Getting a new ARS-5032 Rat Rack this week!

[cchardwick]

I'm pretty stoked, I'm expecting to get five levels of an ARS-5032 rat breeder rack either this week or next. I'll be glad to get rid of my glass aquariums and get them into a rack system that waters the whole rack with one five gallon bucket and feeds from the outside!

One question, what do you use for bedding for your rodent rack? I find that if I use too much pine bedding in my aquariums the rats will actually bury some of their young and some will die buried alive. Has anyone noticed this in a rack system? Maybe they will feel more secure in a rack and won't dig so much? Or maybe I should keep the bedding pretty thin?

Here's the setup I'm getting, I'm only getting five levels so 20 tubs total. If I like it I'm hoping to get a few levels of a rat grow out system. But for now I'm thinking I can rotate my males through 12 tubs with females, one female per week, and then use the other 8 tubs as grow outs until I feed them off. I'm thinking I can use three males and have three male / female pairs and leap frog the males after three weeks so all the girls will have a buddy during breeding right before birth, then will birth and nurse alone, and maybe combine two or three females per tub at the end to rest after weaning.

It looks like the size of a tub is roughly equivalent to a 20 gallon breeder tank. I'd probably have to split up litters between two or more tubs once they are weaned.

[erebus45]

wow that is a very nice rack.. congrats on the soon to be expansion!!!! as for the bedding i cant answer that as i just started breeding my own and have yet to have a pregnant female... but i am using aspen shavings so hopefully i dont have the same problems.. good luck and once again congrats

[dustin860]

Those racks are great but the price to buy one use is hard to justify given the options available .


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[cchardwick]

Well everyone builds racks out of wood with concrete tubs for their rodent breeding. They can put them together for real cheap but to me they look terrible and seem nearly impossible to clean being made of wood. There's basically zero resell value on them, I've seen people wear them out, actually get them dirty beyond cleaning, then tear them down and replace them. The ARS rack will have tons of value if I ever turn around to sell it, in fact it's almost impossible to find a used one. I'd rather invest in high end equipment that I can enjoy and that looks great and holds its value if I ever decide to downsize and sell. I'm also a welder so I may be able to copy their design and make a few levels myself.

[dustin860]

I wasn't knocking your purchase they are nice racks for sure . The majority of people who breed on a large scale don't care what they look like as long as the functionality is there . I've never had issues with my wooden racks getting too dirty or being hard to clean . A lot of folks who build them try to overcharge but anyone with a little craftmanship can make one fairly easily . I like the Ars racks I have a few but with the number of rodents I have I need a mixture of cost effective solutions . If your only breeding for your own snakes or a few buddies ars is definitely a good choice . Enjoy your rack !!!! Post some pics I always like seeing how people have there setups


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[Stewart_Reptiles]

ARS are nice but the downside being powder coated it they will chipped off over the years and rust.

Freedom breeder's new line is stainless steel and will never rust, that's what I use for a big part of my rodent colony and could not be happier with it.

As far as bedding I provide 1 to two inches layer of pine shaving.

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