oooo...maybe

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I think we all just have the inlination to give a heat source to all animals after dealing with cold-blooded reptiles. You don't want to bake the rascals

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Thats so true,Nowadays i see some kind of pet in the pet store (like..i duno...a bird) and think " wouldent you feel better if you had a nice heat lamp to warm you up ?"

Ok, so no heat pad aginast the wall......i just thought they might like somthing warm to snuggle up in.

I guess not, i mean, afterall they are warm blooded and coverd with fur :)

I read a couple care sheets and it said to be careful when introducing the female to the male (when you put the male in the females cage) becuase femals can often become territorial.has anyone ever noticed that before or had problems with that ??

Also, i was planning on getting them from the breeder i get my feeders from but i dont want to get just any adult

I want to get them young so they can grow up with me and be handleable (kinda like pets) so whats the age they can be taken away from thier mothers ??

I hear they can start breeding as early as 6 weeks....but is that healthy for a young mouse to give birth that young ?? I was going to get them, house them together and then once shes pregnant separate them. Its just the age thing is kinda freaking me out.

I could get them when they are young , grow them up a bit and then introduce then to one another.Is that a good idea or am i overeacting about this whole "babies making babies" thing ?

Well, I am not an expert, but from I have observed from my firends mice, is that if he gets them when they are young and puts them in the same cage, then as they grow up they have never had any problems fighting. But thats just my expirience.

What if breeding takes place at such a young age ??

Would that cause any harm to the female or can her body handle that ?

I like to let the females grow to their full size before breeding. Breeding them too early can lead to smaller litter size and even a smaller female.
The males are ready to breed sooner though. I have a half-grown male that I plan on breeding to one of my females as soon as her babies are weaned.
I never really noticed any aggression of my females toward their mates. The worst thing that happens, is the male chasing the female around to mate, which is to be expected! I usually like to put her into his cage though, because then he is more comfortable in his surroundings.

Ok so should i buy one male one female and keep them seperate until they are fully grown ?

How long will that be ?

How would i kill the babies??..........i really dont want to build a gas chamber but if thats the best way ill see what i can do.

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Originally Posted by Brandon.O

Is 60-70 too low to keep mice at ??

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Definately not. It's the higher temps, above 75 degrees, that you want to worry about. Mice and rats can overheat pretty quickly. Just so you give them things to burrow in and keep warm(toilet paper, cotton balls shredded up, kleenex) they are happy. If you have a screen lid, you can also cover a part of it with a towel so it doesn't get too drafty. That's what we have to do with our nekkid ratties, they get a little cold Hope that helps.

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(IMO) I bred rats for a LONG time, had a nice rattery goin for awhile, I will tell ya from experience, 60 and below is toooo cold. Any babies that may result from subsequent breedings will have less of a chance of surviving to become weanlings. The adults can stand that kind of low temp, but there is still a risk of respiratory infections/colds that may kill them off. I think optimum temps are 70-85. Temps over 75 are fine, I lived in Az, we dont run our AC that much there, my rats all did just fine with temps up to 85 as long as they had plenty of water. I would worry about heat with humidity more than 85 degrees with no humidity, humidity seems to make it more miserable. There are many ways to raise rodents, you will have to see what works best for you, but what I mentioned above has been my 21 years worth of experience.

Ok well there is a nice little spot for them in the laundry room, it doesnt get very cold in there, not half as cold as the garage, so i can do that. I only thought about the garage because of space and also becuase of the smell, ill be cleaning it out once, maybe even twice a week, do you think it would still stink ?

Thanks for the advice jeanne :)

Everyone has been so helpful, now all i need to figure out is how to kill those babies....

The laundry room would definately be a better place for them. I know what you mean about the space thing too. But it would be warmer in the laundry room. As far as smell, it will be minimal as long as you clean at least 2 times a week. Mice just are stinky little buggers. Rats are not as bad.