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NEED HELP with ASF rat containment :(

Jadie.Glitch

Jadie.Glitch

:) colubridstudios.com :)
I built this rack (http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/rat_rack/ratrack.shtml), and it turned out pretty nice if I do say so myself. The only problem is that the stupid ASFs keep getting out! It's been a HUGE hassle, not to mention a depressing mess. On top of mysteriously getting out all the time, now they've decided to chew up the one tiny hole located near the top of the mixing tubs (I guess there is a hole there so I can lock them if I need to? I'm not sure why it's there). Now I've lost entire colonies. I had seven tubs and they've chewed a hole in four of them and I've lost four entire colonies in my home (good thing I have cats, but that DOES NOT make me feel much better about it, you know?) and they're still mysteriously getting out of the three colonies I have remaining.

I'm really considering just throwing the thing away and buying a metal stock tank and tossing in all the ASF's I have left, sans most of the males (I'd probably keep two males in with all the females and hope they didn't kill each other... that way one male wouldn't die so quickly from being overworked).

If I do the stock tank thing, I can make a wooden frame, attach screen to it, and set it on top to keep them in. Plus, I can create a food hopper in the middle for the Mazuri Rat Feed, so that's not an issue... but what do I do about water?? I thought about using a watering system, then dangling tubes down there with sipper ends attached to them, but they'd no doubt chew up the tubing and the colony would drown. Then I thought about giving them an avian waterer (like the kind you use for chickens), but they'd probably just kick their bedding into it and make a mess of that as well. The only thing I can think of is to use flexible wire attached to glass water bottles dangled down into the stock tank... but that seems like such a hassle. Gosh, I'm so frustrated!! What should I do? Any advice?? :(
 
sounds like the tubs aren't snug enough and they are getting their teeth around the lip? or maybe when you slide them in they're going too far back and leaving a small gap? rodents are EXTREMELY flexible, as they're mostly cartilage. actually, i'm not 100% on that, i just know that's what my parents said when my hamster got out when i was a kid!!

i have yet to build my rack like that, but if you figure out the issue post it up, as i'd like to know!
 
I have stoppers so the tubs can't slide back too far, and they're always slid but far enough that they can't squeeze out the front, so I don't think that is it. I think their mysterious escapes might be due to them squeezing out through the metal mesh on top that holds the food, but I can't figure out how they can do that.. it's such a small gauge that I can't imagine them squeezing their fat little bums through that, lol, but that's all I can think of.

As for the holes they're chewing, they're not getting at the lip on the top, they're reaching up and chewing the little hole that is their in case I want to string a lock through it and lock them up. It's in the design of the tubs themselves, and for my purposes does nothing for me. For the longest time they would just run towards that area and slid back down, unable to reach, but I think somehow the smart ones figured out how to climb on each other and then climb upside down on the wire mesh, and shimmy over to the front and nibble the hole while they're upside down. That's the only way they could possibly reach it since it's so high up and the plastic is bent there and slides them backwards when they try to climb it.

Gosh, I hope I made sense in all of this :(. I'm frustrated at the moment, lol.
 
hmmm i'm going to go have a look at the tubs i have sitting here, i'm not sure if mine have the holes you're talking about.

how big is the wire mesh you've used? i have definitely heard of them squeezing out of 1/2" mesh, so I've been using 1/4" (or is it 1/3" i can't remember)
 
ooooohokay, mine do have the holes. i think they are there so the tubs can be hung on a wall for display in-store. i can see how that would pose a problem, seems it wouldn't be too hard for them to get their teeth on.

i'm not sure what to tell you!
 
*facepalm* I think it might be 1/2"... great. That must be the problem there. Can they get the food if the mesh is any smaller??? Maybe I should sell this as a rat breeding set up (not ASF rats, but standard rats) and start over... Hrm, that gives me more to think about. Anyone have any advice on watering with the stock tank method though? Or is that a crazy idea. I'm open to new options too :).
 
the BIG ones shouldn't be able to get through 1/2"...i don't think! haha. but i've definitely heard of weanlings squeezing through.

but yes they can definitely get the food through the smaller mesh.

you could do that, or you could take it apart and replace the mesh. both would be a hassle, LOL.

have you noticed any chewing near that little hole at the back?
 
I'm basically looking for something that can fix this issue ASAP (which is why I thought of the stock tank 'cause I can just toss them in and top it off and viola! They'd be contained). I was hoping for something quick, more simple than building a whole new rack, and something that I can actually work with for long-term. (I know, I'm asking a lot). Still open to new suggestions. Thank you all!
 
@SquamishSerpents, no I'm not sure of what hole you're talking about. The only hole I have noticed is the one I described, and yes, they chewed the heck out of that one, lol! (well, the four colonies that escaped chewed the heck out of those holes. The other colonies haven't figured it out yet.)
 
I gave up on a rack system for my 4 1.3 colonies of asf rats i have all of mine in used 10g tanks i got on clist... its just easier that way... i whent and got a 5 shelf metal rack and stacked them there + a live feeders tank.
 
Babies that are still nursing all the way up to large weanlings get out on their own. Sadly though, my cat apparently got into where I keep the rats and pulled an adult mama out through the wire mesh and broke her arm :(. I'm still wanting to go with a stock tank. Does anyone have ideas on watering them in there?? Also, would keeping more than one male in a large area like that cause a problem? The tank I'm looking at is 2' tall by 6' long by 2' wide.
 
No, no, not glass. It would be a metal stock tank like this:

339601%20behlen%2044g%20stock%20tank%20ST-214.jpg
 
ohhh okay, wasn't sure what a stock tank was. that doesn't look very high in the photo, make sure they can't jump out while you're feeding and stuff!
 
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