Show me pics of your Mouse colonies

Now I just have to find room for a rat rack and I'm done! :P

I had my first rat litter tonight! Yay!!:banana:

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Originally Posted by truthsdeceit

So it's the next night but...
Remember my tubs with those annoying lids, which I acctually didn't mind that much
But now....
TADA!! :D
(notice how the bottom metal shelf is now home to tubs of computer/audio parts :rolleyes: my boyfriend say's at least his hobby doesn't eat or s**t)

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...t/DSCF3692.jpg

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Sweet rodent rack! Well maybe it doesn't smell too sweet. lol! ;)

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Originally Posted by snakelady

Sweet rodent rack! Well maybe it doesn't smell too sweet. lol! ;)

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Actually, I use dryden (it's like equine fresh, a wood pellet product) and my apartment smells fine. I clean tubs once a week, twice weekly for my nursing mothers.

I was originally really wary of starting a mouse colony in my very small apartment cause I'd had pet mice before and remembered they stunk, but simpler easier to clean cages + better bedding (which is cheaper!) and an older more responsible me who actually remembers to clean regulary and they don't smell.

Now if I could just get them to stop squeaking.... I could use some peace and quiet. Oh well. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by snakelady

Ok! Here's my mouse colony updated. The tubs are awesome!!! So easy to clean. Thanks again for the tutorials folks!

http://tarazod.com/other_hosted_pics...ony_update.jpg

Got another litter yesterday. Same day as the first litter was weened. Pretty sweet timing. This batch looks bigger but haven't got a definite count yet.
:mouse2::mouse2:

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You know.. now that you're doing tubs we have to convert you to food hoppers too.

Yeah, food hoppers. I've got the wire already I just need some time to get to it. :)
I was just kidding about the smell. It's so easy to clean those tubs mine don't smell hardly at all. I still notice some smell just before they need to be cleaned or and when the weenling males start getting more "mousy"

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Originally Posted by snakelady

Yeah, food hoppers. I've got the wire already I just need some time to get to it. :)
I was just kidding about the smell. It's so easy to clean those tubs mine don't smell hardly at all. I still notice some smell just before they need to be cleaned or and when the weenling males start getting more "mousy"

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yeah, I always feed/freeze the males off first.

I use to breed mice for fun as I loved mice as they are very cute but I also sold them as snake food, I sold all my male babies and the dad as they stunk and also I was getting out of breeding and now I want to get back into breeding but how can you keep the male smell down? I had a male mouse that smelled like a skunk!! I may eventually breed rats too but now I just have one ball python that only eats live adult mice. I may get a corn snake in the future too. Melissa

well I feed off the males first. My adult males don't smell too bad. I do put vanilla in the water. It seems to help some. Also clean every week or more often if needed. That will do wonders.

Lots of great pics! I just have a small colony going right now. They are out in my garage and it is cold out right now. So I have them in an old cage that I used when I had an RTB. Inside the cage at the back I have a floor type space heater that is plugged into a T-Stat. And to give me more room for grow out cages I built a plastic tent on top. The heat from the lower cage rises out the back where there are vents and heats the top area.

http://i43.tinypic.com/mljaco.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/b85jrq.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/51q55g.jpg

is that the new vision mice cage? lol just kidding
good idea to keep them warm

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Originally Posted by nova2door

is that the new vision mice cage? lol just kidding
good idea to keep them warm

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Yea, I couldn't find a water bottle big enough to hang off the side so I had to put the smaller cages inside. :rofl:

YouTube - Mouse Barn

I just finished insulating my shed when I found out I need to produce more rodents. I will be insulating a 16x16 barn and setting up everything in there. Once I get done I will post pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I house 1.2 in a big tub I rigged up for them. I built a mouse breeding rack with small litterpans that really nice to look at but I quickly tired of mice jumping out by the handful whenever I opened the tubs. This is what I had on hand, so I don't know the size, but it's plenty high enough that they can't jump out. They have a wheel and a hide, and water bottle and food is accessed from the outside. I love the hanging hoppers and use them in my glass tank toppers, but for this project a single piece of wire trimmed a bit to fit and 4 paper clips hung it on there perfectly.

'Tis cleaning day of course.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1.../mousetub1.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1.../mousetub2.jpg


Latest litters from 2 mommas who pile them and both care equally for them.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ouselitter.jpg

Awesome pics guys!

Are those mice above brindle? Or the mousey quivalent? :O

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Originally Posted by truthsdeceit

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...t/DSCF3693.jpg

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Ok, I want a step by step on how you made that hopper!! It's perfect, and just what I need in my tubs!

