Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 754

1 members and 753 guests
Most users ever online was 47,180, 07-16-2025 at 05:30 PM.

» Today's Birthdays

None

» Stats

Members: 75,905
Threads: 249,107
Posts: 2,572,122
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, Pattyhud
Results 1 to 4 of 4
  1. #1
    Registered User nor_cal1980's Avatar
    Join Date
    02-06-2011
    Posts
    187
    Thanks
    61
    Thanked 22 Times in 17 Posts

    Cheap & Easy DIY Rodent Breeding Tubs

    Well I've been breaking the bank feeding all my snakes (not really) and finally broke down and started breeding my own food. I came up with a really cheap and effective way to do so here in my apartment. I started out with 31 quart rubbermaid roughneck tubs.

    All i did was cut out two openings in each lid and cut out two pieces of half inch hardware cloth to fit on the underside. I used 1 1/2 inch by 1/16 inch thick aluminum flashing ( found at lowes or home depot) and 5/8 inch rivets to hold the hardware cloth in place.

    Here's the underside of one of the lids



    It's really simple to do. The measurements don't have to be exact. I pretty much eyeballed everything. I used a dremel for cutting the lids but you can use a key hole saw and drill by drilling holes in the corners then cutting from hole to hole with the saw. I cut the hardware cloth with wire cutters and also used a dremel for the aluminum flashing. The aluminum is easy to cut by hand. It just has to be scored with a hack saw then it easily snaps right were it was scored. Once I had the hardware cloth cut I sat it in place and laid a piece of flashing over it and marked where it needed to be cut. Once everything was cut I set the hardware cloth and flashing where it needed to be and drilled holes through the flashing and the lid with a 5/8 inch bit and riveted everything together. I found it worked better to drill one hole at a time and rivet directly after drilling.



    The thing I really like about them is that they use the same concept as a rodent rack where the food is kept on top of the hardware cloth where it can't be pee'd and poo'd on by the rats. You could also set them up on a cheap plastic rack from wallmart or home depot and plump in a watering system. I hope this helps someone out. If you have any questions PM me.


    Some of the food on there looks like dog food but its not. It's actual rodent breeder food that I bought straight from a seed and grain factory near my apartment.


    1.1 Fire Ballz 1 Pastel
    1 Mojave .1 Normal
    .1 Pinstripe 2 Corns
    .1 Jungle Corn .1 Pueblan Milk
    .1 Rosy Boa 1 False Water Cobra
    2 Painted Turtles 1 Stink Pot
    1 Miniature Pinscher
    http://www.youtube.com/1980norcal

  2. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to nor_cal1980 For This Useful Post:

    Emilio (02-26-2011),M_MULLINS (03-15-2011),Nobodytoyou (09-06-2020),Spechal (06-15-2018)

  3. #2
    BPnet Veteran
    Join Date
    11-01-2010
    Posts
    479
    Thanks
    75
    Thanked 105 Times in 89 Posts

    Re: Cheap & Easy DIY Rodent Breeding Tubs

    I use the same rubbermaid tubs with a similar concept. Watch for chew outs tho, I've had to cover two holes so far, but that was an easy fix with a small piece of hardware cloth and a hot glue gun.

  4. #3
    Registered User nor_cal1980's Avatar
    Join Date
    02-06-2011
    Posts
    187
    Thanks
    61
    Thanked 22 Times in 17 Posts

    Re: Cheap & Easy DIY Rodent Breeding Tubs

    Quote Originally Posted by Powerspythons View Post
    I use the same rubbermaid tubs with a similar concept. Watch for chew outs tho, I've had to cover two holes so far, but that was an easy fix with a small piece of hardware cloth and a hot glue gun.
    How many rats to you keep in each tub?

    1.1 Fire Ballz 1 Pastel
    1 Mojave .1 Normal
    .1 Pinstripe 2 Corns
    .1 Jungle Corn .1 Pueblan Milk
    .1 Rosy Boa 1 False Water Cobra
    2 Painted Turtles 1 Stink Pot
    1 Miniature Pinscher
    http://www.youtube.com/1980norcal

  5. #4
    BPnet Veteran
    Join Date
    11-01-2010
    Posts
    479
    Thanks
    75
    Thanked 105 Times in 89 Posts

    Re: Cheap & Easy DIY Rodent Breeding Tubs

    Quote Originally Posted by nor_cal1980 View Post
    How many rats to you keep in each tub?
    I do 1.3-4 breeders, or 3 pregnant/nursing mothers, or up to 20 after weaned (I wean at 3.5weeks), but they dont last long after weaning so they're only that crowded for about 2-3 days..If I was growing them up to small/medium size, I'd say more like only a max of 10 per tub.

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to Powerspythons For This Useful Post:

    nor_cal1980 (02-27-2011)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1