Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Alright this summer I finished the Rat Shed, I started last year, aside from other projects and work it actually was pretty easy and fun to build.

Essentially it is a 9' x 6' shed with side walls tall enough so I could use 8' ply siding, about 90" inside height.

Walls are 2x4 studs 24" OC, roof/ceiling is 2x6 24" OC. All walls are insulated with R11 insulation. I salvaged a window from a job-site, and the door was a perk of working Menards. Exterior siding is LP SmartSide, simulated textured board 8" OC. Essentially fancy OSB, but this stuff is a dream to work with! Roof is typical 1/2" OSB, with standard 3 tab shingles and 15lb felt.

The inside is actually craft wafer board, its not rated for construction, basically its 1/4" OSB. The point was to cover the vapor barrier of the insulation and clean up the inside look. I went with the more expensive 1/4" stuff because the entire shed is designed to fit on my flat deck trailer, trailer does have a limit and by using the 3/8" exterior and 1/4" interior boards I saved weight over using typical material. The wafer board is almost $10 a sheet and on sale you can get 1/2" OSB for about $7.

If I were to do this over I would like a longer shed and one wider than 6'. The narrow nature of the shed allows only one side to be used for actual racks. I had considered a door in the sidewall but felt this particular orientation would yield the best usable space. By adding the lumber rack to the one side I maximized the space. And yes that is actual 2" x 8" rough-cut fir lumber I salvaged from a garage built in the 50's.

Right now it fits the rat population I'm pumping out and the new water system, I'll post later, allows more tubs in the vertical sense of the rack. I do have materials to put a mouse rack together, just haven't done it yet.

Right now the shed is not powered or heated, so I have about a month to get a unit installed.

Thanks for looking I'll answer any questions.

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Jeremy Payne
JB Reptile

1.0 Snow "Kahl"
0.2 Triple Het Moonglow "Kahl"
0.1 Orange Tail Hypo Het Leopard
1.0 Ghost
0.1 DH Ghost
1.1 "Kahl" Albino
1.0.2 Hypomelenistic
1.3 Pastel Hypo
0.1 Anerthrystic
0.0.2 Normal

0.0.2 Morelia Viridis
1.1 Morelia Clastolepis

Okay, now that you have finished that project you can come over to my place and build mine! LOL! Good job!

I have only one question: how will you ventilate the shed during the winter with out losing too much heat? Like if you just open the window it seems that would cause a lot of heat to be lost as well, whereas if you put ventilation holes up near the roof the condensation will vent out better with less heat loss.

>>Okay, now that you have finished that project you can come over to my place and build mine! LOL! Good job!
>>
>>I have only one question: how will you ventilate the shed during the winter with out losing too much heat? Like if you just open the window it seems that would cause a lot of heat to be lost as well, whereas if you put ventilation holes up near the roof the condensation will vent out better with less heat loss.

Due to the small space opening the door is sufficient ventilation. Also I am leaning towards a Heat/AC unit which will draw in fresh air as well.

Trouble with winter will be keeping the shed above freezing.

I am a Contractor for hire...LOL
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Jeremy Payne
JB Reptile

1.0 Snow "Kahl"
0.2 Triple Het Moonglow "Kahl"
0.1 Orange Tail Hypo Het Leopard
1.0 Ghost
0.1 DH Ghost
1.1 "Kahl" Albino
1.0.2 Hypomelenistic
1.3 Pastel Hypo
0.1 Anerthrystic
0.0.2 Normal

0.0.2 Morelia Viridis
1.1 Morelia Clastolepis

I have my mice in an old RV with a propane heater during the winter. They produce a lot of moisture in the air by breathing (condensation) so I always have to have the vents open a tad. I keep the RV no colder than 45 F and no hotter than 65 F in the winter. They tolerate cold a lot better than hot. In the summer I keep my colony in a screen tent in the shade, since I have no air conditioning.

I am in the process of building a 8x12 rat barn. I am using an existing shed that was in my backyard when I bought the house. It 2x4 construction with studs 16 inches on center. So far I have run power to the building, added a window, and put R13 in the walls and R38 in the ceiling. One of the concerns I had was ventilation so after some looking around I found a bathroom fan that is designed to go through the wall and vent outside. I know I will lose some heat in the winter and AC in the summer but it's only a 70 CFM fan so I'm hoping it won't be to bad. It is on a switch so I can only run it when I want to. All I have left to do is hang 1/2 inch drywall and install my light fixture. I plan to run a small window unit in the summer and a small space heater in the winter.