# The real shed thread!



## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

:whistling2:

Since the shed thread was a disappointment for some of us! :lol2:

Sooo, got sheds? rodent, rabbit, dog, cat whatever. Lets see them 

I've only got pics of my old rodent/rabbit shed which i'll post when i've located them, as i have moved since splitting with my ex i now have a garage, its not as nice or pretty but does the job, i'll take some pics tomoz of it, its a working progress


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## pippainnit (Feb 20, 2009)

I knew I should have patented that thread title...


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## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

pippainnit said:


> I knew I should have patented that thread title...


Haha! :no1:

Or should i say... :notworthy:


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## karma_llama (Jan 4, 2009)

hows this for a shed setup!!

YouTube - Tour of my Chickens

That was a few years ago now though. No longer use the 'garage' and the chicken shed is more open plan as i have far fewer numbers.


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

Shall dig my photos out tomorrow =D


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

ah, i thought it was just me being weird expecting actual sheds. :blush:

i have a log cabin office thingy, and a few other sheds


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

I have 4 sheds,all gone past their best.A new huge shed is my biggest wish in life


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## quadrapop (Sep 20, 2008)

One of my rabbit sheds.


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## scoobylyn (Nov 24, 2009)

This is my rat shed - its 24 x 16 in size, and insulated and air conditioned for the summer.


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

scoobylyn said:


> This is my rat shed - its 24 x 16 in size, and insulated and air conditioned for the summer.
> 
> image
> 
> ...


OMG my dream rodent shed :flrt::flrt:

will get pics of mine tomorrow it needs painting though, I would love a logcabin type for a craft room but I have to keep dreaming till moved


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## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

My old shed when i first set it up, there were more cages added later on...I wish i still had my shed, only had it for a year


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## Shadowz (Aug 6, 2008)

Our sheds


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## DarkCarmen (May 17, 2009)

lovely pictures everyone
some very lucky happy animals lived/living in them
I was gonna ask what's living in the lastest photo's but from pictures I seen in them I'm guessing ferrets.

looked into shed's as animal(rabbits) housing lil while ago
I was impressed and won over.
and being tempted again as we've been doing work in garden think I've got space for shed I just need to look into it properly etc and measure the space


loving the photo's :2thumb:


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## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

Wow ferret paradise, love it! :no1:


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## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

I'll be watching this thread with eager eyes... I've decided today that all my animals need to move out of my room, and a shed's the obvious choice.

looking at a 16 x 12... just got to start saving


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## Shadowz (Aug 6, 2008)

sarahc said:


> what are you on about.I only keep mice which I don't sell at all.Those are the cages that they have their babies in.Much larger than lab cages.


I have to admit I find it hard looking at your shed pics.
Small cages , no toys , no enrichment , no nothing really.
They dont look much bigger then lab cages and I just hate seeing any kind of animals in tiny cages with nothing to do - surely if people love and care for their animals they will do the best for them and not just the bare minimum ?


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

They are not pets.Those cages are traditional wooden breeding cages,the mice are grown on in large same sex cages until old enough to breed and then split into small groups to have their babies.It may not appeal to you but they get to do what mice like doing best,breeding and gnawing as the cages are wooden and can be replaced.A fluffy hammock and a few tubes will not compensate mice for lack of natural mouse behaviour.


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## Shadowz (Aug 6, 2008)

And thats where we are so different as "breeder animals" or "pets" in my mind they should be treated totally the same.
They should still be able to live , not just exist. 
They should all still have proper cages , toys , enrichment and proper nutrition and so on.


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

why would you think they require toys?They live and breed in family units.If it were a couple of single sex pet mice then that would be different.Mice are happiest when breeding and rearing young,which incidently they do better in smaller cages because they feel more secure.They won't be like your ferrets ,out in the open utilising all that space,they would be hiding.Not sure what you mean about nutrition,I provide only the best diet.