Shadera: I'm so thrilled that someone finally pointed out the A#1 problem with keeping mice in short tubs in racks: Mice JUMP! :) This is why my mice are all in 10" tall tubs with lids.

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Originally Posted by Argentra

Ok, I want a step by step on how you made that hopper!! It's perfect, and just what I need in my tubs!

Shadera: I'm so thrilled that someone finally pointed out the A#1 problem with keeping mice in short tubs in racks: Mice JUMP! :) This is why my mice are all in 10" tall tubs with lids.

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I agree with the short tub issue, my rack has 6-7" tall tubs in it. It's wonderful but too tall to put the food on top, hence the hoppers. So....


Actually these hoppers really suck for racks they're always getting caught on the mesh, or on the wood coming in and out.
They we're meant for tubs that still have lids on them and they work great for that cause the lid will close up the top.

I've made better ones now that you can view here:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...46#post1018546
I highly suggest these instead if you have a rack.
but I'm gonna go ahead and tell you how to make the ones you asked about cause they're so simple.

Basically, buy some cheap dishes and roll up some mesh to find out how many squares around they are. (mine were 12 around and add one for overlap so say 13)

Then stick a roll of mesh in you tub to find out how tall it is. (mines 11 squares tall)

Cut a piece of mesh to fit (i.e. 13x11). leave overhangs to use as fasteners.

Roll and hot glue to the inside of the bowl. Trim the top to make it fit in the tub cause the bowl will make it a little too tall. Tada! your done.

Here's some pics.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...t/DSCF3975.jpg

hot glue, BE LIBERAL!! USE ALOT!! and make sure it's cool and hard before you add food.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...t/DSCF3978.jpg

how I overlap and bend the overhangs to fasten the roll.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...t/DSCF3985.jpg

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Originally Posted by Turbo Serpent

Awesome pics guys!

Are those mice above brindle? Or the mousey quivalent? :O

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Yes, a couple of my mommas are brindles, so I always get some of those in my litters.

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Originally Posted by Shadera

Yes, a couple of my mommas are brindles, so I always get some of those in my litters.

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They're very pretty!
I wish I had some strong "fancy" genes in my group. I get solid black, with some albinos mixed in. I'm working on it though, I got some females that are spotted/striped so I'm hoping to dilute the blood line enough to get some pretty babies... I know I'm probably also diluting the 'large litter' gene but I don't care. I like to see what pops up in a litter, keeps me from being bored.

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Originally Posted by truthsdeceit

They're very pretty!
I wish I had some strong "fancy" genes in my group. I get solid black, with some albinos mixed in. I'm working on it though, I got some females that are spotted/striped so I'm hoping to dilute the blood line enough to get some pretty babies... I know I'm probably also diluting the 'large litter' gene but I don't care. I like to see what pops up in a litter, keeps me from being bored.

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ive got some frizzie coat mice that i got from breeding just plain regular white mice

truthsdeceit - Thanks a lot for that how-to! I do have stand alone tubs with lids, which is why I asked. :D I just have to get some 1/2" wire (only have 1/4" in the place) and then I'll try it out.

As for fancy markings, I wish I could find some brindles. I have 2 groups of 1.2 - one has a satin silver male and two satin gold females, the other has a pinto male (i.e. black and white patches) with a cream gold female and an albino female. I get some interesting patterns and colors, but I like mixed patterns like brindle the best. :)

I really like those light buff colored mice. I've got a male with that color and I just got another to pop out with that coloring. Too bad it's another male. I'd like to breed that color more into my colony.

Kind of funny cause the cuter they are the more I want to keep them as pets. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by snakelady

Kind of funny cause the cuter they are the more I want to keep them as pets. :rolleyes:

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That was the only way my fiance would let me get a feeder colony was if the breeders could be pets, so we got some good looking adults and are trying to make, as she puts it, "pretty babies." If she likes any of the babies they are not to be fed, but to be raised up and put to use in the colony. :mouse2:

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Originally Posted by Turbo Serpent

That was the only way my fiance would let me get a feeder colony was if the breeders could be pets, so we got some good looking adults and are trying to make, as she puts it, "pretty babies." If she likes any of the babies they are not to be fed, but to be raised up and put to use in the colony. :mouse2:

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Ohhhh, that's dangerous. I like at least one baby from every litter. lol! ;)

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Originally Posted by nixer

ive got some frizzie coat mice that i got from breeding just plain regular white mice

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Well in my case the black-self is apparently a very dominant gene. My male breeder is a black self and all my females are throwing black-self litters, my albino female occasionally has an albino or two in their litters but otherwise I end up with black-selfs. I bought these 'fancy' females with the intention of holding back a male for a breeder, and hopefully breeding him back to his mothers will produce some 'fancy' mice.

