The Rat Hilton

[Ginevive]

OK, somehow I have become a rat owner. I got a few females and a male, just to breed some snake food. Well, all of them but my big male got fed-off once they were too old to produce.
Now I adopted two females (full grown) from my friend's pet store. They were brought in by some gal who kept them as pets, so they are super-tame. You can pick them up and everything, and they do not try getting away like the "wild" breeder rats I am used to.
My 45-gallon (tall) goldfish tank developed a leak last week, and my boyfriend sealed it with silicone, only to find it leaked on the other side when filled! And I looked on the sticker on the tank, and it was made in... get this... 1986!! So it has now been retired to a no-water tank; and none of my ball pythons need a hugely deep tank; so it is now the Rat Hilton. I put a few 2x4s in there for them to climb on/chew, as well as other chunks of nontreated wood to chew. They seem to love it! Right now there's just my old grouchy male (hates people but loves other rats) and the 2 females. I hope they breed more in this nice big setup!! They were in lousy 20g-long tanks before.

[sk8er4life]

that sounds like a good idea

[Smulkin]

Hehe - i know what you mean they are crazy teethers. Our rat population has exploded from self-sustaining feeding pool to quite possibly beyond into surplus - not sure what we'll do with our spares hehe.

[Ginevive]

Please send me some of your luck then; I have not had rat babies in about a month! I just got these new females, and if nothing happens in a few weeks, I'll assume my male is old and washed-up, and replace him with a younger, more virile guy. Then Mr. Washed-Up can become snake food for my friend's boa!