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Breeder Tub help
- Thread starter TheHated
- Start date
sfaoldguy
New member
Not sure if this is what you are asking for but here it goes.
This is what I use as an overflow tub and am about to use it for breeding as well.
Materials:
- 58 quart Sterilite - You can use another size or brand. Just make sure the water bottle will fit and that the inner walls of the tub are smooth and offer nothing that the mice can chew on to create a hole and escape.
- small water bottle
- food dish
- 1/4 inch mesh
- Wire cutters
- Pliers
- Knife
- Ice pick
- Cake pan
- Sharpie
Procedure:
1) Use cake pan or other object and trace a square or rectangle air hole in the top.
2) Place pan on wire mesh and use wire cutters to cut out a piece about 3 to 4 inches wider and longer than the pan. Cut it so that you have spikes of the wire going all the way around the cut out piece. You will use these to attach it to the top. You can make the wire mesh longer and bend it to form the V shape where you place the bottle inside the V, but I find it easy enough to attach the bottle to the side.
3) Place the wire mesh over the air hole and use the ice pick to poke holes for the spikes to pass through. Make sure they line up.
4) Use pliers to bend the spikes to form a 90 degree angle and then carefully push them through the holes you made with the icepick.
5) Press them all of the way through and then bend them in on the other side to secure them.
6) Bend the ends of the wire clip that came with your water bottle to form 90 degree angles. Place them about halfway from the bottom and top of the tub and use your ice pick to poke holes so that the clip will fasten to the tub. Fill bottle with water and insert in clip. If the bottle slips, bend the ends of the clip in a little till it secure the water bottle tightly.
7) Add a dish for food, hide, and wheel if ya like.
Hope this helps,
John
This is what I use as an overflow tub and am about to use it for breeding as well.
Materials:
- 58 quart Sterilite - You can use another size or brand. Just make sure the water bottle will fit and that the inner walls of the tub are smooth and offer nothing that the mice can chew on to create a hole and escape.
- small water bottle
- food dish
- 1/4 inch mesh
- Wire cutters
- Pliers
- Knife
- Ice pick
- Cake pan
- Sharpie
Procedure:
1) Use cake pan or other object and trace a square or rectangle air hole in the top.
2) Place pan on wire mesh and use wire cutters to cut out a piece about 3 to 4 inches wider and longer than the pan. Cut it so that you have spikes of the wire going all the way around the cut out piece. You will use these to attach it to the top. You can make the wire mesh longer and bend it to form the V shape where you place the bottle inside the V, but I find it easy enough to attach the bottle to the side.
3) Place the wire mesh over the air hole and use the ice pick to poke holes for the spikes to pass through. Make sure they line up.
4) Use pliers to bend the spikes to form a 90 degree angle and then carefully push them through the holes you made with the icepick.
5) Press them all of the way through and then bend them in on the other side to secure them.
6) Bend the ends of the wire clip that came with your water bottle to form 90 degree angles. Place them about halfway from the bottom and top of the tub and use your ice pick to poke holes so that the clip will fasten to the tub. Fill bottle with water and insert in clip. If the bottle slips, bend the ends of the clip in a little till it secure the water bottle tightly.
7) Add a dish for food, hide, and wheel if ya like.
Hope this helps,
John
Taceas
USW = UB313
If you're just doing one cage/colony, a 20gallon long aquarium with wire mesh lid would probably work better. Most can be found for cheap in garage sales or the classifieds in your local paper.
If you do end up utilizing the above DIY method:
- I would get a larger floor spaced tub for more room to move around and decrease the crowdedness...
- Increase the hole size in the lid...
- Add a hell of a lot more bedding than what is pictured...
That thing has GOT to reek.
uke01:
Rodent health will go down when ventilation is greatly reduced. The more ventilation you have, the better their health and longevity will be. JMHO.
If you do end up utilizing the above DIY method:
- I would get a larger floor spaced tub for more room to move around and decrease the crowdedness...
- Increase the hole size in the lid...
- Add a hell of a lot more bedding than what is pictured...
That thing has GOT to reek.
uke01:Rodent health will go down when ventilation is greatly reduced. The more ventilation you have, the better their health and longevity will be. JMHO.
sfaoldguy
New member
- The floor space is larger than a 10 gallon aquarium which is what is usually recommended for 1.3 group of breeders.Taceas said:If you're just doing one cage/colony, a 20gallon long aquarium with wire mesh lid would probably work better. Most can be found for cheap in garage sales or the classifieds in your local paper.
If you do end up utilizing the above DIY method:
- I would get a larger floor spaced tub for more room to move around and decrease the crowdedness...
- Increase the hole size in the lid...
- Add a hell of a lot more bedding than what is pictured...
That thing has GOT to reek.
Rodent health will go down when ventilation is greatly reduced. The more ventilation you have, the better their health and longevity will be. JMHO.
- I agree with the hole size in the lid. That's something I have been meaning to increase a little, just haven't gotten to it, but it seems to work ok as it is.
- Not sure on the bedding yet. I am testing substrate levels in the one pictured. I usually cover the bottom completely, but they always use a certain spot along the edge, so was testing how well it worked with having the edges and some in the hide worked. Since I am only on the second day of the test, it doesn't smell at all.
sfaoldguy
New member
Well, I went ahead and made the air hole larger on one and then used cage screen crimped around the edges of the tub like the foil on a pie pan. I really like how it works and it is so much easier than making sure you get all of the holes just right. That was a real pain lol.
The last picture is an inexpensive setup from Wal-Mart. The 10 gallon aquarium cost $10, lid was $7 and the bottle was $2. You can purchase a bottle holder for about $5 for this lid as well. Total of $24. I use the tubs also because I get the tubs for about $4 each, mesh in bulk which I also use to make perch traps, bottle $2 to cost less than $8 each. Gotta love that.
The last picture is an inexpensive setup from Wal-Mart. The 10 gallon aquarium cost $10, lid was $7 and the bottle was $2. You can purchase a bottle holder for about $5 for this lid as well. Total of $24. I use the tubs also because I get the tubs for about $4 each, mesh in bulk which I also use to make perch traps, bottle $2 to cost less than $8 each. Gotta love that.