Getting ready for rats and mice

We are going to start breeding rats and mice, and was wondering how many males and females you guys think we should start off with? Whats a good male to female ratio, we will be building a rat/mice rack.

Kind of depends on tub size.

I use the home depot mortar tubs and do very well with only 1.3 sometimes 1.4.

Unfortunately I can't speak to mice because I can't stand breeding mice, the smell is just way too much for me, so... I do ASF's and regular rats.

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Originally Posted by MikeM75

Kind of depends on tub size.

I use the home depot mortar tubs and do very well with only 1.3 sometimes 1.4.

Unfortunately I can't speak to mice because I can't stand breeding mice, the smell is just way too much for me, so... I do ASF's and regular rats.

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For the tub not sure yet I would have to go and check Home Depot for what they have. I was thinking of the mixing tubs that I see in videos on youtube rat rack.

For the mice its only for the Kenyan Sand Boa that we have. So 1.1 should be good for mice I think.

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Originally Posted by RobertJR

So 1.1 should be good for mice I think.

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Until you get a bp go on a small feeding strike, decide to give it a mouse to see if that will stimulate its appetite, it snatches it up and from there on wants nothing to do with rats...or so I've heard of things like that happening:D.

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Originally Posted by RobNJ

Until you get a bp go on a small feeding strike, decide to give it a mouse to see if that will stimulate its appetite, it snatches it up and from there on wants nothing to do with rats...or so I've heard of things like that happening:D.

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Ya you are right never thought of that, we just need pinkies mice for one Kenyan and not sure what I what do with all the extra mice if I would get more then 1 female. I guess I could always sell them as pets or feeders. All our BP are on rats and never had any problems yet.

If all you need are pinkies, try a 1:2. And rotate the females. One can have a litter while the other one is pregnant. FreeZe the offspring.


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I have beed seeing and reading that its hard to find the mixing tubs in Canada. I was wondering is there any other tubs that I could used instead?

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Originally Posted by RobertJR

I have beed seeing and reading that its hard to find the mixing tubs in Canada. I was wondering is there any other tubs that I could used instead?

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You can use sterilite or any kind of ridge-less storage bin. I like giving my rats head space so I use taller bins. But you can probably use 28/32qt tubs like what we use for snakes as a rat rack bin in place of a mixing tub.

And you can use cat litter pans for mice. They work great.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...f/IMAG1083.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...f/IMAG1167.jpg

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satomi, Noooooooo way in hell would i trust that set-up for the long term. One rat figures out how to chew it's way out, and all the others will follow and before you know it, you'll have an entire colony on the loose. I've learned from experience. And it wasn't for lack of stimulation. When I kept rats in tubs such as those they had blocks of wood to chew on, a couple of running wheels, and those little edible huts you could buy. If one gets curious and gets a tooth on the plastic and gets out, you're screwed :P

I ONLY trust mixing tubs, because there isn't anything they can get their teeth on. And yet I still have nightmares of waking up to hundreds of rats running around.

I know it's easy to get mixing tubs in Ontario, let me try to dig up some info in old FB messages.

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

satomi, Noooooooo way in hell would i trust that set-up for the long term. One rat figures out how to chew it's way out, and all the others will follow and before you know it, you'll have an entire colony on the loose. I've learned from experience. And it wasn't for lack of stimulation. When I kept rats in tubs such as those they had blocks of wood to chew on, a couple of running wheels, and those little edible huts you could buy. If one gets curious and gets a tooth on the plastic and gets out, you're screwed :P

I ONLY trust mixing tubs, because there isn't anything they can get their teeth on. And yet I still have nightmares of waking up to hundreds of rats running around.

I know it's easy to get mixing tubs in Ontario, let me try to dig up some info in old FB messages.

