I've tried searching, still need help re: water bottles and cages

[euphuistical]

I have been unsatisfied with my current set up: one 20gal long, another 4 20gal sterilite latch totes and water bottles. I have the option of buying another 4-7 10gal aquariums and I have a rack to put them on. Is that preferable to sterilite totes? If so what water bottles should I use?

**I want a suggestion of a specific brand name / model that doesn't leak and is easy to install in a glass enclosure **

(if there isn't one I'll break down and use hardware cloth and suspend it from the top.)

I like the idea of glass more because I can see all that is going on without having to open the top and disturbing them. And they can be entertaining to watch sometimes. Also easier to watch out for fighting or anything like that.

As far as water bottles, the best thing I have found so far are these (the 32oz version): http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2753357

With drilling holes in the sterilite.

Ibviously these are a no go for glass cages. Are those water "hopper" like things any good? They seem convenient. I have tried other random brands and they all seem to leak too much and / or have no easy way to install in a glass cage.

And my final question: cypress and coconut husk are too "moist" to use as substrate for these guys, right?

Thanks,
peace

[Shadera]

I use 10 gallon tanks for my ASFs, I'm just too paranoid they'll chew out of tubs. I love the small animal water bottles from petco and use those for the animals that aren't kept in racks with watering systems. Just make sure bottles are filled to the top, the rubber seal ring is in place, then give the bottle a quick squeeze once you turn it right side up to get the suction going and no drips. They're made of plastic, so to keep the rats from chewing them I build another hopper onto the lid out of hardware cloth and the water bottle slides down into that from the outside top, just like their food. The top is just 4 pieces of wood that makes a frame to fit tightly over the top of the tank, then hardware cloth stapled to that. The hoppers for food and water bottle are suspended from one end, and their wheel is hanging from the center of it. It's worked great for me, but I know everyone does it differently.

[llovelace]

I also use tanks like Shadera, I make covers for the tanks from 1" chicken wire, I use lix-it rounded water bottles (no edges for them to chew).

[euphuistical]

Thanks good input. I use hog feed and it comes in very small pellets that would pass through hardware cloth or chickenwire. Can I just put the food in a bowl like i'm doing now? I know it gets covered a covered and moved around but I figure they are rats and used to getting their food like that.

[matt71915]

have you read the thread where mike told everyone his secrets? he just throws in an amount of food he said about 125 grams every 3 days for a trio.
he also said that they will get barried, and pooped on for the first couple days but they are RATS, they will learn to poop in a corner and not by the food

[euphuistical]

have you read the thread where mike told everyone his secrets? he just throws in an amount of food he said about 125 grams every 3 days for a trio.
he also said that they will get barried, and pooped on for the first couple days but they are RATS, they will learn to poop in a corner and not by the food

Yeah I read that, but he also said he uses hoppers for his growing tanks, and I know a lot of people here still use hoppers of some sort.

Them being rats was my thought, and I don't think I need hoppers, I just wanted to double check. Especially since I don't really know how much food to give to X number of rats in a grow tank, since I won't be able to see how much food is actually left inside.

Also, do you have to separate males and females in grow tanks? If some reach full adult hood will there be fighting and what not? I don't mind if they make babies since I could just put those in any of the breeder colonies I guess. And I doubt that they would stay adult and in the tank for long enough to get pregnant and then deliver the babies. They will most likely get fed off by then.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

I still use the big tubs for my grow outs with the feed dispencer from that other thread... I seperate the boys and the girls. There are multiple advantages to splitting the sexes.

For the breeders I still use, and will always use the 10 gallon tanks. I have tried every water bottle / holder in existance. The only one that will be still usable after a year is the glass bottles with the metal tops... and metal bottle holders. will never buy anything else again.

[matt71915]

well just take mikes amount for 3 rats and divide it by 3
125/3 = 41 grams of food 41/ 3 days =13.67 grams a day

so for grow out i would just maybe round to 10 grams each a day

I've heard people having unsexed and sexed grow out bins and they both work
its up to you

I personally dont use tanks because i dont have glass water bottles, if i did i might

I use a rack and tubs which in both they dont have access to the bottle itself only the metal tube

[mechnut450]

i use the glass water bottle and any glass tanks I have for rodent ( if I got the lid too). I used plastic bottle and they be chewed with in a few hourrs. I also took an deal I seen on here and made little tables out of wood and pieced of 2x4 so they can use it to hide and chew on and man has it helped. now if ithey just quite using the tables as the restrooms lol..

[littleindiangirl]

I use plastic tubs for all of my ASF's, and from the water bottles I have tried, I like the super pets flat-bac the best. Because it's easy to mount on the outside of the tub, and have the nozzle on the inside.

If you do it the way I do, just be careful when burning the hole for the water bottles, and that it isn't too large. If you do make it too big, it's easy to fill it with JB Weld and make a hole next to it or on the other side.

My tubs are fine, no one has chewed the hole. I have even gone and squeezed J-clips (from TSC by rabbit supplies) around the hole to keep any industrious rats from chewing, or to tighten up a hole I made too big, which is my problem the most often.

Chris has gone and welded washer with screws so I can mount a metal washer on the inside of the hole, and it's held in place by a nut. I've only done it on two tubs so far, the rest don't have them yet.