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

i really need my eyes testing, i thought they were guinea pigs :blush: feel really stupid now.
i didnt realise traditional wooden breeding boxes were still used.......i suppose they feel more secure in them having more cover and theres less condensation in the winter than with plastic?

i need more mouse houses, i hadnt thought of using them tbh.

i agree with you about rodents doing rodenty things.....my gerbils are in pairs, and the ones i`ve kept in wire cages didnt chew the bars at all or have any other disfunctional behaviour - they`re too busy making big hay nests for sleeping and rearing their babies to be bothered.


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

for me toys are things provided because we can't meet the natural requirements of a species usually the urge to breed.Some,usually predators ,cats spring to mind, play all of their lives.Prey animals don't really play as adults in the same way.Toys,no matter how much it salves a conscience will ever compensate.Parrots,which I also have ,spring to mind,no toy can fulfill a parrots life kept as a single pet and a human companion can't fill the void from lack of breeding which all equals a lot of unbalanced birds in large cages rammed with toys.I think they would opt for a lot less of that in return for a bonded parrot companion.As for cages,I must have tried every one going,from perfectos to ferplast dunas and have found wood to be the best although they do have to be treated periodically because they can harbor pests.The mice like chewing them.As far as I'm concerned I've met all the requirements for my mice to be fulfilled.Toys and fancy cages are necessary for pet mice who don't have the oppurtunity to live a natural mouse life.


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## pippainnit (Feb 20, 2009)

I agree with certain points re: toys, etc. I've always hated the term 'boredom buster', because to me it just always seemed a bit of a loaded phrase. I can't really explain it other than it makes me feel uneasy.


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## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

Pweez keep it as discussion, would be nice to have a thread that doesn't turn into an argument 

I've been breeding mice for a few years now, Breeding groups are different to pets and a lot of other animals. When i first started out i gave them lots of toys, but when they have babies thats all they focus on and toys/wheels etc just get ignored...tubes are great and you can use toilet roll tubes, no spendage and disposable, and they make use of them, but anything else as bad as it sounds is a waste of time.

All they want to do is eat and breed, they much prefer a pile of hay and some newspaper or tissue to tear up and build nests with or burrow around in


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

Thought id post my shed now before i forgot :2thumb:

Started off keeping the mice in my room and had cages dotted around here and there, until my sister moved out and went to live with my mum i moved everything into her old room.









Wasnt long before my brother moved in so....

I then moved into my dads shed ( i took over half of his 8 by 6 shed ), I didnt have that many mice to begin with so everything was neat and tidy. Not really much need for bulk buying stuff.

















Few images of the inside of the tubs.

















It then wasnt long till i needed a shed of my own, So i managed to find a 8 by 6 ( had a few minor damages ) but a complete steal at a whole £5! haha =D
Once it was all fixed up i moved to the mice in.









































Dam just checked both photobucket accounts and cant seem to find the more recent ones, Ill route through my computer, ill have them there just not uplaoded them for some reason.


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## ditzychick (Aug 21, 2009)

Shadowz, your shed are amazing!!! They really do put those who keep them in the bog standard bare minimum hutch to shame. I'd love ferrets myself but just wouldn't be able to give them that kind of enrichment. :2thumb:


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

i have to say i found those pics quite sad too, so many small cages. its one thing to say they like to litter in small spaces, but surely it would be good to give them the oportunity to run and jump around a bit? adding a couple of small house type things in there would give them the 'small space' they like to rear their young in but they would also have the space if wanted to run, jump, burn off some energy. it seems a sad life to me to inflict on an animal to just have it shoved in a tiny tank, and make babies all its life. i agree, they live to breed, as many animals do, but you dont know when your back is turned in the night that they wouldnt love to come and mooch around. just because they like to breed and rear their young in small places in the wild, certainly doesnt mean they never leave the nest which the way i see it, is what you are forcing them to do. live their whole lives in a nest.

