Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am making a rat rack and want to use the mortar mixing tubs from Home Depot. My concern is that these have a nail hanging hole on one of the handles (narrower end).

DeMak, I think you have used these tubs, have you had any problems with rats chewing on this hole?

I don't want to go through the trouble and expense if I'm going to have problems.

Any feedback you gentlemen could give would be appreciated.

Ben

anything that has a edge for them to chew, given enough time they will chew it!

i would just keep looking for the brand that does not have a hole in them, if that doesnt work, you could also build a rack out of large vanness cat litter pans as well.

dan

Thank you Dan.

I am useuing the smaller tubs for mice. I just looked and there was a little bit of chewing but not much. If you look at where the hole is there is a little lip of plasitc arround it. They chewed off that lip and nothing else. The mice have been in the tubs for about four months now and they have worked great and I have had no trouble.

Rats are bigger then mice, so I dont know if they can get their faces that far between the screen and the tub to actually chew on it.
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0.0.1 Common Columbian Boa (Damian)
0.0.1 Amel Cornsnake (Kernal)
0.0.1 Okeetee Cornsnake (Guido)
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1.0.0 Rat Terrier (Ricky)
1.3.0 Mice (nameless)
0.0.4 Goldfish (nameless)
0.1.0 Beta Fish (nameless)
0.0.1 Snail (Gary)"Meoow"

Also Canibal the Musical is just about the the most funny movie ever!!!

Thank you Mr.B

I have two rat racks that use the mortar tubs from Home Depot with the nail hole in them. The way I constructed my rack with the wire mesh lying flat against the top of the tub, the rats don't have access to the nail hole and I have been using them for almost 6 months now. I went to Home Depot just the other day to pick up more tubs b/c I'm building another rack and they had the exact same mortar tubs WITHOUT the nail hole in them. I was shocked, b/c I had been thinking about the nail hole in them and the concerns people have using them and then all of a sudden there is no more nail hole!

But either way, I wouldn't worry about using them as long as they don't have access to the nail hole. It seems to me, that if you build the rack the way most people do, the wire mesh covers it and the rats can't get to it!

Hope that helps!
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Michael

why not just tape over the nail hole? A little bit of duct tape would do that nicely.

I haven't had any problem with them. The ones I made have lids made out of 1" X 2" with 1/2" hardware cloth stapled to the top. The hole is on the outside edge where the rats can't get to it. If you have a hole they can get to, put a nut and bolt thru it with a washer on the side with the rat.

DeMak

Ben