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BPnet Veteran
Food wasted in Hoppers.
Okay so I finally built myself some hoppers about a month ago. Before that I was rationing my lab blocks one and a half per mouse in the tub every morning. As you can imagine it's a hassle to put food in everyday. Before that I was just filling the bowls but I felt I wasted too much when I cleaned tubs and threw out all the stuff they'd urinated on.
Anyway I built my hoppers but I think my mice are going through the food faster than ever. They empty them in 2-3 days and it should be more than enough food for a week or even two. It looks like they're shredding the blocks down to a fine powder and not eating it. I find a layer of the stuff under the bedding when I clean.
Is there any way to keep mice from wasting food?
A pic of one of my hoppers,
It's a 1/2inch hardware cloth tube set in a cheap plastic bowl. A little hot glue, bend some wires and there yah go.
Tub setup,
The hopper goes all the way to the top of the tub so when I lid is on they can't get inside it.
~TruthsDeceit~
My house? ... 13 snakes, 3 geckos, a tarantula, a boyfriend, a roommate (yes the roommate and boyfriend make the "animals" list), 3 cats, a roach colony and don't ask me to count the rodents.
www.rodentworks.net Local to Bremerton, WA
>Rats >Mice >ASF >Rabbits >Custom racks/cages
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Re: Food wasted in Hoppers.
Small wire, use the 1/4. I had the same problem with asfs shredding it and playing with their food, and once I went smaller I did not have a problem.
- Matt
Come here little guy. You're awfully cute and fluffy but unfortunately for you, you're made of meat
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Food wasted in Hoppers.
Originally Posted by Beardedragon
Small wire, use the 1/4. I had the same problem with asfs shredding it and playing with their food, and once I went smaller I did not have a problem.
Okay, I'll try it. I just used the leftover 1/2inch I had from making my rat tubs but I'll got buy some 1/4inch.
My regular rats shred the food too. Do they eat okay through 1/4inch? I've heard they can actually chew the 1/4inch cloth up which is why you shouldn't try to contain them with it.
Any other ideas out there?
~TruthsDeceit~
My house? ... 13 snakes, 3 geckos, a tarantula, a boyfriend, a roommate (yes the roommate and boyfriend make the "animals" list), 3 cats, a roach colony and don't ask me to count the rodents.
www.rodentworks.net Local to Bremerton, WA
>Rats >Mice >ASF >Rabbits >Custom racks/cages
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Re: Food wasted in Hoppers.
No for the big rats, I do not think they would be able to eat through it at all
- Matt
Come here little guy. You're awfully cute and fluffy but unfortunately for you, you're made of meat
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Food wasted in Hoppers.
Originally Posted by Beardedragon
No for the big rats, I do not think they would be able to eat through it at all
I didn't think so either.
Darn! I hate that they waste food. It's very frustrating watching my money go in the garbage.
~TruthsDeceit~
My house? ... 13 snakes, 3 geckos, a tarantula, a boyfriend, a roommate (yes the roommate and boyfriend make the "animals" list), 3 cats, a roach colony and don't ask me to count the rodents.
www.rodentworks.net Local to Bremerton, WA
>Rats >Mice >ASF >Rabbits >Custom racks/cages
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Food wasted in Hoppers.
i know how you feel i go through food like crazy.
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Food wasted in Hoppers.
What is stopping them from climbing up the hopper and carrying the food down to the bottom, hence wasting it? I agree, use the 1/4 inch cloth for Mice and ASF's....1/2 inch for rats.
-Austin
0.8 Normal 1.0 Pastel 0.0.1 Spider
1.1 Het Kahl BCI-08's-FS/T
1.0 Hypo Citrus Beardie (Citrón)
0.1 Citrus Beardie (Tang)
0.0.1 Rose Hair Tarantula (Rose)
0.1 Himalayan Cat (Meredith)
0.2 Persian Cats (Madison and Myrtle)
1.0 Shih-Tzu (Gizmo) 0.1 Lhasa-Apso (Lana)
Rats, ASF's, Turks & Dubias.
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Food wasted in Hoppers.
Originally Posted by dmaricle
i know how you feel i go through food like crazy.
Do you provide chews for your rodents?
I've noticed they waste less if I provide something like a chew stick. but they still waste.
Originally Posted by ThyTempest
What is stopping them from climbing up the hopper and carrying the food down to the bottom, hence wasting it? I agree, use the 1/4 inch cloth for Mice and ASF's....1/2 inch for rats.
The hopper goes all the way to the top of the tub so when the lid is on they can't get inside it.
Last edited by truthsdeceit; 11-29-2008 at 01:50 AM.
~TruthsDeceit~
My house? ... 13 snakes, 3 geckos, a tarantula, a boyfriend, a roommate (yes the roommate and boyfriend make the "animals" list), 3 cats, a roach colony and don't ask me to count the rodents.
www.rodentworks.net Local to Bremerton, WA
>Rats >Mice >ASF >Rabbits >Custom racks/cages
-
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Food wasted in Hoppers.
My rats don't ever waste food but my ASF's shred it,only give a little each day they make powder out of blocks,I have lab cages so have no choice in wire size,when I kept mice they did'nt go through food either.
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Food wasted in Hoppers.
you might want to try a excersise wheel,and i use 1/4 " hardware cloth with mice with no waste.have fun!
TIMOTHY W. HURKMANS
" Do you really believe that what you believe is really real ? "
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