tons of animals live to breed, and will litter in relatively small spaces, it doesnt mean they will live a happy enriched life if left in the confines of it. surely you can see that even if they 99% of the time may not use it, its better for their quality of life to have the option? put their food bowl in the opposite corner of the tank, put a few toys and stuff in their, make them go to look for their food rather than have it sitting beside the nest. encourage normal foraging behaviour even if it is still in a relatively small space. i dont see a need for such a small one apart from easier/cheaper for you to keep them. to me, this just seems selfish. no matter what the use for the animal, be it pet or food, it still deserves a quality life IMO. 

we bought mice from a breeder once, never again, the tiny little plastic box they were forced to live in was so depressing,i really didnt want to buy from them but to see those poor little guys get shoved back into that shoe box was too much. they said it was 'best for the mice' too, i beg to differ, those mice were crammed in there, and all they had to do was walk maybe 12" from their bed to the food/water. as soon as the top came off they were trying to walk out, and they had to be poked back in again to get the lid back on, what a sad life they did lead. the babies quickly learnt to use all of the toys/wheels we gave them, and loved jumping all around their cage. when we first got them, they could barely leave the floor when jumping, i guess as they never had the chance they never built up the muscles. within a week or 2 they would be seen racing around, jumping up to the tops of their toys, and loved coming out for play time too. 

when we were little, our parents bought us a pair of mice as our first pets, they lived in a 3ft cage, and little did we know they were one of each sex. they very happily had a litter of 7 babies in their bed area, and when the babies were up and moving around the whole family would use the whole cage. playing and running around. as long as they have a safe secure small nest area, there is absolutely no reason to cram these little guys into small tanks with nothing to do.

as for that ferret enclosure :mf_dribble: amazing, they must love it in there, i dont think ive ever seen such a great set-up for them. wish we had the space for a good sized shed, would love to have the guinea pigs free roaming again :2thumb:


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

first of all I am not a feeder breeder and I do not keep animals in small plastic boxes.I put them in wooden breeding boxes to have their litters.I grow them on as I have said in large,3ft,wooden cages in same sex groups.I find this all a bit double standards,especially on a reptile forum.Let me fetch my soap box.Like Liamsnake I also have 2 budgies and coldwater fish.My budgies live in a rather nice hexagonal aviary and my fish are in a 16 foot pond,heated all winter.I'm guessing mister morals budgies and fish are living a rather impoverished,battery style existence compared to mine.It's hardly worth mentioning the tropical fish who must be living in the equivalent of a puddle compared to what nature provides and snakes were never meant to live in glass boxes and what about lizards who are so active?.Mice on the other hand like dark secret places,when did you last see a wild mouse tripping the light fantastic,they are all in hiding,scared of being eaten,that's their nature.A lot of strange views for a forum such as this.


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## shiprat (Mar 16, 2009)

This thread is 'riveting'

Obviously people haven't a clue about the person they are jumping on here. There is absolutely nothing wrong with how sarahc keeps her mice. The health and quality of her livestock is outstanding. It is impossible to have such quality if your stockmanship skills are lacking.

I understand people may find it hard to see small boxes for mice, but to jump to the conclusion that it is wrong in some way is ill informed and based on adopting a humanised view of an animal.

ok now i'll wait to get jumped on too


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

im not jumping on anyone (not sure what if any of that was aimed my way), im just speaking my opinions, the same as anybody else on this forum. i know mice like small dark places to hide, but my opinion is that they can be housed in larger accomodation and still be happy. 

