Pic's Of My New Breeding Colonies

well now that the rack is down and i filled it up yesterday here are some pictures of my new colonies

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...z/100_2160.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...z/100_2161.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...z/100_2162.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...z/100_2163.jpg

i like how there is a bunch of diffrent colors

How many levels do you have?

I'm using the large kitty litter tubs as well and I have six levels. I've found what's worked the best for me (and kept the smell down) is one male in his own tub (the breeding tub). He has three females with him at any given time. When the female is about to pop, she's moved to another tub with one or two other females to have her babies, and another female goes in the tub with her to replace her.

If there are more than two females with babies in a tub, it gets way too crowded (and SMELLY).

If those are going to be permanent colonies per tub, I think you're going to find that they are going to be over-crowded.

Of course, I'm breeding only in the one rack, due to space issues, and I do supplement my production with a local larger scaled rat breeder when I'm low on food.

im building another birthing rack today that holds the small cat litter pans
once a female is ready to pop she will be placed into on of them to nurse her babys by her self

and yes it is a 6 level with the jumbo litter pans

Don't use the high whites(marked) for breeding. They have a great propensity for making megacolon babies. Stick with selfs, hoodeds, berkshires.

Also, they are very overcrowded...

ok not sure what you mean but ok

and im perty sure they are not over crowded i have the exact same tubs ralph davis use's and he runs 1.5 - 1.6 pure tub i only have 1.4 and they have alot of extra room in them

Megacolon is a genetic disease, which tends to be more common in rats with high white markings. You have a lot of high whites in your colony, mostly blazed.

Also, Ralph Davis overcrowds his rats like no other, just because he does it does not make it okay. I use a cement mixing tub rack, each tub measures 26x21x7 or so. The most crowded I have ever let a tub get is 3 adult males, or 4 adult females. This does not happen often, and usually it is no more than 2 adults per tub.

Hmm found this post http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=82487

where you where asking how meany per tub and the guy told you

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

If you need some extra quick space, to free up the rack, make some sterilite tubs, 54 qt or larger, for the nursing mothers or grow ups.

We had 2 of those tubs going for maternity tubs while we still had the 6 tub rack going. We had 12 females and something like 4 males. (have a bunch of those tubs not in use anymore hanging out in the garage ;))

Per tub, if it's just small females, I can put like 5 or 6, 4 or 5 if they are large.

If it's breeders, 1.4 max for me. I don't like to do to many breeders in one tub.

In my opinion, you have a ways to go before you run out of room. Just stop holding back males like we did, and you'll be fine. :gj:

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and then turns around and says

Quote:

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

I can keep up to 3 females in that size tub. I also separate my mothers, my girls always nurse alone and do not like any intrusions.

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for the same size tub in 2 diffrent posts

and from all the post with pictures and people saying on here most all i can see 5 rats in the pic and alot recomend 1.4

I don't know where the second quote came from.

Also, what are the dimensions of your tubs. I already posted mine, and if your rack is comparable to other litter pan racks, my tubs have more than 33% more floorspace than yours. So, if potentially crowding in mine is 1.4, 1.3 would be pushing it for you, and 1.2 would be better...yet you have 1.4 in your smaller tubs.

None of are going to come pounding on your door for you to give your rats more space, but I think you are overcrowding them. Their health will suffer, they will need much more frequent cleaning, they will smell more, and until you get your birthing rack going, you will be even more overcrowded when 4 females pop in one tub.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by klonedskillz

and from all the post with pictures and people saying on here most all i can see 5 rats in the pic and alot recomend 1.4

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Thats funny...I count 6 in the first pic.

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Originally Posted by ThyTempest

That’s funny...I count 6 in the first pic.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by klonedskillz

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...z/100_2160.jpg

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Looks like 6...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ThyTempest

Thats funny...I count 6 in the first pic.

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thats because somehow i ended up with an extra male and he is no more

Quote:

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Originally Posted by klonedskillz

Hmm found this post http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=82487

where you where asking how meany per tub and the guy told you



and then turns around and says



for the same size tub in 2 diffrent posts

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If you're quoting me, you should realize that Austin (ThyTempest) uses the concrete/mortar tubs in his rack, like I do. Not the Van Ness litter pans. If it helps, the second half of my reply was referring to the concrete tubs again, not the sterilite tubs. It may not be perfectly clear upon reading it.

The Van Ness litter pans are smaller than the concrete tubs. I use the large size litter pans as a maternity rack. If you'd like I will get a picture to show you exactly what I mean tonight when I'm home, or you can go to my website and view the pictures. I can't see the pictures at work or I would post them up right now. (It would be under INFO > Raising Feeder rats > Pelleted Litters.)

There I have several pictures of the breeding rack tubs (cement tubs) and the red Van Ness litter tubs.

Also, you will quickly find that over crowding stunts production, raises stress levels (fighting, illness), ammonia levels, and makes it stink to high hell.

A high white rat is any rat with white spotting on the head (head spots, lighting marks on side of face, white jaws) or with the white markings going up from the lateral midline of the body.

The only high white rats that aren't actually "high white" or at risk are Hooded Rats. Hooded rats have color on their head and shoulders, often with a stripe of color down the back.

you will surely have to clean them more often the more you add to a tub.
with as many as you have per tub i surely wouldnt let a mother have a litter in there you will have problems.

as for the "high white" i havent ever got megacolon in anything! let alone what they say is "higher risk", but that doesnt mean it cant happen in other variations. either way megacolon would more depend on who he got the rats from and if they have ever had megacolon in that line.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nixer

you will surely have to clean them more often the more you add to a tub.
with as many as you have per tub i surely wouldnt let a mother have a litter in there you will have problems.

as for the "high white" i havent ever got megacolon in anything! let alone what they say is "higher risk", but that doesnt mean it cant happen in other variations. either way megacolon would more depend on who he got the rats from and if they have ever had megacolon in that line.

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That is really true. It is possible to have a line of high white rats that do not carry megacolon, however there is a reason why we always warn against it. It is not a pleasant disease and is always fatal. I personally always hope that we as a community are really out there to improve our colonies and help others just starting out. Helping others by letting them know that there are risks involved is a responsibility that I hold myself to, and will always let others know about. :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

That is really true. It is possible to have a line of high white rats that do not carry megacolon, however there is a reason why we always warn against it. It is not a pleasant disease and is always fatal. I personally always hope that we as a community are really out there to improve our colonies and help others just starting out. Helping others by letting them know that there are risks involved is a responsibility that I hold myself to, and will always let others know about. :gj:

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i just wanted to share the fact that not all of the for mentioned animals carry it and that any variation could.
if i ever did encouter this i would surely get rid of said animal humanely and also both parents and all offsping of each parent, but alot of ppl dont and alot just try to start colonies with garbage rodents from the pet store that might or might not carry this awful disease. either way i wish the OP great luck as my colony is just starting to build itself up again little by little.:)

Am I wierd that mice and rats in large groups creep me out but I have no problem keeping them in the freezer? Hehe.

Sorry totally off topic but it was the first thing that popped in my head.