I Swear I'm Getting to Hate Mice!

Sorry about the hard to read response, was trying to remember to cover everything. ;)

That reminds me, mine were "fancies."

Oh I'll be starting will all fresh ones. I fed off all the adults (mumbles more about rotten baby eatin rodents).

I've been told Bill to stick to the plain white ones and that's what I'll be getting once we are settled in the new place (we move in less than a week! :O ) I'll try those kitty litter pans as I'm wondering how they would reach up to the nozzle from the deeper cement mixing pans. Now I just have to design an escape proof mesh lid and I'll be set to go. Do you buy that particular lab block anywhere special or order it online? Is it smaller for mice or just the big regular lab block like I buy for my rats? When I make my dry mouse food mix I was breaking up the big lab blocks as they seemed so huge for the little mice.

I really think on reflection that I was bothering the mice far too much. I'm so used to rats that are highly social and daily feeding of them doesn't bother them at all. I think I'll make sure I'm only around the mice once per week for feeding/cleaning purposes and hopefully that will work better in combination with a darker enclosure.

Thanks for the help everyone! Keep the suggestions coming. I'm determined at least one snake in this house is going to eat a mouse bred here some day! LOL

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Do you buy that particular lab block anywhere special or order it online? Is it smaller for mice or just the big regular lab block like I buy for my rats? When I make my dry mouse food mix I was breaking up the big lab blocks as they seemed so huge for the little mice.

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I have purchased all my rodent block from local seed/feed stores. Anywhere that carries Purina cat/dog food can order the Mazuri brand for you. The 6F diet is great for the rats, but you might want to try one of the ones with 20% + for the mice. Mazuri does have higher protein foods in smaller bags, but they only sell the 16% in the 50lb bags. Thats why I switched to the Kent rodent feed for my mice. The Kent is in larger pieces, they are even bigger than the Mazuri. I have food holders built into the lids and highly recommend it for the mice. It keeps the food out of the bedding and makes them do a little work for their meals, keeps them stimulated. I use the 1/4" hardware cloth and they have no problem chewing the food through the wire. The adult mice can stand and eat it, the weanlings jump up on the wire and climb around to get to it. ;)

Where can you find the Kent feeds? I have a good number of feed stores around here that I can go to.

I have fancy breeder mice and I always get litters of at least 10 every month. I did have one female who would eat her babies and anyone elses but I started to add a very high protien dog kibble to the diet and she stopped.

I also handle my mice almost daily and am constanly messing with the babies. When you get more breeders get all of them at once, a colony doesn't like to have more added later on. If they eat their babies the first time around don't worry too much, give them another chance and they should get it right.

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Where can you find the Kent feeds? I have a good number of feed stores around here that I can go to.

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You might be able to get it at any feed store, they make alot of different farm animal foods. It is manufactured in Muscatine, Iowa. The best I can say is to just call and ask them, I will take a picture of the bag and label and post it on here later. ;)

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Now I just have to design an escape proof mesh lid and I'll be set to go.

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Here is one I made from scraps for someone else, it would probably work alot better with 1" x 2" rather than the 2" x 2" I used. But you get the general idea, it has the feed holder built in to the lid. Then all you have to do is cut a small hole for the water bottle nozzle to fit through and rest it against the food. ;)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g3...s/100_1283.jpg

Thank you Bill (my rodent hero! LOL), for that picture. I'll get this move over with then once we are settled in the new place I'll focus on restarting with the mice in a better designed setup. :)

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Thank you Bill (my rodent hero! LOL), for that picture. I'll get this move over with then once we are settled in the new place I'll focus on restarting with the mice in a better designed setup. :)

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No problem. ;)