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I would like to use mixing tub if i could find them locally, I wouldn't want them to get out and run around the house. lol The rat and mice rack will be going in the basement, we heat by oil here and thats all I need is for them to get out and chew on the oil line from the tank and furnace. I sure wouldn't want to pick up 200 gallon of oil. lol :colbert:

I searched back through the message history from a friend who was going to order some mixing tubs from Ontario, but I cannot find it. I've messaged him again to refresh my memory, so when I have more info I'll let you know. Or perhaps post over on *The other site cough Reptiles Canada cough is this allowed? cough?*

And see if they have any ideas. But you're right, they're pretty hard to find in Canada. I had mine special ordered in from Home Hardware here in Squamish. But then I was told HH had discontinued them. Then I went in again to confirm, but apparently they are NOT discontinued, but they have a special inventory code where they can only be ordered certain months out of the year?? I'd go in and ask, anyways. I would think that now would be the time a lot of people are ordering stuff like that, with doing outdoor landscaping and paving and stuff like that, but I could be wrong.

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

I searched back through the message history from a friend who was going to order some mixing tubs from Ontario, but I cannot find it. I've messaged him again to refresh my memory, so when I have more info I'll let you know. Or perhaps post over on *The other site cough Reptiles Canada cough is this allowed? cough?*

And see if they have any ideas. But you're right, they're pretty hard to find in Canada. I had mine special ordered in from Home Hardware here in Squamish. But then I was told HH had discontinued them. Then I went in again to confirm, but apparently they are NOT discontinued, but they have a special inventory code where they can only be ordered certain months out of the year?? I'd go in and ask, anyways. I would think that now would be the time a lot of people are ordering stuff like that, with doing outdoor landscaping and paving and stuff like that, but I could be wrong.

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Thanks for your help. I seen many videos on YouTube using cat litter box, would that be hard for the rats to chew out of if I can't find the mixing tubs?

Most of the kitty litter boxes that people use in racks aren't in production anymore (not that I can find in Canada, anyways). Typically people would use the VanNess ones, but now they have made them curved on all sides, and the back as significantly higher than the front.

I don't think you'd find a litter box big enough for a rat colony, anyways. Better off searching for the mixing tubs. If I forget, just bump up this thread and as soon as I know the info on them I'll post it here!

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

satomi, Noooooooo way in hell would i trust that set-up for the long term. One rat figures out how to chew it's way out, and all the others will follow and before you know it, you'll have an entire colony on the loose. I've learned from experience. And it wasn't for lack of stimulation. When I kept rats in tubs such as those they had blocks of wood to chew on, a couple of running wheels, and those little edible huts you could buy. If one gets curious and gets a tooth on the plastic and gets out, you're screwed :P

I ONLY trust mixing tubs, because there isn't anything they can get their teeth on. And yet I still have nightmares of waking up to hundreds of rats running around.

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I've used the set up I have now for a good while. I haven't had any chewouts or any attempts so far. Maybe I'm lucky. But I'm only going by what I've personally experienced too. I have a small breeding group. I like playing with them all. I may occasionally give them a rotated play time out of their enclosures in my bathroom. Maybe that keeps them occupied/stimulated enough to not think about chewing out? Or perhaps the rats know better than to come out on their own because I have predators in the same room as their tubs??:confused: :/ My ferrets, who get free roam time daily, will certainly take care of any escapees if any did actually escape. Oh how they love snacking on rats. It's like their crack.

And just for the record, there have been threads claiming rats chewing out of mixing tubs. I guess it just depends if you have a determined rat or not.

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Originally Posted by satomi325

I've used the set up I have now for a good while. I haven't had any chewouts or any attempts so far. Maybe I'm lucky. But I'm only going by what I've personally experienced too. I have a small breeding group. I like playing with them all. I may occasionally give them a rotated play time out of their enclosures in my bathroom. Maybe that keeps them occupied/stimulated enough to not think about chewing out? Or perhaps the rats know better than to come out on their own because I have predators in the same room as their tubs??:confused: :/ My ferrets, who get free roam time daily, will certainly take care of any escapees if any did actually escape. Oh how they love snacking on rats. It's like their crack.

And just for the record, there have been threads claiming rats chewing out of mixing tubs. I guess it just depends if you have a determined rat or not.

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Thanks for the info, but I would like them to be in racks system. I'm trying to avoid having lots of tanks or bins around the house. When I first meet my girlfriend we had around 60-80 reptiles (snakes, lizards, bunnies, rats, mice) and having a house full of tanks going wall to wall isn't for me. The only reason we started having BP's again is that I convince my girlfriend to keep them in a rack system and no tanks.