Unexpected.... "leftovers" ?? Dang what to do !!!

[Aes_Sidhe]

ok long Story Short... my both ball refused food and I have 2 small 60-ish gram rats now.. I grabed one on 30QT plastic tub with lid and with 4 metal clips...put sanichips RBI hide plastic ...container with water and some cerial as food they was lookng good last evening and they still good in this morning...

My 3 concerns are...

Can they get out from that temporary cage..

What to feed them for next few days before i offer them aggain to my balls...

and how much they will grow within next maximum 2 weeks I hope...

[aldebono]

As long as the tub has some ventilation that should be fine.
I couldn't tell you how much they will grow in two weeks unfortunately.

You can always get a boa or blood to take care of these little problems for you . My boa, blood, and king are for taking care of the different sized leftovers.

[Sita]

One of the benefits of feeding F/T, you don't have to take "care" of the leftovers,

They can chew through a plastic tub in one night, so keep an eye on them. Make sure the tub has as much ventilation as possible, so they don't suffocate. You'll probably want to change out the litter every 5 days or so, so they don't have to breathe in the ammonia fumes from their urine.

Food wise, they can eat pretty much anything you eat. Since you're only going to have them for a couple weeks, dog or cat food would be an acceptable staple, with your own food leftovers everyday.

It depends on if they are male or female as to how much they could grow, as well as what food you give them. I think my males around 60 grams can gain 30-40 grams in two weeks. Females don't grow as fast.

[Aes_Sidhe]

I'm goint to post setup picture tonight...

My bigest concern/fear is posibility of escape... dang i need to get spare 20 galon tank for situations like that...

[darkbloodwyvern]

I had a couple spare mouse cages hanging around. Get a good one if you plan to feed live because there's always a chance you'll have a leftover or two. I've had a mishap with my cats destroying the cheap cages and leaving me presents the next couple days. Jerks! But after that I used a glass tank setup I made up for the rodents before I switched over to FT!

[Aes_Sidhe]

Mkay ... that's a setup.. you You think I'll be fine for week or so ??

[Capray]

Mkay ... that's a setup.. you You think I'll be fine for week or so ??

I think it will be. Put some newspaper or empty toilet pater rolls to keep them entertained so they won't chew.

[4theSNAKElady]

Setup is fine. They do grow ALOT in two weeks when they are young. If you have a dog or cat, a handful of their dry kibble works great. You can also give them crackers, fruit, raw veggies, and many people foods such as spaghetti, toast, eggs,small pieces of sammich, pizza, etc.

[Aes_Sidhe]

Ok so now I have only 2 worries. .. I they can get out and of I become too attached. ...
I'm not rodent person at all...

[aldebono]

Many of us are converts and are now happy pet rat owners because of something similar.

Just check the edges for chew marks daily. They can chew out quickly if they want, but if they start, you can get a taller equal to a 20 gallon tall tank sterilite and put screen on the top.