Never buying rats again!! - Page 2

TeaNinja · 06-29-11, 07:13 PM

you're doin a rack? i like housing mine in cages. they actually get to run around and do stuff.
tons of people have racks though.

NennaMeerkat · 06-29-11, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

Alright, is glue a bad thing for them or can I use particle board? Got lots of that laying around.

They will eat through particle board with ease. Its got to be solid pieces of wood. Even if said wood is scrap wood...solid is the trick. As for glue, I used very very small nails and drove them deep into the wood in areas where the rats were unlikely to chew. A nail gun that uses uber small nails work great. There are probably some types of glue that are okay to use, especially if you don't take the glue all the way to the edges.

NennaMeerkat · 06-29-11, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeaNinja

you're doin a rack? i like housing mine in cages. they actually get to run around and do stuff.
tons of people have racks though.

Happy rats bring more babies than "rack rats". That has always been my opinion. Buy a couple of large cages for the girls and a smaller cage for the breeding male.

stephanbakir · 06-29-11, 07:25 PM

Its a cage, not a rack, I'll take pics once my friend gives me my cameras memory chip back.
The cage is massive, I could get in there and read a book with relative comfort... I'm 6.3"
problem is it has no shelves. I kind of want to add shelves with a hole in the middle and run a rope, forcing them to climb the rope if they want to access the other levels (one of those massive ropes used for boats, the thickness of someones arm.

TeaNinja · 06-29-11, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

Happy rats bring more babies than "rack rats". That has always been my opinion. Buy a couple of large cages for the girls and a smaller cage for the breeding male.

haha, that's funny. i thought the opposite. i put the breeding male and the albino in the big cage so they can run around and not get fat lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

Its a cage, not a rack, I'll take pics once my friend gives me my cameras memory chip back.
The cage is massive, I could get in there and read a book with relative comfort... I'm 6.3"
problem is it has no shelves. I kind of want to add shelves with a hole in the middle and run a rope, forcing them to climb the rope if they want to access the other levels (one of those massive ropes used for boats, the thickness of someones arm.

what's it made out of? also when you're actually breeding the female it's good to put her in a small cage alone about a week before she delivers. usually so she doesnt have babies up on top of a high perch and then they fall off or something. also babies eat and pee and poo a lot so it's easier to change bedding in a small cage.

Will0W783 · 06-29-11, 07:38 PM

That's an awesome break! That'll sure save you guys money. I can't breed rodents...they're far too smelly and messy. My fiance tried breeding mice for a few weeks...the females had babies, ate the babies and then ate the head off the male mouse. It was the nastiest, bloodiest mess ever!

NennaMeerkat · 06-29-11, 07:38 PM

Well smaller being a relative term to the large cage the females and babies would be in

As for the cage and shelves once I see pictures of the cage I can help you out better with shelves, rope climbs, ramps and the like.

stephanbakir · 06-29-11, 07:39 PM

Stainless steel bottom, 2 feet wide 3 feet long (almost like a short box without a lid) and stainless steel cage like material for the walls and ceiling, 4 feet high. 2 solid doors made of the same material as the walls and ceiling big enough for me to squeeze though had I had a reason to want to be in there that also closes tightly.
Also came with a water dish that 2-3 full grown ball pythons could submerge themselves inside... still not sure what the hell I'm going to do with it, probably a new water bowl for my dogs AND cat... It really is massive.
Total weight is about 20 pounds...

NennaMeerkat · 06-29-11, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will0W783

That's an awesome break! That'll sure save you guys money. I can't breed rodents...they're far too smelly and messy. My fiance tried breeding mice for a few weeks...the females had babies, ate the babies and then ate the head off the male mouse. It was the nastiest, bloodiest mess ever!

Having bred mice for several years I can tell you that it is usually due to high stress that a mother will go on a baby eating spree. And if you keep the male in the same cage as the female it will almost ALWAYS happen...though the fact she ate the male's head as well just screams at how much stress she was really under. As for smelling bad I don't really notice a smell but then I use something besides shredded paper or wood based bedding. Its a type of bedding that is uber absorbent without falling apart and turning to powder. It is also lightly scented.

TeaNinja · 06-29-11, 07:41 PM

i assume the bars are really small? rats can fit through shockingly small spaces.

NennaMeerkat · 06-29-11, 07:44 PM

Yup basically if their head/nose can fit through it so will their bodies. Its shocking and funny to watch them cram their big bodies into small areas their head fits into...

TeaNinja · 06-29-11, 07:45 PM

when im testing if the little boys are ready to leave the small cage and go into the big cage with the male rats i put them up to the outside of the bars and see if they squeeze through into the big cage. if they can't get in, i open the door and put them in lol. the other day i held a little guy up to the big cage and he squeezed right in so i popped him back into the small cage.

stephanbakir · 06-29-11, 07:46 PM

I might need to line it, I'll measure the gaps tomorrow but I can fit my smaller fingers though it to the second joint but not any other finger.

stephanbakir · 06-29-11, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeaNinja

when im testing if the little boys are ready to leave the small cage and go into the big cage with the male rats i put them up to the outside of the bars and see if they squeeze through into the big cage. if they can't get in, i open the door and put them in lol. the other day i held a little guy up to the big cage and he squeezed right in so i popped him back into the small cage.

Vid pls, srsly thats awesome!

TeaNinja · 06-29-11, 07:49 PM

i would, but the crappy connection issue my camera has with the memory stick finally cut out and i can't use it at all lol. i was gonna take the screws out and see if i could have a look but i don't have a screwdriver mini enough =/

my dad told me i might as well buy a new camera rather then paying more then it's worth to have someone fix it.