DIY Feeder Racks (Mice & Rats)

Now available in downloadable PDF files

Mice Rack:

Warning: This mice rack DIY is for the old style Van-ness Litter pans.

The new re-designed litter pans (regardless of their size) are no longer suitable for breeder racks of any kind due to their curvy shape.

http://stewartreptiles.com/Articles/...eding_Rack.pdf

Rat Rack:

http://stewartreptiles.com/Articles/...eding_Rack.pdf


A Rat Birthing Rack will follow soon as well as a larger Rat Breeding Rack, so stay tuned for more! ;)

You already had them as PDFs on your site for some time now, I took your plans and am in process of building the rat rack.

Thanks Deborah!:gj::gj:

I had to modify your plans as I used the bigger utility bins from lowes. I've built 3 of them now. I also found out the 2X3's cost the same as 2X2's so I used them for the legs and since I was able to use two screws through each leg into the frames I was able to eliminate the cross bracing. Now I am building an auto watering system for it as the boss (wife) is tired of messing with the water bottles. Probably should have taken pictures from the beginning, so we could have added it to the basic rack plans.

awesome deborah! I also hadn't been to your site yet. very nice and professional... :)

Justin

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Originally Posted by jkobylka

awesome deborah! I also hadn't been to your site yet. very nice and professional... :)
Justin

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Thanks Justin I appreciate, I am not a pro by any means when it comes to Websites but I think I did not do too bad ;) (just another of my pastime).

What does your watering system look like on this setup? Do you just use water bottles?

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Originally Posted by Clear

What does your watering system look like on this setup? Do you just use water bottles?

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Here is a pic of the valve from the birthing rack (no DIY yet).

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...ders/Valve.jpg

I buy everything (except for the bucket) here http://www.agselect.com/ED/showdetl....D=179&CATID=12

Yea thats what I figured you did, wished there was a cheaper way!

Chris

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Originally Posted by Clear

Yea thats what I figured you did, wished there was a cheaper way!

Chris

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Trust me it is WAY worth it, it's getting old to fill up water bottle everyday, and with a growing colony not really practical anymore, and when I am out of town I don't have to worry.

Yea thats a great point!

Thanks Deborah, I ued a modified version of these to make my first 2 Racks. I am about to get a 30+ tub rack going. After using your plans to make my first 2 racks, I have gotten pretty good ideas, on how to make it bigger. But This thread started it all for me :D:gj:

Hi

one query: how many mice/rats do you have per litter pan?

Thanks! :)

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Originally Posted by selarep

Hi

one query: how many mice/rats do you have per litter pan?

Thanks! :)

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For the mice rack I have 2 females house in each tubs and 2 males rotating between 3 tubs each.

For the rats I have 1.4 in each tub and once pregnant the females go in a birthing rack.

I know you said you didn't have a birthing rack DIY done a while ago have you done one yet so we can see that?

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Originally Posted by Royal Morphz

I know you said you didn't have a birthing rack DIY done a while ago have you done one yet so we can see that?

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Ouch the rack is done the DIY not so much :rolleyes:, I have a few of them to do and I have been slacking on those DIY.

But this is the birthing rack

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...rthingRack.jpg

man I wish I could build something like that or at least find someone around me that I could pay to do it lol.

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Originally Posted by Denial

man I wish I could build something like that or at least find someone around me that I could pay to do it lol.

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If I can do it chances are you can too ;)

lol thank you deborah but I assure you I cannot lol Im far from being a carpenter. I doubt I could put a birdhouse together,

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Ouch the rack is done the DIY not so much :rolleyes:, I have a few of them to do and I have been slacking on those DIY.

But this is the birthing rack

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...rthingRack.jpg

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you have a break down for this rack of what you used an sizes i would like to try to build one thanks.

Nice mouse rack any ideas where I can get some of the older van ness small litter boxes for the mouse rack?

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Originally Posted by RodentTom

Nice mouse rack any ideas where I can get some of the older van ness small litter boxes for the mouse rack?

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Yup. I found some here (though they're not quite Van Ness, but they have the same/very close measurements, and cheaper!):

JUMBO:
http://www.upco.com/jumbo-cat-pan-no-rim

LARGE:
http://www.upco.com/econo-cat-economy-cat-pan-no-lid

SMALL:
http://www.upco.com/small-economy-cat-pan-no-lid

how tall are the jumbos actually?

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Originally Posted by suzuki4life

how tall are the jumbos actually?

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Looks like a typo. 6 3/4 should be the right height, though if you need an exact measurement, I would call the company. I haven't ordered any jumbo cat litter pans.

Linens and Things website (lnt.com) has Petmate little pans which are good...and cheap.

I use the mediums for my birthing racks (16x12x4).

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Originally Posted by suzuki4life

how tall are the jumbos actually?

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6 3/4" high

Those are the pans used and this is where they were bought (Shipping was at the time $5 for the entire order.

http://www.kvsupply.com/browse/Home/...:21600/I/83640

What was the total cost of the rat rack?

What are the dimensions of the small black mortar tubs that you can buy at HomeDepot???? PM me please

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Originally Posted by Falconsmith

What was the total cost of the rat rack?

