ASF tank lab block hopper instructions with detailed pics!!!

I have had a few requests recently for directions on how I make ASF lab block hoppers. The following pictures are a step by step guide to making a quality ASF lab block hopper for a tank out of one cut piece of 1/2" harware cloth. The pictures are self explanitory. if you count the squares you can make an exact replica.


Recomended Tools:
*Pliers (for pulling stainless steel zip ties, and to help with bending hardware cloth)
*Needle nose plyers (for bending stainless steel zip ties
*Tin Snips (look like giant scisors for cutting hardware cloth and stainless steel zip ties
*Wire cutters (for making precise cuts on hardware cloth when needed)



Total cost per hopper?

*about 50 cents in hardware cloth
*about $1.50 for (5) stainless steel zip ties (you can use plastic, but trust me, even if they are located behind the hopper, the ASF's will still eventually get to them, and chew them off!
*stabbing self several times with hardware cloth while cutting and bending!

TOTAL cost per Hopper: $2.00 and some really sore fingers and hands!

Enjoy!

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e354/mcavana/101.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e354/mcavana/103.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e354/mcavana/102.jpg


Stainless steel wire ties!!! My home depot just started carying them. They are a little pricely, and a pain to use, but the results are priceless!!!!!

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e354/mcavana/104.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e354/mcavana/105.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e354/mcavana/106.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e354/mcavana/107.jpg

I like to put a top on it like this. Notice the stubs oppisite side to the hinges? I leave those on purpose beacause this makes it very easy to tuck those stubs in, making it impossible for the ASF's to get in from the top... But also very easy for me to reopen and fill. Again I used the Stainless Steel Zip Ties for the "hinges".

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e354/mcavana/108.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e354/mcavana/109.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e354/mcavana/110.jpg

I set the hight so that the bottom of the hopper is about an inch and a half off the substrate.

ASF's LOVE to dump out food from a bowl, play with the lab blocks, then make a bed out of the bowl. This creates a huge amount of wasted food. Once I started using hoppers my food costs dropped 75%!!!!! This sized hopper holds exactly 8oz, or 1/2 pound of Mazuri 6F Rodent feed.

Just a heads up if you are new to hoppers.... At first you will think that they can't get to it through the little holes... because they are eating so little. Then later you will be simply amazed because you will realize that its NOT that they can't reach the food, It is that they just don't eat very much, and they were wasting so much more then you realized!!!

Mike

Alright I'll trust you on this one..
But are you SURE they can get a good enough amount of food from this? My asf's don't really knock bowls over but they eat a ton of it.. :[

Yes, I am sure! :gj:

Been using them for months, and have had no issues. Trust me, they don't have any trouble at all getting a mouthfull of food with little to no effort... It just stops them from being able to "play catch" with the lab blocks!

I am not the only one that uses hoppers, that is for sure!! :cool:

When you decide to start selling these, I'll take 4.
Seriously!

I like to use a cutoff disk in an angle grinder to cut the hardware cloth..

Also its probably a good idea to wear gloves. The last attempt at a hopper left my hands looking like hamburger.

Good tutorial i think it needs a sticky.. Far better than the hopper i made lol..

That's looks almost identical to my first prototype for a feed hopper. I ended up with these:

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/b...k/IMGP2100.jpg

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/b...k/IMGP2099.jpg

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/b...k/IMGP2098.jpg

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/b...k/IMGP2097.jpg

Excellent thread... excellent contributions!

bruce

cool thankx man great work, I use tubs for my rats to have the same mesh on the top and just couldnt figure a way to get food to them like that because i hate using bowls. Until now thanks man

Thanks for a nice way to build a food hopper. I just got done making a few for my tanks.
Not hard to do.
They were wasting a lot of food.

I made 8 cost was $28.

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...763/hopper.jpg

Ouch... 28$? Mmm, I'm sorry Mike but my way is cheaper.... Those zipties are too expensive. I can make a hopper pretty quickly and easily without the metal zipties. Just takes some practice and it's smooth sailing.

I don't know if anyone mentioned, but you can use c-rings as well in place of the metal zipties.

We used them to put together one of our rat cages. Should be over by the hardware cloth area in a farm store. They use them for the hardware cloth to make rabbit cages and such. A lot cheaper, and in my opinion easier than zipties.

