rat rack

[Lisa]

Here's our rat rack that katey and I built. still tweeking things, planning on changing to metal bins. It holds 12 bins, 4 female rats per bin, moving males through out every week. Planing on building a few other racks too.

http://snakes.geekgrrl.ca/rodents/ratrack5.jpg

[JasonBrennan]

The suggestion I would make is if you want to feed on top of the cages like that, you need a food hopper to hold the food in place. With it loose like that, the animals really can't get to the food easily (it will just move as they try to bite into it). If you made a food hopper to put on top, then the weight of the food above will hold the food on the bottom in place and allow the rats to get to it.

Also, it looks like you are feeding dog food?

[mykee]

And the dog/rat food debate continues. Round 426. DING!

[asphyxia]

Looks good, What size are the bins, and where did you purchase them? Also, do you know if mice can get out of a bin/screen like you are using

Thanks
B

[Lisa]

the rats have no problem eating the food.

the bins are about 22X16X6, jumbo deluxe kitty litter pans, from superpet. mice can get out of the size of screen i'm using (1/2") for mice i'd go with 1/4" screen and a different bin, shallower.

i'm not happy with the kind of plastic the bins are made of, its too soft. I figure we can make metal bins for the same price...

[sapphire_moon]

nice!

I got my rats on rat food, I don't like it, they seem to be getting thin, so I've been supplementing with dog food. And plan on putting them back on ol roy dog food they were plumper on it, and not as jumpy or "food crazy" as they are now.

[annieb_mice]

I was considering making another comment about feeding cheap <crap> dog food, but decided not to waste my breath. But I thought I would suggest something you can use along with the dog food, if you are concerned in any way about your rat's health that is.
I have found that the large horse pellets are almost identical to rodent lab blocks, but are a LOT cheaper! They have the same ingredients and virtually the same nutritional value. For a 25 lb bag of the large horse pellets, which I only feed to my rats, it costs about $18 per bag and one bag lasts me about a month. I do suppliment with other foods as well, but I've noticed that my females are less food crazy, not that they were before but you know how a nursing female can get... ;) The pups also look plumper and seem more active.
I tried this food with a small group of rats and compared them to my others after two months. I still plan to continue testing this out for at least another two months before I give it to all the rats, but so far, things look very good. :)
When comparing the prices with the lab blocks and the large horse pellets, the pellets are cheaper than the lab blocks and as I said, are virtually the same thing.
Oh yeah... and about the racks... it looks good. How are you doing the water system? For the bins, have you thought about using sterylite or rubber maid bins? I use the sterylite bins for my pregnant females and have found them to be excellent! I would think that metal bins would rust over time, with the constant urine. I agree with the comment about using food hoppers though, but if you aren't having a problem now, then there is probably no need to change. :) I've got a rat cage rack coming in the next couple of days and can't wait! Personally, I like using a "cage" system with rats so they have the extra air flow. I have found that rats "sweat" a bit too much for my liking in the bins. :)
Anyways... Good luck and take care
Annie B. <:3 )~~

[Oliverian]

What are the blue tubes for? And the bins simply slide out, right?

Looks good. :)

-TammyR

[annieb_mice]

The blue tubing is the water system. It is an automatic dripless system that most professional feeder breeders use and is an excellent way of providing water.
The bins slide in and out easily. Rack systems really are the best way to go if you are keeping more than just a few rodents. They are easy to clean and feeding and watering is easy and fast to do. :)
<sorry for butting in Lisa :)>
Take care
Annie B. <:3 )~~

[Lisa]

Yup, the tubing is a watering system. I've left the waterbottles in to help transition the rats from one method to the other. The watering system seems to be working as the water goes down in the water bucket and I have to fill waterbottles every 3 days instead of every day... eventually i'll just take the waterbottles away.

I've found with our caging (martins rat caging 1"x1/2" mesh) that the babies could squish out, which to say the least is not desirable. we will still use the cages for growing our rats to bigger sizes.

I wish we switched from cages to racks and from waterbottles to watering system sooner.

[mykee]

Annie, why go with the whole horse food route for $1/lb. when actual rat block is les than $.50/lb? Horses eat horse food, dogs eat dog food and rats should eat rat food.

[justinO]

Where can someone obtain the tubing and nozzles for the watering system? I'm interested in switching to that for our racks instead of water bottles.

thanks

[annieb_mice]

I don't know where you are getting your lab blocks from... but the places out here are charging an average of about $30 for a 25lb bag of food. I have tried lab blocks before and wasn't too impressed, and had several good breeders die. I have had good results from the horse blocks thus far. My rats are not fed solely on the horse blocks, but are also fed a variety of different fresh foods. Ok... I admit it... my rats are spoiled ratten! ;) They all got some nice fresh hard boiled eggs today and had lots of fun trying to figure out how to get at the yummy stuff inside. :)
Take care
Annie B. <:3 )~~

[annieb_mice]

Originally posted by mykee
Annie, why go with the whole horse food route for $1/lb. when actual rat block is les than $.50/lb? Horses eat horse food, dogs eat dog food and rats should eat rat food.

*** Forgot to mention... my dogs DON"T eat "dog food." They are fed a raw food diet. I will NEVER buy "rat food" for my animals, at least not the crap you find in the pet stores. Oh... and just as a side note... let's not forget that horses and cattle eat grains, how many farms have you heard of that are free of mice? ;)
Take care
Annie B. <:3 )~~

[corrado]

This is my rat rack this is the best thing for breeding rats you have just one bad thing is the smell lol.

