 5.25" H. I'll use those for my next rack.

I use the small Petco pans for the mice (14.14" L X 10.37" W X 3.53" H) and they seem very happy. Takes up a lot less room too.

YMMV

Tubs i have my mice in for grow outs is 27.5 x 19.75 x 6. Same size i use for my rats as well. I used it for ASF as well when breeding them

whoops, i linked to the large plans, not the small ones. i'm going off of this design. the tubs i have are 6" high. i'm probably going to have some blocks of wood inside the bins anyways for them to chew on/for the weaners to stand on to reach food/water.

the reason it's a headache is because i'm a woman and i can't figure things out unless i'm DOING them, lol. it would be a lot easier if i had the wood here with me, but i don't. also i have to figure it out before we go buy everything, because we live in an apartment and the table saw etc. is stored at my boyfriends grandparents, so it's really a big production to just build something like this.

i decided to support them from underneath because i've heard rails can sometimes be finicky and cause the lip of the bin to slip out, and that it's a hassle if you have to replace bins, because their lips vary in the manufacturing process.

would supporting them from underneath really be a concern regarding airflow even if i left adequate space? i was planning on 4 1/2" of space between the top and bottom of the next tub.

regarding water bottles, i already have 3 cages that i change bottles for, what's 2 more? because we live in an apartment, a flood would be a REALLY big deal, not willing to risk it. it'd be different if we were on the ground floor, but we're on the top.

ugh i still can't decide what to do.

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

they come in bigger rolls than that. I bought 2x10ft rolls and seen some 2x15ft rolls at Lowes.

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TSC also carries rolls of hardware cloth.

I'm in Canada, no Lowe's (i don't think? not around here at least) or TSC. heading to Rona soon to see if they have any, if not i will have to take a peek in Vancouver when i go on Sunday.

whoohoo!, 36" x 25' for $36. i was expecting to pay way more

finally done my rack!! here are some pics.

also, the plans i used have a couple measurements wrong! the measurements for the supports at the bottom (which i chose not to use) and the measurements for the sliders are 1" too short.

I found out early in the game to use internet plans as a guide line, and then make all of your own measurements. For spacing the distance between the top and the runner I just turn the rack upside down and use the tub to make my mark. I have no idea what the actual measurement is.

If I had some help I would do a DIY video on building both the large and medium mixing tub racks. I just don't want to stop to video or take pictures. Its VERY time consuming to do for free when you're working alone.

yeah it's definitely not easy to do with only 1 person. i at least had my boyfriend helping me, once you get a shelf and the legs put together it gets easier.