Breeder rats question

[sweety314]

I've started breeding rats. Peek had a litter of 11. The mice aren't doing anything. I had six, I've been feeding & now down to 3.

The mice are out in my garage with enough bedding to burrow, but here's the ???.....

Since my garage is colder than a snowman's behind, and the space heater doesn't make a WIT of difference, should I consider using a SMALL piece of flexwatt on the bottom of the cages???????? Or just leave them in the house in a corner somewhere?

Right now the mice & their oodles of bedding are in a 10g aquarium w/a screen top. Ratties are in a variety of cages, but they're in FD's bedroom---since they're pets. One's a two-story w/a wheel, the smallest is still in the little table top gerbil cage and Peekaboo & babies are in a short, plastic play pet cage w/a snap on lid. < One of those modular models U can add tubes and other pieces too. >

Once the babies are bigger, I'm thinking of just moving all of 'em out to the garage, and continuing the breeding project there. But it's just the START of winter here, and already it's dipping to 30-35deg at night. I don't want any colds or deaths.

Any pointers????? I know in the wild rodents just burrow, but I do want to continue breeding a supply of food, and don't want to have to keep moving them in and out of the house.

Anybody????


THANKS HEAPS!!!

RuLyn

[Jeanne]

I would either move them into the house where it is warmer or get flex watt for the bottom of thier cage if you intend on keeping them in the garage, but you will need a thermostat or rheostat or something of that nature to control the flex watt from getting too hot and cooking them.

[frankykeno]

I'd just find a quiet corner and keep the feeders indoors for the winter months. They can burrow sure in those enclosures but unlike out in nature they don't have deep leaf litter, snow, somebody's basement or attic, whatever as a natural insulator. No amount of store bought bedding will, in my opinion, really do that job correctly. If you are raising feeders to feed your snake's good quality food and save a few bucks, then it doesn't make much sense to have them dying off or not putting on the weight you want efficiently.


~~Jo~~