Keep rats outside

Hey there,
I keep my rats outside, how can I be sure as much as possible that they will survive the hot summer days?
I do not have access to electricity outside so I can't use any a/c nor fans...
At August the temp can reach 86-95F I know the breeding will stop a bit yet I don't want them to die.
There any method I can help them survive the hot summer days without the option of a/c \ fan? I really can't get any electrical power outside...
The rack system at the shade tho

*edit: I know about outside breeding might attract other rodents \ predators to them but that not my problem right now*

Some people keep breeding colonies of rabbits outside. Try examining articles online about those...

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Originally Posted by doronxl7

Hey there,
I keep my rats outside, how can I be sure as much as possible that they will survive the hot summer days?
I do not have access to electricity outside so I can't use any a/c nor fans...
At August the temp can reach 86-95F I know the breeding will stop a bit yet I don't want them to die.
There any method I can help them survive the hot summer days without the option of a/c \ fan? I really can't get any electrical power outside...
The rack system at the shade tho

*edit: I know about outside breeding might attract other rodents \ predators to them but that not my problem right now*

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I would be worried about parasites and infestations if kept outside. Just me being paranoid though. I keep mine in the room with my snakes. If only they knew what was to happen to them eventually..... :P

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Originally Posted by doronxl7

Hey there,
I keep my rats outside, how can I be sure as much as possible that they will survive the hot summer days?
I do not have access to electricity outside so I can't use any a/c nor fans...
At August the temp can reach 86-95F I know the breeding will stop a bit yet I don't want them to die.
There any method I can help them survive the hot summer days without the option of a/c \ fan? I really can't get any electrical power outside...
The rack system at the shade tho

*edit: I know about outside breeding might attract other rodents \ predators to them but that not my problem right now*

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I do believe anything over 80 can be killer, the reason my bell is ringing to that number is i know i will have to put AC window unit in my garage. on a 75 degree day, my garage can get to the 80's no problem.

I used to breed rabbits and had a few outside, the rest were in a barn(It was an older barn though). One trick I used was freezing water bottles to put in with the rabbits and they would lie against them to keep cool. Although Im not sure if rats would use the bottles

Could viruses transferred by mosquitos be transferred to the snake if eating a infected rat?

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Originally Posted by BallPythonWannaBe

I used to breed rabbits and had a few outside, the rest were in a barn(It was an older barn though). One trick I used was freezing water bottles to put in with the rabbits and they would lie against them to keep cool. Although Im not sure if rats would use the bottles

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thats pretty nifty... but dang a lot of work...

Not sure I would keep them out in the open outside. Every month or so I have a rat that gets out of the tub and runs around the room, usually when I'm cleaning the racks, it just happens. If it got away from you outside I'm guessing it would be nearly impossible to catch it and you would start your own rat infestation in the neighborhood LOL. It's probably best to keep them in a small shed, run an extension cord out there and maybe run a swamp cooler / evaporative cooler on some kind of thermostat. I'd also run a heater on a thermostat so it doesn't get too cold. I keep my rats in my snake room at a constant 81F, I wouldn't go much higher than that.

No good for Rats without Temp control.. They aren't like Rabbits. They will suffer/die sooner or later.


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It was worth it. They were all show rabbits, or meat rabbits. The show buns were my babies.

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Originally Posted by CALM Pythons

No good for Rats without Temp control.. They aren't like Rabbits. They will suffer/die sooner or later.


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Good to know! I know next to nothing about rats :oops:

Over 85 your rats will start produce very little (basically your cost will skyrocket feeding the breeder while having little to no production, and I am pretty sure if you want to breed rats that's because you want to save money)

At over 90 you will start seeing rats dropping dead randomly.

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*edit: I know about outside breeding might attract other rodents \ predators to them but that not my problem right now*

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Not right now however it will be and we are talking about the possibility of losing your colony entirely if that is not controlled either.

Basically as it stand your colony is doomed to fail, might as well keep buying food.

You need a shed in which other rodents that can pass on parasites and diseases cannot get in and you need a solar panel that can power a big fan at the very list to cool the animals and keep the air moving, in addition I would also recommend a solar exhaust fan.

Keeping rodents outdoors is a real pain and not worth the risk, but if you must:

- Big tubs w/ low stocking density
- Keep them out of direct sunlight
- Keep the substrate deep enough to burrow
- Keep the tubs extra clean, sanitize often
- Use the frozen water bottle trick