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Post by moonlightsedge on Jan 13, 2009 11:25:09 GMT -5
I am planning on starting an African soft furred rat colony, my question stems from the cage aspect though. And my ASFs will be in to pick up in 2 days. I picked up a hamster cage last night and the bar spacing is 3/4 inch wide, can the sub adults escape from that or will it be ok until I find a metal mesh to line it with(though I am not to sure if that will work or not yet) I have a 10 gallon tank as well but no proper lid for it. It was a bit of a spur of the moment decision to try them.
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Post by harrisi on Jan 13, 2009 12:47:14 GMT -5
I think they will escape from that! You are best off keeping them in a fully metal/wire cage with 1/4" mesh or a tank with 1/4" mesh on top, they dont hesitate to try get out of the smallest spaces and will chew for the world!
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Post by moonlightsedge on Jan 13, 2009 15:53:22 GMT -5
Would it be safe to cover the cage with 1/4 wire mesh? I spose I will start checking out some aquarium tops for sizing. Thank You.
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Post by harrisi on Jan 13, 2009 17:20:46 GMT -5
Yep perfectly safe!
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Post by moonlightsedge on Jan 13, 2009 22:30:28 GMT -5
Is peat moss ok for lining the bottom of an aquarium? I ended up buying a reptile top for both aquariums instead of trying to make something myself. I have a large bag of peat moss I bought to feed my baby betas(but they never happened, lost both pairs and both bubble nests) It is cheaper here than most of the other bedding options except for pine shavings but my daughter is allergic to the shavings. So even if I did a layer of the peat moss and then a layer of the shavings or shredded paper or something? A small amount should be OK for my daughter.
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Post by harrisi on Jan 14, 2009 11:25:00 GMT -5
I am going to say no. They will probably eat it and it can cause intestinal blockages and it will hold mould and its not absorbent enough.
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Post by moonlightsedge on Jan 14, 2009 11:27:33 GMT -5
What would you suggest for something that won't bother my daughters allergies?
Thank You
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Post by harrisi on Jan 14, 2009 11:32:11 GMT -5
Shredded paper, carefresh or wood stove pellets. Shredded paper might not be too absorbent though, and carefresh is expensive but wood stove pellets are perfectand even though you said that wood shavings bother your daughters allergies, I say just try them asthey are not dusty, easy to clean and keep in smell very well.
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Post by moonlightsedge on Jan 14, 2009 20:57:07 GMT -5
where would I likely find them? I buy yesterdays news but haven't seen the wood stove pellets around. My daughters issues seems to be mostly the dust so it should be fine. Thank you for the help.
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Post by animalsgetrevenge on Jan 14, 2009 22:17:07 GMT -5
I buy wood stove pellets at Home Depot; 40lbs for $5. Some people use potting soil also, but I had an issue with mold when I tried that.
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