Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok here is the situation, i have an opertunity to buy several established rat colonies but the only place i have to put them is in the garage. i'm wondering what extremes can they handle hot and cold, i live in oregon and from time to time it does get below freezing outside, i'm thinking mid 40's in the garage, would i need to suppliment heat? please give me any tips you have.

>>ok here is the situation, i have an opertunity to buy several established rat colonies but the only place i have to put them is in the garage. i'm wondering what extremes can they handle hot and cold, i live in oregon and from time to time it does get below freezing outside, i'm thinking mid 40's in the garage, would i need to suppliment heat? please give me any tips you have.

Yes, you will want to heat it to the 60s. They may live okay otherwise but will spend a lot of energy keeping warm and not making babies.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

My folks live in Oregon and I in calif and I visit them when i can. Anyway yeah it can be a bit nippy there in the morning, maybe a heating pad well covered on the bottom will help as well, or the top, i lost three juv rats as it got too hot for them even with the door open and cold is no problem though. They are now all inside and I don't have a problem with the stink as I figured out that trick as well. Good luck.
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My roomates are2 boas, 4 corns,Rotti,3cats and snake food AKA the food chain.

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imintation vanilla extract, I put four drop for a small water bottle for mice and 8 for the larger rat ones, have to change once a week, quick to get moldy and stale and they won't drink it.
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My roomates are2 boas, 4 corns,Rotti,3cats and snake food AKA the food chain.

......... 6 drops of bleach to every 2 liters of drinking water.

Yikes! Bleach?!?! Are you sure Diggy? We are trying the vanilla here. I haven't noticed much difference yet. I also didn't use as much vanilla as you. I might need to add more. We too have our rats inside and can forsee this (smell) will be an issue with us. Thanks for the tip. I don't know if I'm brave enough to try it though.

I didn't recommend the bleach and I wouldn't ~~gosh maybe acid, BLEACH?? common I don't think so, then again my father adds the same to his birds water and I saw him do it, i would never do it, I clean the bottles in them but thats all the bleach will do. The vanilla is working here, unless you get your nose close up, but hey it was someone elses hint, I do know that i can't smell it from far away like i use to.
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My roomates are2 boas, 4 corns,Rotti,3cats and snake food AKA the food chain.