qualityrodents.com
Much better, actually. These guys would be our role-models (especially if they clean daily!); however. . .
we gotta do something about that pine bedding and the faciltity appears to be coated with dust - conditions that could lead to serious lung disease and other health issues.
The rodent diet listed is well above average and the use of ceramic crocks in each aquarium allows for more natural feeding behavior. In addition, these rats and mice can actually see light and their surroundings instead of being crammed into opaque cat litter pans. Quality Rodents is also aware that overcrowded conditions can lead to stress responses like barbering, mutilation, and cannibalism.
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In one of your pictures you put “lots of dust”
do you know what a screen top looks like?
Comment by Ritchie — 9.19.2004 @ 10:51 pm
Not only do I know what a screen top looks like, I know what both clean and dirty screen tops look like!
Dirty: Because one can see roundish spots on the edges of the lids, it’s apparent that there’s dust ‘everywhere else’ - where the lid is not usually grasped
Clean: There is standard screen top appearance where the lid is usually grasped - that part is clean.
Thanks for asking!
Comment by nat — 9.20.2004 @ 7:24 am
I think the top cages with the screens just look dusty cause of the angle the pic was taken.
As you go down the screen that stick out look clearer. The cages seem to not be over crowded, clean, watered
and fed. I was just to a vet with my rat and they said pine bedding was fine as long as it was the
larger shaved and not fine. The bedding looks like the thicker shaved so it has less dust.
Comment by ratlover — 9.30.2004 @ 10:41 pm
OK, while I can appreciate your cause and as a herper do see things wrong in the feeder rodent industry. This is a bit overboard in my opinion and I would like to know what credentials you have that make you a photography expert. You are making a comment about dust on wire cage tops( please tell me how you can ass/u/me that from the picture). Also the situation with using pine bedding?? Could you please direct me to the source that says of the health problems it causes thanks
Comment by please help these people — 10.2.2004 @ 2:19 am
I’m quite surprised that our one good example of what we *do* like to see is the subject of so many comments! Really, I’m quite impressed that with so many aquariums things do look as clean as they do (I started off with aquariums myself and they’re a pain in the rump!)! They must put in a lot of time and effort to keep it that way. And as a person who advises new rat owners on rat problems, usually those problems seen immediately after a pet store purchase, I find it much easier to advise (and the advice is much less grave) situations where pine bedding is the only apparent fault.
But Pine (although considerably better than cedar) is still a problem for the same reason why pine is not a desired bedding for the snakes themselves (and it’s not entirely about dust): It stinks, it adversely affects (especially the lungs and livers of) animals that live with their bodies/snouts on it by triggering immune response, and the phenols are toxic.
One source here: www.trifl.org/cedar.shtml
Credentials: I have eyes :o) I’ve also had rats for over 10 years, have acquired them from every source possible, and through sight and smell, have a pretty good grasp at where a rat’s been and in what the rat’s been. So, to me, it’s quite apparent that the dust look stops where hands grab the lids. It’s also apparent that the dust is heavier on the top row than on the other rows which makes sense…if it’s settling downward, the top row would protect the other rows by collecting the bulk of the dust.
But it’s all relative. If I were shopping for a rat directly from the breeder themselves, I’d choose Quality Rodents over this guy or this guy any day. If I were feeding a beloved pet snake, I’d also choose Quality Rodents over that guy too!
I think the ratters and the herpers all want the same thing and since we share the same sources of rodents it matters to all of us: We want healthy pets, no injuries, no worms, no crunchy bugs, limited bacterial infections, etc. And proper care and husbandry practices can give us all what we desire…and even make the quality of life for rats and mice for their limited time on earth better as well.
Really, we’re not trying to be villainous about this. As it stands, rats and mice have very minimal protection where they are now under the “general” regulations for living beings not considered to be “animals.” And, as it stands, they could either be demoted to “food and fiber” which, to me, means that everyone can then use this guy’s care practices as an example, or some regulations could be put in place on their behalf in which case Quality Rodents and similar would have nothing to worry about if indeed their practices matched their photos.
Comment by nat — 10.2.2004 @ 9:45 am
I really like Melissa Kaplan’s work - here is her take on pine and cedar bedding for both mammals and reptiles:
http://www.anapsid.org/cedar.html
http://www.anapsid.org/cedar2.html
The average vet is not prepared to work with exotics, including ratties. Before making any decision that might be detrimental to the animals in your care, check, check, and check again! Always ask lots of questions - your animals are depending on *you* to make the best choices for their quality of life and health.
Why everyone is so entranced with dusty screens (indicative of the overall environment), I have no idea. Especially when there are so many other issues on the same page - filthy cages, contaminated food - you name it. I want to see someone defend the practice of throwing animals from a bucket - let’s get down to the *meat* of the issue - the problem is that quibbling over something like dust is much easier than quibbling over cruelty.
Comment by Lydia — 10.5.2004 @ 11:11 pm