"I'm sorry Mike but my way is cheaper.... Those zipties are too expensive. I can make a hopper pretty quickly and easily without the metal zipties. Just takes some practice and it's smooth sailing."

Yeah metal zip ties killed it for me. Can you post pics of the way you do it(build hoppers lol) and the c rings please.

What are C rings?

We based our design on Peter's - thanks Peter!
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/rodents2.jpg

Sewed the edges and whole thing to the lid top with thin bailing wire:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/rodents4.jpg

I'm expecting the small holes where the water bottles are, wont stay small forever.
Rats have a way of finding any breach like that, then it wont be long.
Let me know how those tubs hold up.

I like the way you can load the food hopper from the top.

I need to build a rack like Ralph Davis makes. The food hopper is on top.Looks like a couple hundred bucks though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dave763

I'm expecting the small holes where the water bottles are, wont stay small forever.
Rats have a way of finding any breach like that, then it wont be long.
Let me know how those tubs hold up.

---

Had them for...5 months now? and they haven't touched the water bottle holes. These Rubbermaid tubs have molded feet on them and in a few of the tubs, they've nibbled on the molding of the feet, but not enough to escape.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dave763

Quote:

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"I'm sorry Mike but my way is cheaper.... Those zipties are too expensive. I can make a hopper pretty quickly and easily without the metal zipties. Just takes some practice and it's smooth sailing."

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Yeah metal zip ties killed it for me. Can you post pics of the way you do it(build hoppers lol) and the c rings please.

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Well, I don't use anything but hardware cloth and a needle nose plier when I make my hoppers, but I do know that the c-rings can be used for them, since they are made for hardware cloth.

This is my way to make a hopper, takes me about ten minutes start to finish.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=66110

But here is a link picture of the c-rings (quick clips) in question
http://www.martinscages.com/images/full/SUP-104.jpg

And the pliers for them
http://www.martinscages.com/images/full/SUP-106.jpg


Sooo worth picking up if you have a bunch of hoppers to make. :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cassandra

What are C rings?

We based our design on Peter's - thanks Peter!
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/rodents2.jpg

Sewed the edges and whole thing to the lid top with thin bailing wire:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/rodents4.jpg

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wow thats looks great! glad I could help!

thanks little... I still like my design better... seems like it will hold up longer then just holding everything together with bent hardware cloth (I have buit them your way too)... But I am sure you will insist that yours will last forever...

Why do you make them so big??? how many weeks of food is that?

Anyways, I would venture to say that my design can be assembled faster then yours. To bad we can't have a race!!!

Mike

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mcavana

thanks little... I still like my design better... seems like it will hold up longer then just holding everything together with bent hardware cloth (I have buit them your way too)... But I am sure you will insist that yours will last forever...

Why do you make them so big??? how many weeks of food is that?

Anyways, I would venture to say that my design can be assembled faster then yours. To bad we can't have a race!!!

Mike

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LOL, your on. I can make them pretty quick ;)

I can say they have held up very well.

I make them big, because big rats eat big foods. :D

Anywho.. correction on my part, C-rings are hogrings (still useable for caging)... J clips are what I have pictured, and they are the BOMB!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dave763

I'm expecting the small holes where the water bottles are, wont stay small forever.
Rats have a way of finding any breach like that, then it wont be long.
Let me know how those tubs hold up.

---

It's pretty rare of any of our tubs to get chewed around the water bottle spigot. The trick is to melt the hole just big enough for the spigot to go through and not a bit bigger. If it's fit tight like that they don't seem to bother with it at all (at least my rats don't).

I love the design and I just made a small one for my mice. Has anyone had any problems with sharp edges or getting cut but the hopper? I grinded most of the edges down but still a little scared about them getting cut.

They are smarter then you think. Haven't had any scratches.... obviously you want to cut off any long wires... but other then that don't worry about it.

wow thats a great idea, thanks for sharing

that great ideal I now have a use for some of this minnow pot wire but it won't really work for me since i give my rodents bird seed as well as the chow blocks.

I'm going to Home depot to pick up some hardware cloth right now and check into the J clips that Connie posted.

I will post pics once completed. :gj:

smart idea! thanks

To bump an oldie... Thanks to those who put up their designs. Made one today using those designs and a little innovation. Could find the c-ring clamps, and the metal ties were a bit pricey, so I used galvanized steel wire to make my own ties. Worked out perfectly.

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