the way i read one of the posts was that the reason breeders (no matter what they breed for, i wasnt saying anyone on this thread did breed for food purposes) use small cages was because mice simply dont bother using the extra space if they have it. i was just saying that you dont know how much of the extra space they do enjoy while backs are turned. i know some people (such as the awful breeder we got ours from) do keep them in small plastic shoe box style things, with a wire lid with food sitting in it so they dont use up any of the floor space with a bowl (yes the 'cages' were that small that a mouse size bowl would have been half in their nest if they tried adding one to the box!). i wasnt saying that the poster on here was as bad as that, just my opinion that the mice may like more room and to say they wont use the extra space if allowed it seems a bit daft given they arent watching them 24/7. or maybe i am wrong, and they have cctv fitted recording their every movement. as said, the mice dont tend to come out and play when theres a lot of movement etc due to their nature, so they may stay in there nests and stay hidden until lights out and nobodys around, at which point they may well enjoy dancing the night away paw in paw with his fellow cage mates for all we know :lol2:

i just myself prefer to side on more room, happier pets, regardless of species. i know i would survive being shut in a house 24/7, but i am much happier if i can stretch my legs if i feel like it :2thumb: so yes i do put human emotion onto my pets, but id rather that than them feel trapped and possibly frustrated at being housed in something too small _in my opinion _although obviously there will always be someone somewhere who has given more room/toys/treats/playtime to their pet.


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

I don't have a problem with you expressing your view at all.I object to being called a battery farmer because I keep my pregnant/nursing does in wooden breeding cages,my preferred cage for them to litter in.It's not for cheapness either,wood is expensive and they have to be handmade and of course they get chewed so have to be replaced.If I wanted cheapness then I would go for plasic storage boxes.Neither do I breed litter after litter from them or sell them on to make money.So on those grounds I object.Take a look through the equipment section and you will find many very small cages,I don't see any one being flamed.The keeping of mice in small plastic tubs by users of this forum is pretty routine.Granted wood looks rougher than these but imo it's better for the mice.It doesn't mean I don't care for them,they are very important to me and so is their well being.


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

When I was breeding mice, I too kept my pregnant and nursing does in small boxes. When they weren't rearing young, they had large tanks full of things to do, like Sarah's. I found litters weren't cannibalised as often when reared this way. I've also had a trio of mice off Sarah in the past and they were gorgeous, BIG mice..... Surely they wouldn't be the picture of health if she wasn't caring for them properly.....


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

sarahc said:


> I don't have a problem with you expressing your view at all.I object to being called a battery farmer because I keep my pregnant/nursing does in wooden breeding cages,my preferred cage for them to litter in.It's not for cheapness either,wood is expensive and they have to be handmade and of course they get chewed so have to be replaced.If I wanted cheapness then I would go for plasic storage boxes.Neither do I breed litter after litter from them or sell them on to make money.So on those grounds I object.Take a look through the equipment section and you will find many very small cages,I don't see any one being flamed.The keeping of mice in small plastic tubs by users of this forum is pretty routine.Granted wood looks rougher than these but imo it's better for the mice.It doesn't mean I don't care for them,they are very important to me and so is their well being.


ah i see, yes the battery farming thing was a bit over the top. 

i too believe wood is better than plastic, the ventilation must be far better for them. we always worried they would chew through wood hence the glass tanks, but they have a mesh lid for ventilation, far from ideal i know but the thought of them escaping and possibly frying on wires (our hamster escaped in our old house, we found her electrocuted in the back of our old cooker after turning the house upside down  ) made us decide on a large tank over anything else.


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## sarahc (Jan 7, 2009)

well obviously I wished I'd never posted in the first place but before I leave,here they are inside their cages which are not squalid and all being well they will be moving into a new 12 foot shed before the year is out



















and out of their cages


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

Your brindles are really coming along nicely, Sarah!!! Love them!!


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## Twiglet (May 6, 2009)

I didn't know we had decent brindles in the UK... Those are lovely!
Sarahc, are you likely to be at london champs this year? 

