# My Rat Breeders



## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

Thought id share some pictures of my rat breeding units.
I have two racks the first is for adults at a ratio of 1 male to 4 females. they are 80 ltr rubs which have a wooden fram for lids with 1cm square wire mesh. 

Main rack 1:









bottles and feeders









Rack 2 is for females to deliver and for raising young - made from a winick 50ltr snake rack:









top of rack 2 showing home made lids with water and feeder hoppers:









feed back would be nice.
animalstorey


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## dragonsRus (Jun 1, 2008)

Thanks for sharing this..
how did u make the feeders and how do the rats reach the food in them ?


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

The feeders are made from wire mesh just cut and folded together. When you cut an edge you use the spikes to form the seal my useing some pliers to wrap the around the joining side. Simple but time consuming. You can buy hognose ring pliers and clips for joint sheet mesh but at £45 each this method works well- better I think. The lids in first rack were framed as they originaly had them stacked on top of each other. The hoppers make things easier. I'll post some more pictures sun/monday of inside lids and post here.


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

rats in the 80 ltrs climb the sides of the feeders to reach water - babies at 2 and half weeks can climb up and find the water. In 50 ltr the bottle are sunk into lids. I known use these for mums as they don't need to climb to get water -they can reach. And babies dont have to climb so high. Feeders go almost to floor but no quite. This way rats can eat from underneath feeder as well as from side. I use to go out and feed every night. Thhe double bottles are now changed every two nights. They only drink about 3/4 of a bottle at most usual less so second bottle is there as back up - two large bottles to 1.4 would last even longer. Food hoppers if filled to top hold about 4 days of food. Hoppers stop food being wasted. I use to open each lid every night to fill bottles that were hung and to feed a scoop of food to each. Time consuming and food was offen wasted.


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## brian (Oct 22, 2005)

looking good well done...............:2thumb:

I have been thinking of building some think like this........
But on a lot smaller scale but the same system for feeding and keeping rats
With a clear type box

YouTube - Rat Barn 1/25/08 part 3


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## Scarlet_Rain (Jan 16, 2009)

Hey, I also breed rats but on a smaller scale and yeah i know what you mean about the water bottles lol. I give mine 2 so now i only have to check on them every 2 days. Its alot of fun though.  welldone


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

Cheers for the replies. I plan to post some more pictures over next week end showing how I have made food hoppers. I haven't been on holidayfor years so this yr I'm going to have a week away. Wanted to make it easier for my sister to check on them. Two ex large bottles will last ages by going Roget her to check on day 3 & 6. Havesomeone else to check on snakes so they can also check on rats but shouldn't have to do any thing. Will also free up some evenings to do other things. I was thinking of automatic water drippers but overall bottles work best. Just need to make the other 7 lids for rack 2 - can't wait as want to set groups up. At the moment all 80 ltrs have females with 3 to 4 litters in them! If thereis anyone in north east / north yorkshire with other colours I'd be interested. Also anyone wanting rats at trade price drop me a pm.


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## Nightfirez (Sep 28, 2010)

just spent an afternoon mucking about with a 64 L rub as there half price at the moment 

just gone for a mesh lid and a straight down tube hopper for the time been that way i can use it for either mice or rats depending on how many of each i have at a time 

be interesting to see how you have made the lids


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

Make the food holder go down to about an inch off the bottom that way it holds a lot. Kitts/pups can get under. I use horse shavings as no dust. No problems with noses. (bedmax) a double food tray u could stand bottle inside. I did it sideways like this so 1:3 / 1:4 had loads of water and food. (about four days of food and drink in those hoppers I made. The 80ltrs are too high. You have to have very long hoppers that's why they have a small top opening. The 50st are longer and wider but not so high. 

A new photo of half the side of a 50. As said I wanted to have plenty of food and water. One bottle would be enough as those are the large ones.


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## Jazzy B Bunny (Jun 21, 2007)

Aw  I know snakes gotta eat and everything but you could let them have some quality of life first? Rats love to climb high and have things to do.


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