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guys with wooden rack systems

S

suzuki4life

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I followed the instructions from the Clay D. website....nothing but happy with my wooden rack setup. BUT...I intend to fully screen and add a front door. WHY? I luckily caught an adult male rat about a few minutes from freedom. He has managed to scratch and then chew through the bottom of the concrete mixing tubs. It appears to be only one male who has figured this out...and his intelligence will award him a place as the next meal for a boa. But either way, my single rack setup is in my basement and the adding screening will make me feel better that I won't have a prison break when I venture away from home for a few days. Please keep this in mind with your setups....even though there are no seams or rough edges for them to get a hold of...they can make their own with enough time. And face it.....they are trapped in cages...that's all they have is time.
 
I have kept adult rats in concrete mixing tubs for over a year+ and never had any do that. :shrug01: I inspect my tubs every week (at cleaning time) and they don't even have any chew marks. The tubs still look like new. :shrug01:
 
Bill & Amy said:
I have kept adult rats in concrete mixing tubs for over a year+ and never had any do that. :shrug01: I inspect my tubs every week (at cleaning time) and they don't even have any chew marks. The tubs still look like new. :shrug01:
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I will take pictures of the one he started on last night. I removed him and placed him in a sterlite tub I use as a nursery. I have 15 breeders and 55 babies at the moment and No, none of the other breeders do this. I figured I would have someone doubt me...I just really wish I would had taken pictures of the one he chewed all the way through.
 
suzuki4life said:
I will take pictures of the one he started on last night. I removed him and placed him in a sterlite tub I use as a nursery. I have 15 breeders and 55 babies at the moment and No, none of the other breeders do this. I figured I would have someone doubt me...I just really wish I would had taken pictures of the one he chewed all the way through.
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Whoa, back the truck up. Where did I say I doubted it happened? Don't try to read anything into my post that isn't there. All I said was I have rats that have been in them for over a year with noone even chewing on MY tubs. I have 130 breeder rats and keep them in 2 different size concrete tubs. So far you are the only person that I have heard of to have this problem. So it just seems to be one "bad apple" of a rat, feed him off.

I just don't want people to think they're going to have a bunch of escapes if they use wooden racks. :thumbsup:
 
rack isn't the issue... The tub is. Not saying they WILL have a problem. I am saying it has and IS happening to me.

Picture411.jpg


Proud momma...and the beginning of my all black colony.

Picture414.jpg
 
Here is the culprit (large white male)...I put him in here because I ran out of cages.

Picture417.jpg


I have notice that my "fancy"/colored mommas are more aggressive and seem to keep these males in their place...anyone else notice that?

another litter:

Picture418.jpg
 
Well, the sooner you feed off the one that is doing it the better. Rats are very smart and the rest will learn from him if he continues.
 
Bill & Amy said:
Well, the sooner you feed off the one that is doing it the better. Rats are very smart and the rest will learn from him if he continues.
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strange they don;t try it on the sterilte container. It has edges they could work on...but never an issue.
 
I had one rat chew a hole in one of my concrete tubs a few years back. Fed it off and no problems since.
 
I've had one instance of a rat chewing through the bottom of a concrete tub. It was due to a slight crease in the plastic, which probably occurred either when they were packed or during the molding. Dropping a tub on the corner just enough to pop it in a little will also give them a place to get a hold and chew.
Aside from that I've never had an instance of one chewing out the bottom of any concrete tub.
 
Clay Davenport said:
I've had one instance of a rat chewing through the bottom of a concrete tub. It was due to a slight crease in the plastic, which probably occurred either when they were packed or during the molding. Dropping a tub on the corner just enough to pop it in a little will also give them a place to get a hold and chew.
Aside from that I've never had an instance of one chewing out the bottom of any concrete tub.
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well as you can see in the picture...mine isn't starting on a corner, edge or a crease...it just makes its own by scratching. So far we have proven atleast THREE people have seen them chew through a tub. I have no intent to change from using the tubs....I merely intend to screen and secure the entire rack and if I build others...they will be externally screened as well.


Clay....Thank you for your website which such fantastic and detailed directions. I would had never attempted building my rack if your directions wouldn't been so perfect. I am and have been nothing but happy with it since I have built it.
 
I couldn't tell much from the picture. My monitor here at home has about reached the end of its useful life. It displays pictures too dark and any pic with a lot of black in it pretty much loses all definition in that area.
I didn't even realize it was a picture of the hole let alone what part of the tub it was in haha.

Regardless, I nor the others were doubting what you said. Rats can be very industrious critters. Chewing through the bottom of a tub is still an unusual occurrence and not something I would expect you to see with any sort of regularity, especially since you are eliminating the one that learned how to do it.
That being said, tubs chewed from the lip down the sides can be a more frequent encounter if you do not watch the gap between the frame and the tub closely. I've had four or five of these instances, usually due to moving a tub from one slot to another where it fit looser. Due to the non uniform dimensions of the tubs you can have one that fits perfectly in one slot and is just loose enough in another for them to get a place to chew.
My rodents are in their own building so an escape is not a big deal in and of itself, but an escaped rat will wreak havoc on your water lines in a short time.

I am glad you found the plans helpful. I always like to hear when someone has gotten use of them, that's why I like to put them together.
 
Clay Davenport said:
I am glad you found the plans helpful. I always like to hear when someone has gotten use of them, that's why I like to put them together.
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The rack I am currenlty using was made from your plans also. Works like a charm.
 
I took notice immediately to the irregularities you mentioned in your article about the tubs...therefore I mark them and clean my tubs one at a time starting at the bottom and placing the occupants from the cage above them in the clean one below them...and continue till I am done...*yes my 6th layer is normally empty etc on cleaning days.*
 
I can't comment on the tubs as I have not used them yet but I have to add my thanks to Clay for the instructions. I am planning on building a couple of racks myself and Clay was very helpful on the questions I had and a couple of modifications I am considering.
 
suzuki4life said:
*yes my 6th layer is normally empty etc on cleaning days.*
Click to expand...
I have a deep Rubbermaid tub I use on cleaning day. I take the occupants of one tub and put them in the rubbermaid. Then, to keep from having to handle them all twice, I do as you do and move the others from one level to the next as I clean them. Finally the ones I took out go back into the last tub cleaned.
That way tubs can always keep the same slots, but I can utilize every tub in the rack for the breeders.
 
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