I hate rat racks

We decided to go ahead and finish the rat rack tonight or at least try and get the last two frames on. The darn rack is horrible. One of the legs is going off at an angle and we might only be able to just get one more frame on without the legs getting too far apart. And, the rack might not stand correctly due to the leg going off at an angle. The screwdriver is terrible. It's charge takes forever and it only lasts for maybe 3-4 screws. The wood is splitting, the guy that did the cuts cut several of the pieces too short or too long. I'm so frustrated and I need a working rack soon. I'm running out of room for all those darn tanks which are a pain to clean in the first place. I'm no good at building anything yet I have to build this rack since buying one is too expensive. So now the whole rack might be ruined and unusable and thats well over $50 down the drain. I'm so pissed at this thing (and myself) I could scream.

Anyone got any rat breeding racks they are willing to part with for a small fee? Or maybe I can pay someone to build me one.

Here is one for sale on kingsnake, but with gas prices it could get expensive!

http://market.kingsnake.com/detail.php?cat=22&de=595234

Look around on there and you may find something closer!

I would offer to build one for you, but my time at home is limited and I have to build 2 more for us next time I am home. :oops: Our rat colonies are growing fast. Generally the walk throughs I've seen on line tend to assume some carpentry skills are known. Also a hand drill is needed as all screw holes need to be pilot drilled first.

Are you drilling holes for the screws, or are you drilling the screws straight in? That Is probably why your wood is spliting.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stangs13

Are you drilling holes for the screws, or are you drilling the screws straight in? That Is probably why your wood is spliting.

---

hooray for predrilling! :gj:

I would find a friend or relative that could help you with that. Racks are easy once you get going with them. :gj:

No pre-drilling. Like I said, I know nothing about building anything. What would I need for pre-drilling as far as tools?

Hi,

I used a normal cordless drill and a bit that was slightly slimmer than the shaft of the screw and, since it had a countersink that could be depth adjusted, set that to make sure I didnt drill too deep.

It also meant the screw heads were nice and flush for putting the fancy little plastic caps on it too to hide the screws.

If you dont care about/have the countersink option then mark the depth with tape on the drill bit.

If you do care but don't have it simply use a larger drill bit to countersink it after drilling the small pilot hole. :gj:


dr del

I would suggest reading some DIY Rat Racks.

http://arbreptiles.com/cages/rat_rack/ratrack.shtml
http://arbreptiles.com/cages/rat_rac...ing_rack.shtml
http://www.baileyreptiles.com/rodentrack.html
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=38830
http://www.ralphdavisreptiles.com/in...ves/oct-03.asp


Shawn

I am going to build two racks tomorrow. The first is a 24 bin rat birthing rack. The other is a 6 tub rat breeding rack. I found the plans on this site http://www.arbreptiles.com/index.html

I have built the 6 tub rack before, and love it. BTW, thanks Clay.

Hope this helps.

Eddie Strong, Jr.

I just watch Ralph Davis' youtube video about a flood he had due a water valve malfunctioning on one of his rat racks. I don't have a rat rack...but this got me thinking a lot about one.

What does everyone prefer? Bottles or valves?

Maybe valves with a flood prevention system??

JonV

I recently ordered the parts and am switching to a water-fed system from an all bottle system.

The bottles, while less likely for a severe flood, need filled every 2-3 days. A bucket with a water feed system can last a week or better. For me it's about time management and filling 15+ water bottles every 3 days is way more work than filling a bucket every week.

Depends on your colony I suppose but I've surpassed the number of bottles I want to fill regularly :)

Yup, I'm all about the gravity feed water system. Only had a few leaks, and the pellets soaked it ALL, until there was a tub full of sawdust.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

What would I need for pre-drilling as far as tools?

---

We use a #8 contersink bit, although a #6 would work as well. You can find these at Home Depot (maybe Lowes, but I don't shop there much) in the tool section next to the drill bits and miscellaneous drivers. Hope that helps (it will definitely cure your splitting problem).