Starting up breeding

I really don't have problems with mice chewing on the tubs. You may want to get a longer, wider tub as opposed to one that is taller. Gives more floor space and ventilation.

Definitely get 1/4" hardware cloth to make lids out of. Hoppers can get out of 1/2"(from experience) and you definitely don't want those little turds running around your house.

10-gallons work fine, they are just heavy and take up alot of room. You can easily do up to about 1.5-1.6 in a 10-gallon. They do ok being a bit crowded.

You don't have to worry about mice chewing out of tubs too much. The plastic is pretty hard, and their teeth are pretty small. You'd know it was happening LONG before they made it out.

I'm using 35qt Sterilite tubs with the lid cut and screened. I used 1/4" hardware cloth from Home Depot, and attached it with zip ties. In one of my tubs right now (the 1.2 tub) I've got 3 adults, 11 hoppers (just started coming out) and 11 pinkies that were hatched on Monday. I'm pretty sure the mother of the hoppers is pregnant, too... I've got a 10g tank I'll be putting the hoppers in as soon as I'm 100% sure they're weaned, to grow out for another 2-3 weeks before they're fed off.

BTW, I call all my mice "happy meals" It makes me smile when I call them that in front of people. haha

While they can be crowded, I don't like to crowd any animal. Just my personal preference. I will look into tubs. Any specific size? 15qt? 32qt? I can also look into the hardware cloth on Saturday. I've seen tub setups for mice and rat breeding so I have a general idea of how to go about it. Cut a rectangle out of the top, hot glue or staple the hardware cloth to the inside of the lid. Also create a hole for the water bottle and place a patch of hardware cloth around that hole on the inside to prevent chewing on that, right? Then add bedding, hiding places, chew things, food and mice.

I've also heard that adding vanilla to the water helps reduce smell. These mice will be in my fiance's bedroom, so smell must be kept down as much as possible.

Edit: Sorry I saw that you had answered my question about tub size after I posted this. Whoops!

Oh one question I keep forgetting to ask. Do you remove the male when the female gives birth? Does he pose any risk to the offspring or will he not kill his own offspring?

With the harem breeding you just leave them in there full time until its time for a vacation? And with vacations, how long is a good rest for a female? How many litters do you let a female have before giving her a rest.

Sorry for all the questions but I'm just full of them today. I don't want to do anything wrong and risk the health of any animal, be it feeder, breeder, or pet.

Yes, leave the male in there, and no he won't harm the babies. They are pretty good fathers. Gerbil daddies take the cake though :)

You could probably do 3-4 consecutive litters and then give the females breaks. You could always have another group of 2-3 females that are "in waiting" so to speak, and they could be switched out with the original group. Then you'd still have babies being produced.

nope, I leave my males in full time. Doesn't seem to be a problem, and he even seems to help with taking care of them. Usually when one of the adults is trying to steal the babies back from me he's the one doing it.

For smell... Don't use aspen. It's ok, but you'll have much better success with reducing smell by using Woody Pet, or a similar pelletized wood product. I've heard that wood stove pellets work just as well, but I've never tried them. You can get a 40lb bag of woody pet from your local feed store for less than $5. With 3 tubs, that lasts me about 4-5 weeks with weekly cleanings, and I NEVER have a mousey smell in my very small apartment.

As far as setup, don't staple. Hot glue is ok I suppose, but I really like the zip-tie method. Melt 2 holes in the lid every 4th square of the hardware cloth, one on each side of one of the wires, and zip tie it on. Also melt a hole in the side of the tub, as you mentioned, for the water bottle. I also melt a pair of small holes in the lid of the tub above where the water bottle hole is to attach the wire loop that holds the bottle in place. You shouldn't need the hardware cloth to cover the water bottle hole unless chewing and/or attempted escapes becomes an issue. Just be mindful of how large you melt the hole, and use a razor to cut away the melted plastic. Leaves a nice clean hole, and the tube should barely fit. I use the cheapest bottles I can find, $2 at wal mart for an 8oz bottle. I put approx. 1ml of vanilla in each bottle before filling it, and it does seem to help the smell..

I don't know of any feed stores around here. We have Southern States but I'm not sure what kind of store they are. I know they sell plants. :P

Southern States would probably have the pelletized wood there (the one near me carries woody pet as well as a more off brand type pelletized wood). I use it for my mice and for the rats that I have and it works very well!! No smell in my house, and mice can be very very smelly!! Does your Southern States have the horse section? I would look in there.

I will check tomorrow, as I pass by it everyday. Thanks for all the answers.

For a small breeding colony such as this, how much Mazuri would they consume? I want to get some online and I need to know how much to order.

I'm using Harlan, but it's basically the same thing. a 40lb bag, so far, has lasted me about 4 weeks, and I'm probably only 25% of the way through it.