Sebastien

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/90rat_rack1-thumb.JPG

[corrado]

this is the best thing for breeding rats i agree one bad thing is the smell lol

Sebastien







http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/90rat_rack_2-thumb.JPG

[corrado]

i have problem whit the size of my picture i dont know wy??sorry

[mykee]

Annie, you're getting schtupped on your prices out their in BC. I pay $20.10 for a 50 lb, (yes, that's 50 lbs.) of Mazuri, I think it's time to start looking elsewhere for your feed. Also, I'm curious to know how your dogs do on the natural raw diet. I've heard plenty about it in the last little while. I personally feed my dog a premium holistic formula, and am very happy with it.

[Lisa]

corrado: you're putting the properies of the thumbnail instead of the full sized picture...

As for what our rats eat, we haven't had a rat die on us other then from heat exhaustion (we had the temps spike on us once). I worry about what the ingredients in the bag are, not what they call the food. They could call it snuffelupagus food for all I care. Rats are omnivorious, they eat animal matter, they eat vegetable matter, you're not going to get that in any horse pellet, and if you do get it in your horse pellets I wouldn't be feeding that to a horse.

[Cruciform]

From what I've read it can be quite unhealthy to switch a dog over to the raw food diet, because they may not have the intestinal flora to combat some of the bacteria ingested with chicken and the like.

But, like the BARF websites, the anti-BARF diet sites are run by zealots too.

[mykee]

Cruciform, I understand that and that is exactly what my concern is. If you start your dog on a raw diet from early on in their development, the dog has the ability to properly metabolize the raw food, but if you're a bandwagoner and decide that it's the coolest, newest fad and switch your dog over mid-life, it can have terrible side-effects. Also, from everything I've read, grocery store dog foods provide a more nutritionally complete meal than the raw food diet, and yeah, I'm even talking about that Ol' Roy crap.

[JasonBrennan]

Mykee,
I am not sure what the current exchange rate is between Canadian dollars and US dollars, but man that Mazuri is expensive up there! I admit, I get a good price break because I buy by the pallet (40 bags/50lbs each per pallet)...but I am paying $12.99 per bag. Do you know what that would be in Canadian $$? I am just curious.

[corrado]

17.90$

[annieb_mice]

<< Annie, you're getting schtupped on your prices out their in BC. I pay $20.10 for a 50 lb, (yes, that's 50 lbs.) of Mazuri, I think it's time to start looking elsewhere for your feed. Also, I'm curious to know how your dogs do on the natural raw diet. I've heard plenty about it in the last little while. I personally feed my dog a premium holistic formula, and am very happy with it. >>

*** I've called to over a dozen different feed stores here, and it's close to the same price. :P
My dogs do fairly well on the raw diet, but I don't feed a LOT of raw meat like many other people do. Before I switched, over a LONG period of time... this is NOT a food you can just immediately put your dog on... I did a lot of research to ensure this was something I could do, and a diet that my dogs would benefit from. So far they are doing well, and have very little stools.


<< Rats are omnivorious, they eat animal matter, they eat vegetable matter, you're not going to get that in any horse pellet, and if you do get it in your horse pellets I wouldn't be feeding that to a horse. >>

*** You are right, rats ARE omnivourous. They need a variety of foods in their diet which, if you have read my previous posts, they get. The horse pellets which I am giving them is just ONE part of the whole diet. They also get fresh veggies, a variety of different protein sources, and other foods. I would agree with you not to feed just the horse blocks, as that would only result in poor health and obviously it would show in how my rats look. Those who have bought feeder and pet rats from me will vouch for the health and quality of my animals. I have been breeding rodents for over two decades and constantly am looking for more information on nutrition, care, disease prevention, genetics, ect. I do NOT know it all... and I never will... but I do strive to learn as much as I can to give my animals the best I can.

<< Also, from everything I've read, grocery store dog foods provide a more nutritionally complete meal than the raw food diet, and yeah, I'm even talking about that Ol' Roy crap. >>

*** Could you please send me the links where you found this information? Personally, I disagree with this, but I would like to read the sites where you gathered your information. :) I have two rotties, one which has severe hip dysplacia. I had her on a "high-quality" dog food which I bought at a store, and she was not doing well and I was seriously considering putting her down. A friend mentioned the raw food diet, and I looked into it and decided to give it a try. Now, after over two years of being fed "raw foods" she is doing MUCH better. Yes, she still has hip dysplacia, but she is no where NEAR as bad as she was two years ago.
Many people start a raw food diet without properly researching it first and taking into account the activity level and age of their dogs. I have seen people give only meat to their dogs only to see their dogs get sick or die from a lack of nutrition and then they turn around and condemn the raw food diet saying it killed their dog. Well, it was THEIR fault their animal died because they didn't research this diet THOROUGHLY FIRST! There are MANY sites that describe a "basic" raw food diet and there are several excellent books that give a more detailed description of what this diet is all about.
There are also several excellent dog foods that are currently available, though you won't find them on your supermarket shelf. Flint River Ranch is one of the better dry foods available.
Anyways... sorry for rambling... :) Just wanted to respond and to add my own personal opinion... not that it's worth all that much... ;) LOL!
Take care
Annie B. <:3 )~~

[Batdad]

Lisa

Metal bins are not a great idea. I tried some because of where I was living I couldn't get the size I wanted for rats. I made mine from galvanized sheet metal to try and avoid the rust problem but the urine eats at the finish and the metal. This makes the surface much rougher causing the feces to stick to it quite well, resulting in a whole lot more work at clean up time.

Just something to think about:)

Bruce

[corrado]

Sorry for the delay im very busy whit my snakes lot of eggs at the same time.

Here the pics from my rat rack i made.

Thank you Lisa to show me how to post a bigger pics.

Sebastien

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/90rat_rack_2-med.JPG