Rat Rack

[tomfromtheshade]

your use of 2x3's and spacing costed you the 6th tub.

so yes you gain more food capacity, but you cost yourself space which it most valuable.

my design is 6 high and I have switched to dual valves per tub.

Space is something that I don't really have to worry about. I am fortunate to have a VERY LARGE space to breed my rats.

My main efforts not go into making the work it takes to maintain my colony go as quickly as possible. This means that larger food hoppers, larger water reservoirs, and more ventilation/less animals per tub, give me more time in my week to do other things.

I'm running my feeder colony at 1.4 animals per tub, or 5.20 animals per rack. I am finding that giving the rats more space is greatly increasing the survival rate of the pups when kept in a colony setting. I can fit 50.200 animals in a 12' x 12' space with PLENTY of room for cleaning etc. 200 females are going to produce about 2000 rats per month for me in this set up. I am averaging 10+ babies per female making it to weaning size running 1.4 in the large mortar tubs.

I am still separating my more valuable animals into birthing tubs and will continue to do so until I have breeding animals that are exclusively homozygous for the traits that I want. I don't really want to breed a rat and have her lose two babies when the two babies that she loses could very well be the two blue dumbos in the litter. However, once I have a few hundred more blue dumbo breeding animals I will probably run them in the 1.4 ratio in the large tubs as well.

So, long story short. There is no BEST way to build racks. There is no BEST ratio of males to females. It really all depends on what you want to accomplish.

I could probably do an entire HOURS LONG presentation on rat breeding methods. Its possible that some day I might do a full out post on the subject. Chances are that it will probably be a book though LOL. Maybe a series of DVDs? LOL.

[PghBall]

If I ever decide to build a rack, a DIY sticky would def be helpful, especially if you include how to do the watering system. I have a Home Depot less than 2 mins from the house so getting the supplies would be a cinch! Tom, I have to agree with PowersPythons on your advice. You always seem willing to help out with rat related Qs.

[tomfromtheshade]

If I ever decide to build a rack, a DIY sticky would def be helpful, especially if you include how to do the watering system. I have a Home Depot less than 2 mins from the house so getting the supplies would be a cinch! Tom, I have to agree with PowersPythons on your advice. You always seem willing to help out with rat related Qs.

I went through my fair share of trial and error in the beginning. I'm still trying to figure everything out. Everybody starts somewhere, and if I can help one person avoid breeding rats in fish tanks or hamster cages then I did something good LOL.

You're not the first person to ask about the watering system. They're not that tough. Its basically a very long, very bendy, water bottle. You have a bucket, a line that carries the water from the bucket, and a sipper where the water gets carried to. As long as you keep the bucket above the sippers there are usually no problems.

[suzuki4life]

http://rodentracks.com/Large-Tub-Rat-Rack.html

there's some plans.

[zues]

Do you use the same racks for grow out tubs?

[tomfromtheshade]

Do you use the same racks for grow out tubs?

Sometimes I do. I have also been using giant livestock troughs as well. I wish that I had the money to invest in Freedom Breeders. Other than the cost being right on the heart attack level, they really have it all figured out. Their holding pens with the fans are probably the most well thought out holding pens ever designed.

[Herp4life11]

Were did you get the tubs? Would this setup work for ASF's? How did it cost you to build it?

[jasbus]

Looks very familiar...
If you cut the bottom rails down a couple of inches, your water valves won't get caught when you pull the tub out...
I use 2x4's, and just rip them in half, plenty sturdy.
My last rack is a two wide, 6 high, all split 2x4's. It's solid. I need a couple of snow days to build a couple more myself!

I built a grow out rack out of the bigger concrete tubs, it works real good too... Alot of space, I keep anywhere from 20 med/lg to 50 weaners per tub. The tubs are like $13 a piece though, it's not cheap!

[tomfromtheshade]

Were did you get the tubs? Would this setup work for ASF's? How did it cost you to build it?

Home Depot.

You want the "medium mixing" tub from Home Depot for the ASF. You will also want to use 1/4" hardware cloth. The little hopper ASF can and will get out of the 1/2" hardware cloth.

I build those the same way, except they are six levels high instead of five. The total height is the same though at 66".

[tomfromtheshade]

More racks...full of manx het females. Heeeeeeeere we go again LOL.