• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

My First Homemade Rat Rack

Willow

Willow

O.o
Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
1,522
Reaction score
192
Points
0
Location
Tucson, AZ
I'm pretty proud of this lol...I don't build things often in life

Sooo....total cost at Home Depot was $91....but I bought a staple gun with it all, which I won't have to buy again next time lol. Should make next time's trip cheaper...I'd say around $75 of actual supplies.

3 hours worth of work...breaks included lol

There where a few bumps along the road that I will be able to look for next time to make it faster and easier to build

I started spacing out once I got to the point of putting the shelves in...so you will notice the top and bottom shelves are backwards (the side with the divided section should face forward, like the two middle shelves) ....I was to the point I just wanted them in, and wasn't paying attention to the direction the where facing....but it really doesn't effect the way the rack works....so its okay teehee

Anywho...here it is :D Next time I plan to stain the wood before building so it looks a little sleeker....but I think it turned out nice anyway hehe

2-6.jpg


annnd all set with ratties in it

1-7.jpg
 
It would look real nice with stained and polished walnut/ cherry :D might be to pricey for silly ratties tho :p
 
Thanks much! I do want to get a watering system for it...one downfall to it so far is with the water bottles I cant pull a tub out if the bottle is in underneath it lol
 
Willow said:
Thanks much! I do want to get a watering system for it...one downfall to it so far is with the water bottles I cant pull a tub out if the bottle is in underneath it lol
Click to expand...

Very Nice Job Willow! And just an fyi, you can't pull them out with the sippers from a water system in the mesh either! LOL
 
BAD Morphs said:
And just an fyi, you can't pull them out with the sippers from a water system in the mesh either! LOL
Click to expand...

Yes you can. Not all the way out but you can pull it out far enough to do most of what is needed (removing or adding a rat or cleaning) if you have them located in the front of the tub. And they are easy to unclip and remove if you need to pull the tub completely out. Just make sure the tubing is never accessible for the rats to chew on and it makes watering simple. I use a 5 gallon bucket for two large enclosures I have my rats in and only have to fill it every 3 or 4 days but I am watering a hundred+ rats in two 4 x 3 foot enclosures.

Willow,

I'll see if I can find the site where I got my supplies from and send you the link. I can also tell you what you'll need to get and walk you through it if you need.
 
DAND said:
Yes you can. Not all the way out but you can pull it out far enough to do most of what is needed (removing or adding a rat or cleaning) if you have them located in the front of the tub. And they are easy to unclip and remove if you need to pull the tub completely out. Just make sure the tubing is never accessible for the rats to chew on and it makes watering simple. I use a 5 gallon bucket for two large enclosures I have my rats in and only have to fill it every 3 or 4 days but I am watering a hundred+ rats in two 4 x 3 foot enclosures.

Willow,

I'll see if I can find the site where I got my supplies from and send you the link. I can also tell you what you'll need to get and walk you through it if you need.
Click to expand...

Yes Dand, I know all of that I was trying to be funny and sarcastic and joke with a friend. I too have water systems two of them actually and yeah they are very easy to remove and work with and I love mine! I hated filling water bottles twice a day. Now I fill the 5 gallon jugs once a week.

Willow the cheapest place I found for everything you need is www.klubertanz.com
your looking for 3/16" t connectors, 3/16" tubing, 3/16" brass sippers, 3/16" bucket connector and clips for the sippers. I think thats all you need. You can buy all the tubing you need for like 5 bucks for 20 ft I think it is at home depot but the other stuff has to be bought from an online place and like I said I researched a few and it seems klubertanz is the cheapest even if it is only by a few cents it adds up.

And Dand, no harm no foul buddy I admire your work and your integrity in all that you do especially with the wise's crap!! Keep up the good work!:thumbsup:
 
BAD Morphs said:
Very Nice Job Willow! And just an fyi, you can't pull them out with the sippers from a water system in the mesh either! LOL
Click to expand...

You can if you build it right :thumbsup:

I can pull every tub out of my rack and never have to touch the watering system.
 
DAND said:
Yes you can. Not all the way out but you can pull it out far enough to do most of what is needed (removing or adding a rat or cleaning) if you have them located in the front of the tub.
Click to expand...

Ummmm mine are about 1-2 inches or so from the front of the tub... and I can remove my tubs from the rack and never touch my watering system.
 
Here's the Kluberantz part numbers for the supplies you will need.

3/16" tubing (part # A401)
Edstrom Standard valves with 3/16" barb fittings (part # A102)
3/16" barb Tee fittings (part # A405)
3/16" barbed Elbow (part # A404)
supply valve with 3/16" barb outlet (part # A202)

Have a look at this page for how I run the tubing.
http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/rat_rack/ratrack.shtml

That page mentions Bass Equipment. When I wrote that page 5 or 6 years ago they had the best prices on the equipment. They have since gone up and Kluberantz has the best prices I found last time I ordered any.
 
Wow! Willow, that is a great job (hangs head in shame because I had someone build mine for me). I wouldn't have known anything was backwards until you mentioned!

I agree with Kevin on the sipper/tubing/removing tubs issue. I can remove my tubs too without touching the tubing.

I also have both systems, the Pail watering system for the two racks outside the rack room and the automatic watering system from Kluberantz (hooked up to a faucet). After the initial forays, I have had no drowning deaths as the rats learned NOT to stuff the water sippers. :)
 
Back
Top