Our mice are kept in a shed in the biggest of the rat lab cages in 1:2 and 1:3 groups. No they can't get out of them and yes, they are plenty big enough. 
I don't understand why people have an issue with wooden cages... is it because they are not bright colours and all shiny? Do we really think the mice give a monkeys?? I doubt they care any more about that than my snakes care what colour mice they're fed. Only I care about that....!
I kept fancy mice in home made wooden cages for quite a few years. They were up to three foot long and housed at most 1:3 mice and their babies. Wooden cages don't have to be small and yes, anyone that has been breeding mice for any length of time knows they produce far better in an enclosed environment. 
I breed to produce good quality food in an ethical manner for our snakes (oh no, a feeder breeder!!), the mice are kept in large, clean cages on a pine free equine substrate and are provided with a home made mix of food as well as random bits and bobs from the kitchen and garden. 

To the guy that said Sarahc's cages looked battery style... have you ever seen where commercially bred pet and food mice are produced? 
THAT'S battery....


Lovely thread anyway. Thanks to all who have posted up pictures of their set ups!


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## Myth (May 22, 2009)

Excellent mice as ever SarahC :notworthy:


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

This thread went off with a bang didn't it.


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## Myth (May 22, 2009)

Mischievous_Mark said:


> This thread went off with a bang didn't it.


 
and you expected anything less ?! :lol2:


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

Myth said:


> and you expected anything less ?! :lol2:


On this forum, surely not :2thumb:


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## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

I've reported the thread and hopefully it will be cleaned up soon.

Please only people who wish to share their setups post, anyone who has a problem with any of the pictures, just keep out of the thread. Simple.

Nowt wrong with anything thats been posted, No animals are ill, injured, neglected, uncared for, so stop arguing.

Sarah don't go anywhere, you ain't done nothing wrong : victory:


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

x Sarah x said:


> I've reported the thread and hopefully it will be cleaned up soon.
> 
> Please only people who wish to share their setups post, anyone who has a problem with any of the pictures, just keep out of the thread. Simple.
> 
> ...


Or if people cant keep their comments to themselves, why not PM the person who posted the pic of their set up, If they have a problem with it


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## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

Precisely, i don't have anything against discussion (if you can call it that) but thats not what the thread was intended for and i don't want it in here : victory:


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## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

I've deleted some of the more personal attacks, but left a few opinions that people are entitled to.

I hope you guys can remain civil from now on.


Some cracking looking set-ups and animals in this thread!


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## DarkCarmen (May 17, 2009)

out of curiosity where do people get there shed's from?
just curious as this is something that i have been thinking about doing hopefully will this year.
only ask as i did afew search's on the big diy places and my dad went to one without me and said not worth getting. looked at local business's and they range from 240 up
i've not got any problem spending the money aslong as it's on a descent build you know that can tak rough winter weather

the idea was to hopefully get a couple of rescue rabbit's but this week i've seen 2 rescue guinea pigs who are lovely trying to resist.

any tips or advice greatly appreciated thank you


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## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

I forgot about this thread

I got my shed... a 12x10 tongue and groove custom built, with no windows, but a stable hatch beside the door. 

It's kingspanned, and with a little help from a 2kw heater on the lowest setting keeping 20oC easily. 

Just need to save up for some hardboard to cover the walls, and make it look a bit better

I got mine from a lcal shed builder, and they delivered it and built it for just under £700. I'm now near £1500 including lighting, insulation, floor cvering etc, but it's been the best purchase I've ever made


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## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

Got my ex shed from ebay  I lived in Stoke at the time and the company so happened to be in Staffs, so had it delivered and just put it together myself.

You choose where you want the doors and windows, and they make it.

Mine was 10x12ft and Cost about £550 in the end if i remember correctly, got £200 knocked off just from having less complex windows than the one they had advertised.


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

x Sarah x said:


> :whistling2:
> 
> Since the shed thread was a disappointment for some of us! :lol2:
> 
> ...





Not sure if this is what you want to see but what the hell . . . . 


These are old photo's

One side of my shed for the gecko's (NOT Leo's)










but after a few years i decided to get more into my Tarantulas and this was the outcome :2thumb:


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

that looks awesome =D


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