Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have been breeding rats for over a year now and dabbled with mice at the beginning. i was using lab trays to start with. now my rats are in racks. i want to start breeding mice again as i have a need. so i started building a mouse rack using petmate litter pans. i used the 1/4 inch mesh across the whole frame.
my question is will the mice be able to eat through the 1/4 mesh?
or will i have to cut some of the squares bigger so they can eat through it. not sure what i will be feeding them yet but it will be either sunseed critter cubes or the natures spitit lab block. i use doggy bag dog food for my rats but mice dont do well on it as ive been told.
adam jeffery
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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

Yes they can eat through 1/4" just fine.

It should be fine. My rats can eat through the 1/4"

my friends yearssss ago bred rats with 1/4 inch and said they ate through it....I still argue and say no way....wild rats ate the corn off the top and fooled you...

I bred for close to 20 years...I used 1/2 inch for the whole top....I had alot of walk outs....not too too many,but enough...

...they should make 3/8 inch.....

I think 1/4 inch won't work...I used up to 500 mice a week ...so....

...you could just throw the food in the tub ...but you have to throw so much per day as to not waste it...(mice waste everything anyways).......so feed every day....pain

I fed everyday and filled water bottle everyday....for 20 years....60 to 100 bottles a day...every day...

...I used...
dog food,corn,oats,lab block

on occasion...sunflower,pig chow,horse oats, fish chow, soybeans,cat food, even used monkey blocks a couple times for treats...

lab block oats and corn and dog all the time....>>>

good luck....

.
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........JY

As JY stated 3/8" is perfect. I don't think mesh in that size is made and if it is, it will be hard to find. I use 3/8" expanded metal sheeting for my mice and rats. Works perfectly.
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Best regards,
AlanColesReptiles

hey alan,
are you talking about the sheets that have diamond shaped holes that are kept in the concrete section of home depot?
that would work great and i never even thought about using it.
thanks
adam jeffery

too bad i already have some made with 1/4 inch mesh. ill just have to use both and see if one works better than the other.
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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

I do not know about home depot. I get mine from a steel supplier.

Looks like this. 3/8" diamond is the perfect size.

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Best regards,
AlanColesReptiles

same stuff, the stuff at home depot is aluminum i believe. might have steel as well though.
adam jeffery
thanks alan
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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

i use 1/4" all around and made i guess what you could call a food chimney, i dont have my racks setup the way i see most do, i just made a large shelf basically and each concrete tub has its own lid (ripped in half 2x3's making a frame and hardware cloth nailed to that) that slides on to the shelfs and then i cut a 3" x 3" square in the lid and then made a 3 x 3 cage out of left over hardware cloth and made six sections in it that are 1/2" and then took and cut a 3 x 3 chunk of wood and took some plexi glass crap and cut it to 4 x 4 and screwed it to the wood and fit that into the top of the chimney, so overall the 1/4" keeps escapes to none and the chimney topper keeps anyone from escaping from the food tube, damn i hope i said all that right...haha hope some of this helps! oh by the way i havent ever breed mice, i only breed asf's but i would assume should all be pretty similar.

Can the ASF chew the concrete tub? I guess they can't or you wouldn't keep doing it. The ASF seem to be able to chew through almost anything, I keep mine in glass aquariums.

I used to raise ASF's in concrete tubs with 1/4 mesh and it worked for me. About the time I stopped Home Depot switched tub designs. The ones I used had no holes or corners for the ASF's to get ahold of. My lids fit tight and the edge curved away such that there was nothing for them to get their mouths around (I always gave them some wood scraps just in case they need something to chew). The tubs right after I bought mine have some sort of hole built in, maybe for hanging and that caused lots of trouble for a friend that used them. I think eventually he was epoxying something over that hole first thing. Those newer tub might have even had a square edge and a ruler formed in so may have to look around for the all smooth type.

I haven't had an issue yet, as randy states there are complete smooth ones and ones with a hole, I have the hole ones and I supply rib bones for them to chew on and that seems to hold them off

Mine eat just fine through 1/4" mesh.
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

www.youtube.com/reptilenexus

Hi Adam,

I had 1/4 in. mesh covering my rat and mouse enclosures and that size worked great for both. I was actually surprised that the rats were able to access the food through that size mesh, but they did with no problem.

Will