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Around $35 for the mice rack and around $70 for the rat rack.

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Originally Posted by cornball252

What are the dimensions of the small black mortar tubs that you can buy at HomeDepot???? PM me please

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If I remember correctly they are 27 x 19.75 x 6

When you build the top for the tub on your rack the measurement would be 28" x 19 7/8".

Trust me when I say that you want these SNUG!

In fact, if you're building more than one you should buy a miter saw to cut everything perfectly. You will be happy that you did.

I agree completely about using a miter saw....you can make perfect cages and they still find a way to chew tubs...lol...I been putting wood block and things are much better now..

Excellent plans, ill be making one soon, thanks.

I made one of the rat racks yesterday and it came out really nice. The only problem I'm having is the tubs are very tight. So tight that I have to fight to get them in and out of the rack. Anyone else have this problem and can give me tips on fixing this? I think its the width that is a little too small. I was thinking of adding some washers between where the legs and the screen tops connect.

ok i got a couple question.
first can you use water bottles with these rack systems (dont want to chance all getting sick if something goes wrong or water gets tainted)
secondly i saw you said you rotate 2 males between 3 cages for mice and only put 2 females in but for rats you put 4 females was that a typo and meant 4 female mice and 2 female rats instead

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Originally Posted by ice#1

ok i got a couple question.
first can you use water bottles with these rack systems (dont want to chance all getting sick if something goes wrong or water gets tainted)
secondly i saw you said you rotate 2 males between 3 cages for mice and only put 2 females in but for rats you put 4 females was that a typo and meant 4 female mice and 2 female rats instead

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Water bottles can be used with both racks however they are a pain so I do not use them I breed too many rodents to change water bottles each day.

If you are worried about them being sick because of a watering than you are worrying too much.

If your colony is healthy there won’t be any problem and if animals in your colony are not or if you do not quarantine any new arrival than bottles or watering system will be all the same because if your animals are sick and so close in proximity than chances are other will be sick as well.

I have been doing this for a while produce a few thousand of feeders each year and never lost an animal to sickness the key is to have a healthy stock to start with, and quarantine new blood if you are compelled to add new blood.

And for housing sorry I don’t see the typo you are talking about I said and repeat

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Originally Posted by Deborah

For the mice rack I have 2 females house in each tubs and 2 males rotating between 3 tubs each.

For the rats I have 1.4 in each tub and once pregnant the females go in a birthing rack.

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What size or type of tubs do you use for the birthing racks?

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Originally Posted by mikebab

What size or type of tubs do you use for the birthing racks?

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I use Iris 12.2 Quarts tubs http://www.organize.com/storboxclear1.html

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Originally Posted by mikebab

What size or type of tubs do you use for the birthing racks?

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Medium Petmate little pans are great. 16" x 12" x 4" is just about right.

In the mouse DIY you recommend using 1/3" hardware cloth - where can you find this?? I've looked everywhere online and it looks like the only places that do carry it sell it in 100ft lengths only - obviously that's way too much and too expensive :(

If places no longer sell 10ft rolls of 1/3", is 1/2" okay for mice, or can babies escape? What about 1/4"? It seems to be too small to eat through... But I could be wrong.

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Originally Posted by abi21491

In the mouse DIY you recommend using 1/3" hardware cloth - where can you find this?? I've looked everywhere online and it looks like the only places that do carry it sell it in 100ft lengths only - obviously that's way too much and too expensive :(

If places no longer sell 10ft rolls of 1/3", is 1/2" okay for mice, or can babies escape? What about 1/4"? It seems to be too small to eat through... But I could be wrong.

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1.3 is VERY hard to find and I haven't seen it in stores for a long time simply use 1/4 do not use 1/2 as babies will escape.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

1.3 is VERY hard to find and I haven't seen it in stores for a long time simply use 1/4 do not use 1/2 as babies will escape.

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K, I have some 1/4 already, I just wasn't sure if they could eat through it or not. I'd hate if they starved or something :( Thanks for these wonderful DIYs! I am planning to build one of each.

Thank you so much Deborah for this awesome DIY! I built two of the rat racks about a month ago and love them. One is in use for rats, and the other for mice & ASF's (I used 1/4 wire instead of course). I like the larger tubs so decided to just build the rat rack for my mice too.

Since the tubs are so deep I built little hardware cloth ladders for the mice to get to the food, they fold up flat and don't catch on the tubs so it doesn't pose a problem at all.

I am planning to build a birthing rack soon and I would like to build one similar to the one pictured by Deborah. My only question is, what is used for the spacers on the middle part of the rack that the tubs slide on? I can easily use a 1x2 on the outer spacers that are attached to the legs but I'm not so sure on the others.

Thanks

nice!! thanks for the pdf

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Ouch the rack is done the DIY not so much :rolleyes:, I have a few of them to do and I have been slacking on those DIY.

But this is the birthing rack

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...rthingRack.jpg

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Did you end up makeing a diy for this one really need it i already got most things needed i was wondering the tubs and measurements thanks