Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What is the largest rat group i could have in a 10 gallon aquarium?
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0.1 Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 ball python (felix)
1.1 feral cats (Fuzzy, and Bear; it used to be fuzzy, wuzzy, bear)

np

np
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0.1 Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 ball python (felix)
1.1 feral cats (Fuzzy, and Bear; it used to be fuzzy, wuzzy, bear)

Sorry to burst in on your thread... Just wondering how many I could raise in my spare 10 gallon (ferret treats bwahahaha)

None. Not even one. You would be better off finding a sterlite tub, or a rubbermaid that has no lips on the inside. cutting the middle of the lid off, and bolting hardware cloth to it. Rats can get as long as a 10 gal, and to have more than one in there would be cruel. You could use it as a place to put rat pups to grow them a little, but other than that I wouldn't use them. Think of this, someone said a trio, well not only will there be the three in there, but the babies that will eventually learn to walk and eat, and then it will be severly crowded. They may be being bred for snake food, but you should still treat them in a decent mannor.

As for mice, I didn't even know ferrets ate mice, and as far as I knew there is a market out there that provides the proper diet for ferrets. But you should be able to keep a 1.3 MAYBE a 1.4 in there.
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1.1 Ball Python, 0.1 motley amel corn, 0.1 western hognose

I read they do, more like treats occasionally, since I think I read a full grown ferret can eat about 30 fuzzy mice... Just an idea...

Ferrets in the wild mainly prey on small rodents.. though rabbits make up a large part of their diet. However, in captivity its generally not a good idea to let a ferret eat "prey animals" and to keep them on commercial diets formulated for them.. due to a weasel's propensity for getting very snappy. Its believed that the more parts of their "wild life" we can seperate them from the better pets they make.
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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
2.2 Leopard geckos (2 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 1 het Blizzard (Lilith) and 1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
5 Gerbils
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
2 cats (Sahara and Hercules)

What is the best way to bolt down the hardware cloth? Lately I have been using duck tape to secure the hardware cloth around the holes I have cut into the lids of sterlite containers. However, I have had a few mice find a way to squeeze between the ducktape and the hardware cloth to escape since the ducktape keeps lifting off the hardware cloth lately. It can't be dampness cause my house is rather dry lately.

I have tried just drilling holes over the lids instead but it takes alot of time and even with hundreds of holes in the lid, the ventilation is not as good as with the hardware cloth. Also, it gets very hot and humid in the tank with the mice.

I use 1/4 inch hardware cloth for converting my Sterlite tubs which works well with mice. I do have to feed inside the tubs though until I get the time to build in a hanging feeding bin. The tubs I use are too high for mice to feed through the lid and the rats have trouble eating through the 1/4 inch cloth. The reason I use the 1/4 inch cloth is because then I can just bolt it down using short screws with washers to hold the cloth in place. Basically I cut a hole in the lid of the tub, lay the cloth down on the inside of the lid so it overhangs the hole by about an inch on each side and screw down the cloth until it feels secure. The tubs I have are tall enough that even though the washers are inside with the rodents they don't mess with them. If I used shorter bins I would probably bolt the cloth on the top although it wouldn't look as nice.
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Anna

The Zoo
Corns
1.0 Snow - Cornelius
1.1 Ghost(pastel) - Eek & Boo
1.1 Amel - Parker & Scarlet
0.1 Hypo - Nikko
0.1 Anery - Missy
0.1 Hypo Motley - Cordelia aka Cordy
Boas
0.1 Columbian (BCC) - Bella
Lizards
1.0 Leopard Gecko - Leo
Rats
0.1 Dumbo Agouti - Moon
1.0 Silvered Black - Pluto
1.0 Powder Blue - Corner
Plus the breeders
Cats
1.1 Siamese - Blue & Fiona
0.1 Gray DMS - Druscilla aka Dru
Horses
1.0 Thourghbred (Hunter/Jumper) - Morgan's Majesty aka Cody

I'm not sure how big of holes they are. But I use the square hardware cloth, I think it's half an inch.

I cut a square out in the lid. Drill about 4 holes on the long side, and about 3 holes on the short sides. I line up the hardware cloth and put a washer on the bolt, then I put the bolt through the hole, then I put on another washer, and screw on the nut.I ALWAYS put it to where the nut on the outside so they can't hurt themselves. It's SAFTEY first, LOOKS LATER. I don't care how it looks as long as they are safe.
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1.1 Ball Python, 0.1 motley amel corn, 0.1 western hognose

Thats good to know, your feeders deserve to live nice while they are still alive

Thanks for the info about bolting down the hardware cloth, i will get myself a bunch of washers, nuts and small screws as soon as I can to upgrade my tubs.

no prob, it was my partners idea, I didn't think it would work. But it does. My cat even lays on top of the cage (she's a brat! lol) she's about 7-10 pounds. It don't hurt the top at all. Just pushes it down. Comes right back into shape as soon as she jumps down.
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1.1 Ball Python, 0.1 motley amel corn, 0.1 western hognose

>>What is the largest rat group i could have in a 10 gallon aquarium?

Sorry to sound harsh but NO WAY. Get a cage or tub but don't stick rats in a 10 gallon. If you want to use one to grow out a single mom and litter then knock yourself out but be sure you will be cleaning it out 3 or 4 times a week. And any size of litter is gonna be overcrowded within a couple weeks. Too small, I don't care what the lab papers say about square inches of floor space.
Air circulation is another HUGE consideration with rats and tanks.
And be aware that the only time I have seen rats habitually cannabalize have been when overcrowded.
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Sonya

Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with the software.

I suppose you could put a trio in there, but if you have 1 ball python, they would produce too many offspring for you. You could just put a pair in there and they would produce too many for you. You could put a trio in there but clean it more often that with the pair, obviously.

Denver Tom