Can rats chew out of a tub lid quickly?

[Corrupter]

Ok so this may seem wierd, but I have a prego rat that is ready to pop and no time for a proper cage at the moment. Is it ok for short term housing in a 32qt sterilite tub with it's original lid that has holes drilled in it for ventilation? I know they need alot of air flow so I would put as many holes in it as possible. I am just worried that she may chew out thru one of those holes before I get a new tank with a screen lid for her. How long might it take for escape? 12h? 24h? 48h+?

[Gloryhound]

Depends on how determined she is! We had a mouse chew through a steralite tub in less than 8 hours. Thing is he didn't use a vent hole we had given it. He started on a perfectly smooth inner corner!

[frankykeno]

If she's close to delivery she's not likely to care and will mostly be resting anyways. You do want to watch though because if she does decide to chew out, you've got a pregnant rat loose in your house with a litter on the way....not a situation I'd want to have.

If you hit Home Depot you can get a small roll of 1/2" hardware cloth for that lid for about $5.00 and then another $2.00 or less for a bag of zip ties (or just use some wire to secure the mesh to the lid).

[littleindiangirl]

You'll have to put a lot of holes in, and I would not leave her like that for more than a couple of hours. You'll quickly see the condensation fogging up the plastic after a few minutes. I would truck on over to the home depot right away for those supplies.

[Corrupter]

I got her in a new tank already, but thanks for all of the advice! Im sure I will put it to good use eventually. Is the mesh-lid tub a good idea for breeding rats compared to a glass tank? I am just afraid that they will eventually shew thro the tub, even if they need to go thru the sides...

[Fearless]

Thats all i have used for the past 3 or 4 months, and I have never had a problem. My ASF, mice and rats are all in sterilites of different sizes and most of my critters spend more time eating, sleeping and nursing than chewing.