Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I am converting a shed & turning it into a rodent breeding room and was just wondering what type of set up everyone had as far as what modifications they made to the room you are using, and where is the room located (in your house, out building, etc)? Also, do most of you keep your colonies in Freedom Breeder style racks, lab tubs on shelves, or something else? Thanks,
Paul Edwards

Paul,
I use a 6x12 wood storage shed for my rodent room. It is in the backyard of my townhouse. Only on a rare occassion can I smell an oder coming from it.
I use a bathroom exhaust fan hanging from four pieces of chain on one end of the shed (using round duct and one of those fan/dryer vent flapper things mounted on the outside) and a hole covered with 1/4" hardware cloth AND regular window screen on the opposite end of the shed for ventilation.
I cut a hole in the side of the shed almost the exact size of the A/C unit I purchased. I framed it, added a support on the outside and dropped the A/C in.
I have a light fixture in the center of the room.
I ran electricity to the shed with a heavy-duty extention cord which powers my light, fan, a/c and the heater. Actually, since the room has been full of mouse pans, their body heat has kept the room at 60 deg. or above and I have yet to run the heater this winter (I'm in Maryland - it does get cold here).
The shed is very cramped (119 litter pans 1.3, a holding rack plus a bag of bedding and bucket of food)......barely enough room to move around for cleaning, etc. (I store extra bedding and food in my house) With 18" deep racks on each wall, I have about a 2 1/2 foot wide aisle to work in plus a little area in front of the door between two racks. My holding rack rolls along the center aisle.
I'm moving everything off site to a new building that's 12x32 by the end of January.
Absolutely make sure your shed is sealed tight so no wild mice can get into it. I lost a previous colony in my shed to Sendai Virus because I was not careful.
You can see some pics of my setup at the link below.
These pics were taken before the room was completely filled with racks, etc. but they may be helpful.

Brian
pics of rodent room in shed

Brian,
What kind of tubs are you using in these pics? Some of them look like rubbermaid but others look like bus tubs. Where do you buy them?
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Wade's Weptiles & Wodents

I believe they are dish pans. You can buy them at wal Mart.

>>Brian,
>>What kind of tubs are you using in these pics? Some of them look like rubbermaid but others look like bus tubs. Where do you buy them?
>>-----
>>Wade's Weptiles & Wodents
-----
Thomas Jones
aligatorhunter@earthlink.net

No one is to be trusted

On the breeding racks I use medium size 16"x12"x4" cat litter pans. I purchase them from Dressler's Dog Supplies for $1.55 to $1.75 depending on the quantity purchased.
Item # DOS-22001
www.dresslersdog.com
1-800-622-4669
If you want 12 or more pans at $1.55 each you will need to call and place the order because the website won't factor in the discounted price.

My holding rack pans are Sterilite containers that measure approximately 34"x16"x5½" on the outside rim. You can find these at WalMart, Target, etc.

NOTE: The Sterilite containers do have edges on the inside that the mice could easily chew on and escape. I have NEVER had a chewing problem maybe because I pull my weanlings at 18-21 days and they usually stay in the holding boxes only to 28 days old before they are sold. They may be too young to be concerned about escaping. Some do stay to 5 weeks and still no problems. This is my experience - others may have terrible stories to tell about the same containers.

Brian

P.S. Do you have a website for Wade's Weptiles & Wodents?

Dressler's - cat litter pans

Thanks,
did you insulate the walls before you did all of this or is it just the heater alone? Those look a lot like the racks Ralph Davis builds. Nice set up. Do you do rats? Isn't 60 a little low for breeding?
Thanks again,
Paul Edwards