we'll try and go somewhat in order here.

first of all, what are the advantages of a rack over free standing tubs, other than saving space? and what would you recommend for me cuz i have plenty of floor and table space but not much height space/permanent space. one nice thing about tubs is that they are portable, where with a rack... not so much.

second, where do you guys get your lab block? cuz i used to work at petsmart and i don't think we ever sold anything like that, at least not in that quantity. not that i remember anyway... but that doesn't mean too much lol

third, i guess this is just a general question (and probably a stupid one). you were talking about keeping some of the babies for future breeding, do you have to get a new male then (assuming you only had one before, and if you already had multiple how do you know who the father is) or do you just go ahead and start inbreeding?

and lastly (for this post, lol) everybody keeps saying how it's a ton of work, but again, i worked at petsmart and have owned various rodents in the past (just as normal pets no breeding) and yeah, it's not like you just plop em in there and walk away, but checking and filling water, feeding them, cleaning cages every couple days, and separating knocked up females so they don't get knocked up again right away doesn't seem like that much work. is there something i'm missing? where is all the dreaded work?

and thanks a ton to everyone who has posted so far. for the most part it's all been really great advice and a lot of help. KEEP IT COMING!