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  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran Aedryan Methyus's Avatar
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    Question Keeping Rats In Unheated Garage During Winter?

    So, I have been breeding rats in my basement for the past couple of years now and all of the sudden I have developed a mouse problem in my house this winter, which HAS to go away! I'm about 99% sure the mice probably came in under my doors before I had new doors put on my house recently. I'm also about 99% sure that the dog food sitting on top of my rat racks 24/7 is what is keeping them here. Sooo... I am really wanting to move my rat racks out into one of my garages, so I can combat this mouse problem. Can you guys tell me how cold of temperatures fancy rats can survive in? Also, my other concern is, my rat racks have self-watering systems. So, do you guys have any suggestions for keeping the rubber water lines from freezing?

    Thanks in advance for any advice you guys can offer.

  2. #2
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Ain't gonna work if the garage is so cold you have to worry about the water freezing in the drinking tubes! Not even close, epic fail. And even milder cold will end
    their breeding. You really don't want wild rodents getting to any of your domestic cages (contaminating their food)...it might be better to suspend the rat operation
    until you fix the issues that let in the wild mice.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  4. #3
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    BTW, I've been breeding rats, mice & even hamsters for several decades, & I've never had a problem with wild rodents getting in. Apart from basic home security,
    all my pet food (dog food, rodent chow) is kept in clean metal (chew-proof) trash cans with the lids on tight. Always. Anything less is an open "invitation"- you might
    as well put up a welcome mat.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  6. #4
    BPnet Senior Member CALM Pythons's Avatar
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    Re: Keeping Rats In Unheated Garage During Winter?

    No go. They stop breeding, some die and if water freezes they kill each other and turn to cannibalism.
    Ive had field mice get it during winter. They havent touched my dog food, Rodent Block or anything else. I sealed the house up and havent had a single rodent in years (Knock On Wood)


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  8. #5
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Just a reminder: wild rodents getting access to your home OR to your rodents presents a health hazard to you & anyone living with you. For example, they
    can pass serious diseases (including plague via their fleas & hanta virus via their excrement) to your domestic rodents or to you. Wild rodents are more than just annoying, they can indirectly kill you. If you find their droppings in your house, wear a mask while cleaning up & try not to stir up any dust but wipe up carefully with bleach solution.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 02-17-2020 at 01:39 AM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
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  10. #6
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    If you do move them, your in Steel Town it's COLD. Get some 2x4's, Armex or other sheet foam insulation an an electric oil heater. Build a temp rat room. Or go big with lights an water for a perm room. With the heater you can keep at 10x10 at 70f easy, but 60f is much cheaper. Yes, at 60f the rats won't breed well if at all. But they will be fat an happy.

    Now, if you have mice in the house, they are in the garage also. Check alone the foundation an fill any holes you find. Then it's bait an trap the little guys

    Good luck!.
    Last edited by 303_enfield; 02-17-2020 at 04:55 AM.

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  12. #7
    BPnet Senior Member CloudtheBoa's Avatar
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    I used to keep my rats in a big wooden cage with a wire front outside in a carport. Here in NC, especially up in the mountains, it can get below 0F. My rats had a good 4"+ of bedding, and I never lost an adult to the cold (just babies). Enough they could completely bury themselves and their babies if it got cold. Keep in mind, once it gets below a certain temperature, rats will either have a harder time keeping litters alive or may not reproduce at all. I believe my rats still produced litters down to freezing temps, but I'd have to be very careful checking on them so that heat didn't escape the nest and had a lower success rate. They would literally completely cover the babies and uncover them as needed to nurse.


    I used a water bottle that I'd just switch out with a fresh bottle during night, but I only had a 1:2 breeding group of rats, so it was fairly easy. I wouldn't even consider keeping them outside without a weather-proofed building now, with all the animals in the colony and the hairless rats.


    As others have said, if they're in your house, they're in your garage. In addition to diseases (and parasites) mice can also chew up the wiring in your house, so setting up traps may be a good idea. I know people who use poison, but I'd avoid that if possible.
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  14. #8
    BPnet Veteran Aedryan Methyus's Avatar
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    Re: Keeping Rats In Unheated Garage During Winter?

    My apologies for taking so long to reply. Thanks so much to all of you for your advice and concerns. At this point i’m just going to feed off all of the rats I have left and take a break from breeding rats for the time being. I am going to be moving in with my girlfriend and were going to be getting another house in the near future. Once that happens i’m going to build a small out building and insulate/heat it for my rat racks. Right now my main concern is combating this mouse problem. I have went from seeing them constantly to hardly seeing any at all, but surely they’re still here somewhere. I have sticky traps all over the house, as well as regular mousetraps baited with peanut butter and I haven’t caught one single mouse! It’s bizarre!I also have poison stations... I’m hoping that once all of my feeder rats are gone, along with the dog food and i’m out of here, maybe they’ll just leave since there will no longer be any source of food. I doubt it will be that easy, though. I will most likely have to bring in an exterminator. Either way, they’re gotta go, because I’m going to be remodeling my house and getting it ready to rent out.

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