Need help with mice and ASFS.

Alright, so here is the deal. I have a few colonies of asfs and probably 25+ colonies of mice... I just need help as you can see I have ALOT of mice, so changing water dishes every day is getting a little annoying. I have the watering system and all. but because I have been using the water dishes they don't use the sippers at all, what would you guys suggest doing to get them to use the nipples? I am getting to a point where cleaning dishes every day is taking up way to much time. any feed back on how I can get them to start using the water sippers would be awesome!

What have you tried so far? And most importantly, are you sure the nipples are working properly? If you haven't already, I say just take away the dishes. They're pretty smart critters :) Now, if you've done that already and have noticed significant die offs, here's what I'd do. Hold a mouse/rat up to the nipple, tap it with your finger and get the water flowing. Once one or two know how to use it, the others catch on pretty fast. It may be time consuming, but try with at least one or two in each colony. Good luck!

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Originally Posted by MootWorm

What have you tried so far? And most importantly, are you sure the nipples are working properly? If you haven't already, I say just take away the dishes. They're pretty smart critters :) Now, if you've done that already and have noticed significant die offs, here's what I'd do. Hold a mouse/rat up to the nipple, tap it with your finger and get the water flowing. Once one or two know how to use it, the others catch on pretty fast. It may be time consuming, but try with at least one or two in each colony. Good luck!

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so far, I have tried nothing haha, I've had the watering system for awhile and just got everything hooked up, ill grab a few mice and put their faces up to the flowing water :). I was also thinking of maybe scenting it? with something sweet they may like so they go an bite it or what ever then water would come out. thanks for the suggestion though.

Just pull the water bowls. I don't know about the mice, but the ASFs should take right to them. I went from lab cages with bottles to a rack system with watering system and never lost a single one in 40+ breeding treos. I think mice would do the same. Just make sure that they are working properly - use your finer to wiggle the sensor and see if water drips. If it does, just pull the bowls.

Pull the bowls buddy those little rodents are smarter than you give them credit for, especially when it comes to finding water ;-) Also I just want to throw this out there. I hope you have sop's where you do not mix rat contaminated items or even touch your rats then go touch your mice... the rats are carrying some bad mycoplasma's that will wipe out a mouse colony in the blink of an eye.

BTW, when I had an escapee, it was smart enough to chew through the rubber tubing to get water, IN SIX PLACES! :O:omg::angered::frustrate

I agree with most of the above advice. Pull the bowls, they will find the water nipple.

You can try rubbin a lil drop of honey on the nipples. But i agree about taking the bowls away. I never use water bowls with my rodents.

sent from my incubator

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Originally Posted by BulkMice

Pull the bowls buddy those little rodents are smarter than you give them credit for, especially when it comes to finding water ;-) Also I just want to throw this out there. I hope you have sop's where you do not mix rat contaminated items or even touch your rats then go touch your mice... the rats are carrying some bad mycoplasma's that will wipe out a mouse colony in the blink of an eye.

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there is contamination from asfs to mice? Where I live we can't have rats it's like a 5000$ fine per rat, the person I bought the asfs off (Bobbafett) had mice and asfs together with no problem. I've also had mine together for a week now and nothing is going bad. If you're meaning Norway rats then I understand but none of them here haha and thanks for the tips everyone!

That's the first I've heard of it. From my understanding, both species carry Mycoplasma. I've had them together for almost a year now with no ill effects. But I also quarantine any new animals.

Pull the bowls out. That's the problem. And no need to scent the Sippers. They can smell the water. They'll find it.
If you really want something, put a few drops of vanilla extract in the water reservoir. It will encourage them to drink as well as make their urine smell less potent.


Lots of people have asfs and mice in the same colony. They breed, raise their own babies, and do their own things.


Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by Skilla6000

there is contamination from asfs to mice? Where I live we can't have rats it's like a 5000$ fine per rat, the person I bought the asfs off (Bobbafett) had mice and asfs together with no problem. I've also had mine together for a week now and nothing is going bad. If you're meaning Norway rats then I understand but none of them here haha and thanks for the tips everyone!

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I dont have mice anymore but I didn't have issues with them being in the same vicinity.

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Originally Posted by Skilla6000

there is contamination from asfs to mice? Where I live we can't have rats it's like a 5000$ fine per rat, the person I bought the asfs off (Bobbafett) had mice and asfs together with no problem. I've also had mine together for a week now and nothing is going bad. If you're meaning Norway rats then I understand but none of them here haha and thanks for the tips everyone!

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Originally Posted by MootWorm

That's the first I've heard of it. From my understanding, both species carry Mycoplasma. I've had them together for almost a year now with no ill effects. But I also quarantine any new animals.

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Originally Posted by Bobbafett

I dont have mice anymore but I didn't have issues with them being in the same vicinity.

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Absolutely want to keep them separate, you are only flirting with a dangerous cross contamination scenario by keeping them in close vicinity with each other having contact from your rats to your mice. Rats including ASF species carry much more aggressive mycoplasmas and even viruses that dont effect a rat but will easily kill a mouse. Some of these myco's are generally slow killers in rats but aggressive killers in mice. Ive seen numerous colonies go down for having lazy or relaxed sterilization procedures. This is not just true of lab strain rats like SD, LE, F344, WST, Brown Norways etc. ASF's especially those that have been in non sterilized captivity for many generations are far more likely to spread some bad stuff to your mice compared to sterile kept lab strains... Ive had this talk with Harlan's many times and Im quite certain this is the cause of quite a few colleagues I know of personally that have lost mouse colonies and never were able to recover. Once this sets in on a mouse colony its over. You will probably never be able to keep a live mouse colony from getting contaminated again after this. I know of only one company out of Germany that has the sterilization procedures and equipment to rid a space of this stuff... If you're not a well established mouse breeding business then their beginning rate of 80k USD might be a bit much. Most breeders don't like giving away secrets of the industry so its not an absurd notion that home breeders have never heard of these issues.

I do smoke cigarettes and I have yet to get lung cancer...

Very interesting. Thanks for the advice! I've been planning on getting out of mice for awhile now, I guess this seals the deal.

So in other words I should take them out of the same rack? This is bugging me now... Loosing 25+ colonies would be a huge hit... I'm building a rack in a week, would they be ok in the same room?

By no mean am I telling anyone how to handle their business. Im merely sharing a tidbit of my experience in this industry which has seen our mice and rat colonies healthy and vibrant for over 20 years. We house our mice colonies in a totally separate building from out rats, we also go to great sterilization lengths to assure no cross contamination between the rat and mice colonies as well as contamination risks from outside pathogens.

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Originally Posted by BulkMice

By no mean am I telling anyone how to handle their business. Im merely sharing a tidbit of my experience in this industry which has seen our mice and rat colonies healthy and vibrant for over 20 years. We house our mice colonies in a totally separate building from out rats, we also go to great sterilization lengths to assure no cross contamination between the rat and mice colonies as well as contamination risks from outside pathogens.

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i know :) I'm just asking you as you seem to know quite a bit. I do run this out of my house and we do plan to move them down stairs which means uncoils keep the asfs upstairs and the mice down stairs... Thanks for the advice I'm going to keep everything as clean as possible for the next little while.