My little rat barn

With all the talk of breeding rats I thought I post some pics of my rat breeding setup.


I started with this 8 x 12 storage building that was here when I bought the house. It was just your basic building with a storage loft and pegboard nailed to the studs. I needed more height for the water buckets so I tore out the loft and raised the ceiling. I also had to add the window for my AC unit and I filled in the hole that was left from the loft door on the front. After running electric out too the building I insulated and hung drywall. I taped and mudded the drywall but it is FAR from being what one would call "finished" drywall.

Here is what you see when you open the doors.

I am built two racks each holding 20 tubs. I usually have 36 -38 tubs breeding at all times. I always leave one tub open on each rack to make cleaning easier. Each tub has 1 male and 2 females. I average between 600-800 rats per month with this setup. I feed all my snakes and wholesale a lot of pinkies and crawlers.

This rack uses the large cement tubs. This is where I grow out the feeders for my snakes and my future breeders. I clean once a week and probably spend a total of about 5 hours a week between cleaning and topping off food and water.

awesome setup

Looks awesome! Not sure who much space we are going to acquire but your set up is very nice!!

Thats a great set up. One of the better one ive seen, good temp control = good out put. How often you replace your breeders?

smb2585 wrote:

Looks awesome! Not sure who much space we are going to acquire but your set up is very nice!!

Thank you. Honestly I don't keep track of my breeders like I should. If I notice a tub is slowing down I'll replace them. I should probably keep better records but right now it works for what I need. I am able to sell enough to pay for food, bedding, and power. As long as they pay for themselves and my snakes have all the food they want I'm happy.

Really nice. Do you have an A/C to keep them cool in the summer? That is almost exactly what I would like to do here. I've got my rats in a closet right now.

Yes I just removed the window unit last week. The building is only about 100sf so I use the smallest AC I could find with electronic thermostat. I think it's 5000 BTU. I keep it set at 75. In the winter I use a small space heater.

Very nice Clay!

i cant wait till i get to this point..... first i need to get the wife over her fear of reptiles, then her hatred of rodents, then a place to keep all the rodents, then expand my collection, then get/build an incubator, then actually start breeding. it should be smooth sailing from there, lmao.

Good Luck Ryan -- we were talking to a guy at bowling last night and he at first thought we were craaaaaazy then after we started talking to him he asks questions every week. I showed him all the pictures on my phone/camera and he asked if they had their own personalities... I immediately chimed in yes, Miles kinda shook his head at me...

I really think she will like a Bee.. she can come hang out with me and see my bee girl... she is the one I introduce EVERYONE too because she is so gentle... I have no fear of her and if I were to ever get bit... I for some reason for more comfortable getting bit by her than any others... including the smaller ones we have.

ezekiel21 wrote:

i cant wait till i get to this point..... first i need to get the wife over her fear of reptiles, then her hatred of rodents, then a place to keep all the rodents, then expand my collection, then get/build an incubator, then actually start breeding. it should be smooth sailing from there, lmao.

Keep doing what you are doing and don't push her to hard. When you start hatching babies that are worth a few thousand a piece she'll come around. They always do.

zues wrote:

ezekiel21 wrote:

i cant wait till i get to this point..... first i need to get the wife over her fear of reptiles, then her hatred of rodents, then a place to keep all the rodents, then expand my collection, then get/build an incubator, then actually start breeding. it should be smooth sailing from there, lmao.

Keep doing what you are doing and don't push her to hard. When you start hatching babies that are worth a few thousand a piece she'll come around. They always do.

LMAO, your probably right...... she loves money.

Wish I had that kind of room!