Building & Plumbing a Rodent Rack

[Kevin_Hornby]

I find that the ASF's 20 grams or less are to small to reach it, but anything larger than that are fine. (the smaller ones I just put more bedding). As for the chewing, I haven't had any issues yet.

Twisted, try searching for Petmate brand tubs, they seem to be easier to find.

[mechnut450]

great looking post but I do have one question does the sipper piece prevern you from removing the tub completly ?? looking at I I be afaird i end up ripping the piece off and possible end up with some drowned rodents.( it would happen with my luck) that why I liked my glass stnaks or even consider finding those lab tubs( sicne i don't know what they are called) that has the clear tub and the wirre tops I can just set them on a shelf unit and pull them out ot do maintanc every day. I love the rack design since it takes up a lot less room than my current 4-5 tanks of rodents.

[mshane]

If you are installing tanks and fitting pipes to them be sure to cover the ends of the pipes with tape to stop pieces of plastic and swarf from dropping down them, the bits and pieces will block taps later on and cause all kinds of problems.

[adamjeffery]

man that is one seriously nice rack!!!
a couple of questions.
how often do that size tubs need to be cleaned?
what are your production estimates?
how much food do you use per week?

i only breed rats right now but have been thinking of doing mice since there is a shortage in this area and are always in demand. i tried the mice for awhile but after i got rid of the majority of my corns i really dont need mice anymore. but the potential for profit is their which could pay for my other food and bedding bills.
adam jeffery

[aboutsnakes]

You definitely have some major engineering skills

Nicely done !

[plumbyshoe]

Great ! thanks for posting it looks kinda complicated but awesome ..

[Aereadnos]

Thanks for your post! Its saved me bunch of money so far thought I'd show off my version modified to work with rats aswell. Great for a smaller breeder... Cost me just under $350 CAD

[IMG]20140806_141627 by Aereadnos[/IMG]

[MarkS]

Thanks for your post! Its saved me bunch of money so far thought I'd show off my version modified to work with rats aswell. Great for a smaller breeder... Cost me just under $350 CAD

That's great, I'm glad people are still finding this post useful.

[BBotteron]

Curiosity is getting at me.. I don't plan on breeding rats for a long time until I make sure I'm getting used to taking care of my bps and my husbandry is perfect. But...couldn't you attach a garden house or something similar to this setup instead of a low flow gravity feed system?


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[OriginReptiles]

Curiosity is getting at me... I don't plan on breeding rats for a long time until I make sure I'm getting used to taking care of my bps and my husbandry is perfect. But...couldn't you attach a garden house or something similar to this setup instead of a low flow gravity feed system?

Water nipples work under low pressure (5 psi or less). If you are attaching nipples to poly hose the water needs to be gravity fed. If you are wanting to connect it directly to a garden hose (house pressure), you will need a pressure regulator to regulate the pressure down. House pressure can be 30 to 70 pounds of pressure, so you would need to regulate it down to 5 or less. Otherwise, your rats will get a shower rather than a drink and it can cause damage to the nipple.

For my set up, I use a garden hose attached to a float valve inside a bucket. No refilling, but also gravity fed. I may consider simplifying to a pressure regulator in the future.