(Note that I use 'fancy' to describe any color you can't find at petco. i.e. not brown, black, or albino. I know technically any mouse in the pet trade is a fancy mouse because that's what they call the domesticated species.)

Sorry for the off topic-ness guys.

Here I'll post a enclosure pic just for fun. Sorry it's not a very good one but it's what I've got handy. Cheers :D
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...t/DSCF4008.jpg

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Originally Posted by Argentra

truthsdeceit - Thanks a lot for that how-to! I do have stand alone tubs with lids, which is why I asked. :D I just have to get some 1/2" wire (only have 1/4" in the place) and then I'll try it out.

As for fancy markings, I wish I could find some brindles. I have 2 groups of 1.2 - one has a satin silver male and two satin gold females, the other has a pinto male (i.e. black and white patches) with a cream gold female and an albino female. I get some interesting patterns and colors, but I like mixed patterns like brindle the best. :)

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Oh well then definitely go with the dish ones! And you can make them with 1/4inch cloth for mice. In fact many people suggest 1/4 for mice cause they shred less food that way. It will just be twice as many squares around and tall, remember to measure for your tubs, don't just use my numbers. I just had lots of 1/2inch laying around. lol. oposite of you.

Just make sure that you make the rolls of mesh taller than your tub so that they will fit tight under the lids. You can always trim them down if they're way too tall. But you want the lid to pinch them down, that way the mice can't tip them over or climb in the top to steal food.

I to am of the mind that I might as well have fun with the mouse genetics if I have to clean those stinky tubs. :P Whenever I'm out somewhere I'm always on the lookout for new and unusual mice to add to the colonies. Most recent was a male that's patched gray and white with red eyes. Neato! I have some fuzzies that look to be his color gray but solid out of a black female, I can't wait to see if they have those bright ruby eyes dad has.

If anyone's within driving distance and wants some brindles or whatever for their own colonies I'd be happy to share. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Shadera

I to am of the mind that I might as well have fun with the mouse genetics if I have to clean those stinky tubs. :P

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Ditto!! :D

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Originally Posted by snakelady

sweet!



You are good! I left the lid open cause I was going to count new pinks after picture time. :D



Ask and you shall receive. lol!
http://tarazod.com/other_hosted_pics/mousetub_top.jpg
Making the food hoppers will come next. I've got the wire just need time to make them.
http://tarazod.com/other_hosted_pics/mousetub_top2.jpg

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do i have to cut the lid and put screen on it? or can i just poke a bunch of holes in it?

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Originally Posted by bamf64

do i have to cut the lid and put screen on it? or can i just poke a bunch of holes in it?

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You can either do mesh high on the sides or in the lid but just poking a bunch of holes won't cut it. Ventilation is really important when you're forcing animals to live in a confined space with their "bathroom".
The lid tends to be the easiest place to put ventilation because the plastic is usually softer and it's just one big hole. I prefer sides because I occasionally stack my tubs. If you do the side holes make sure they're high enough the bedding won't get thrown out and use wire to tie the mesh on not plastic ties, the plastic gets chew through and then you have escapees.

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Originally Posted by truthsdeceit

You can either do mesh high on the sides or in the lid but just poking a bunch of holes won't cut it. Ventilation is really important when you're forcing animals to live in a confined space with their "bathroom".
The lid tends to be the easiest place to put ventilation because the plastic is usually softer and it's just one big hole. I prefer sides because I occasionally stack my tubs. If you do the side holes make sure they're high enough the bedding won't get thrown out and use wire to tie the mesh on not plastic ties, the plastic gets chew through and then you have escapees.

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okay so ill cut out a big sqare in the lid and hot glue some mesh on it. thanks

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Originally Posted by bamf64

okay so ill cut out a big sqare in the lid and hot glue some mesh on it. thanks

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just make sure to put the mesh on the INSIDE of the lid with some overlap so that the wire keeps them from chewing on the lid edges or the glue.

can someone tell me how to put one of those giant square holes in the top of the tubs for the chicken wire? im making one and i dont know how to do it neatly?!

Use a little saw and saw it out or melt it with a soldering gun. I've used both methods. You can mark your cut lines on it first with a sharpie marker.