Going to attemp mice again

Ive got rats that are not working out so well for me, its been a while with no babys. SO im tempted to breed mice again, ive had them before and i couldnt handle the smell. Ive got a place i can put them that i will not be near them, so im good. i'll be buying alot of adult normal bps soon, so i'll be going through adults like crazy. My lesser only takes live for now, so im not going to waist money buying online and breeding at the same time anyways.

How many mice females will i need for lets say 10, 500-1000 gram females, and one little lesser?


Read up time...

30-40 adult mice a week, maybe more. Thats alot of mice! They are from what I've heard, harder to breed than rats. Good luck.

Well, I'm certainly no expert with mice, having just now in the course of the past year, become successful in breeding them.

You'll really need to know that it takes alot of time to establish colonies that breed and produce on a regular basis. I started last march, and just in the past 4 months have finally gotten lots of babies on a regular basis.

But I'll tell you what works for me!

I use a 20g long, but a tub modeled in the fashion of Frankykeno's rat bins would probably work as well (Use 1/4" wire instead of 1/2"). I don't put a wheel or anything in, but I did give them a little plastic igloo house as a reward for doing so well lately. (I know, how silly). I keep 1.7-9 in there at all times, and they stay in a room that is dark most of the day. I come in once to feed and water, and that's all.

Also, I found that the colony didn't really pick up until about the 4-5th generation, away from the petstore mice I bought in the beginning. It seems mice you've bred yourself do better.

I pick out the weanlings at the appropriete time and move them to ten gallons, minus any females I choose to hold back, though they are euthed and frozen soon after, as my tegu (who eats the majority of the mice) is still small.

If I need to add a strange female to the group, I wait until cleaning day, and put all adults, including the stranger, in a small critter keeper. They run about, and by the time they go into the clean enclosure, all smell the same. At least that's my theory. Any aggressive mice, or any seen munching babies, are immedietly culled.

I hope this helps, and I'm sure others will chime in, as theres lots of ways to breed mice, and what works for me might not work for you.

I have ALOT of space for these little guys, alot more that i do freezer space:P

I know of a local petstore that breeds there own, so these will not be the normal petsmart mice, these will be the generations of this guys mice( which hopefull is better) I have alot of tubs too that are pretty tall, is there a need for a lid if they cannot hop out or climb out, to help with the airing out part? im sure there is.

I can go get pregnate mice if i need to, the guy i will get them from has his females with his males at all times to restock his pinkys and such so he doesnt have to buy from somewhere else. so there is a pretty good chance some of my females will already be "gravid" ( if i use that word again its because im a herp freak and do not like the mammal word Pregnate lol)

Some of his look like golf balls, so i could get some of those plus a male or two, and alot of females.

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Originally Posted by stangs13

30-40 adult mice a week, maybe more. Thats alot of mice! They are from what I've heard, harder to breed than rats. Good luck.

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Ive had these rats(1.2) for three months +, they show no sines of breeding, and i hate spending 6$ on more breeder rats after ive spent alot of time and money on these guys. plus id have to wait for them to be old enough if i new new ones. Thanks though for the mice estimate.