oooo...maybe

Latley me and my mom have been talking about letting me breed my own mice (pinkies for ruby) i told her it would "be very cost effictive" (which really it isnt, i get mice for 25 cents each) but i just want to do it becuase i think ittl be fun and a neat expierance.Plus maybe ill get over my "fear" of mice :)

I was thinking.......you know how i wanted to get a rat awhile back ??

Well if my moms going to let me BREED mice then why wont she let me just get one rat....sheesh...she is so wierd !

SO anyways...........What are all the supplies i need to get this going ??

I already have:bedding,bowls,tanks,rubbermaid rack (small)

I guess all i need is food right ?? what kind of food do you recomend feeding them??

Please let me know if theres anything else im missing and if you have any tips ......

Mice are so easy to breed. If you go to a pet shop that keeps its male and female mice together, you can sometimes just pick out a preggo female and get a jump start. She'll be markedly fatter than the rest, looking like she swallowed a pingpong ball.
If not, then just buy a male and female mouse. A ten gallon tank with a secure lid is fine for two mice, but if you do it my way, you'll want to seperate the male as soon as you know the female is pregnant. The M can mate with the F. as soon as she gives birth, and that's very stressful on her body. I usually feed my males off after they serve their purpose. :)
I use Sunscription rat cubes, and toss in generous handfuls of cheap birdseed with the sunflower seeds in. Water needs to be available all the time; a water bottle works great for this. A half log hidespot for the female is good for when she is about to deliver, so she can have a secure nest for her young. Please make sure the lid is secure! Mice can squeeze through a half inch space. I use screen lids weighted down with jugs of water (the half gallon size, taller and thinner than a gallon jug, two per tank.)
I use hardwood shavings as a substrate. Pine is often downplayed because it supposedly has phenols that could harm the mice, but I never had trouble using it and it is dirt cheap. I would never use it for my snakes though.
Good luck!
To differentiate between male and female mice, is simple if they're adults. If your pet store is reluctant to sell you a pair because they figure you're breeding your own (and therefore potentially not buying mroe from them) then tell them this: one of my snakes only eats female mice, the other males. :)

Hey Brandon, the most cost effective food to feed them is a high quality lab block(Mazuri, Purina). I buy a 35lb bag at the feed store for $11, and if you are only breeding mice to feed to your corn snake, I would definately only get 1 male and 1 female. It wouldn't be cost-effective at all if you got any more than that.

I keep my 2 pairs in 10 gallons, on aspen. If they are on pine, they seem to sneeze alot more and just look kind of ragged. Sometimes some hair may fall of of their face if left on it too long. I just changed them out (from pine to aspen, my school keeps them on pine) and the male mouse that was sneezing, has stopped. So hopefully he'll feel better after a little while. I give mine all sorts of stuff to hide/play in, toilet paper tubes, paper towel rolls, kleenex, etc.

My 2 females seem to be getting a little fatter, I don't know if it's the food or from being pregnant, but they are a lil chubby :)

Also, about wanting one rat... If you were able to get one, you would have to spend the majority of your day with it, if the rat is alone. Rat breeders won't selll you a lone rat unless you already have a buddy for it at home. Lone rats can get depressed, and sometimes mean. Just informing you in case your mom every lets you get them. Here's a good website to read about them:
www.rattiusmaximus.com Chrissy is a very nice person and if you have questions about rats, just send her an email. I have 1 of her babies, Willard, a black rex dumbo boy, and he is one of the sweetest, kissiest boys we have.

Good luck with the mice though, they are funny to watch. :)

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To differentiate between male and female mice, is simple if they're adults. If your pet store is reluctant to sell you a pair because they figure you're breeding your own (and therefore potentially not buying mroe from them) then tell them this: one of my snakes only eats female mice, the other males.

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Ill be getting them from the breeder i usually get my feeders from.So i wont have to put up with any stupid pet store people :) (the guy over here is a Nut case but i doubt he wouldent sell me a male and a feamle, i think he couldent care less)

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and if you are only breeding mice to feed to your corn snake, I would definately only get 1 male and 1 female. It wouldn't be cost-effective at all if you got any more than that.

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Yeah thats what i was planning (only getting one male one female) mainly becuase i think ittl be less stinky and alot cheaper to only have to buy food for two little mice. A big bag of feed will go a long way with only two mouths to feed.And of course with only one little snake thats still eating pinkies i really dont have any need to buy more than two mice :)

Can you whack pinkies ?.I think one little bitty whack will knock those guys out for good....Or should i build a gas chamber ?

I had 2 mice, but somehow the dissappeared on feeding day..hmm....wonder how that happened...


Great advice guys!

I'm actually doing the same thing... breeding just one male and one female.... the only problem is the smell! I have to clean the cage every other day.

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

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.

Thanks, thats definatly good news, i have one of my digital thermometers in the garage(i put it in there so i could measure the temps at night to see if it would be ok to keep the mice in there) and it reads 59 .

Do you think putting a heating pad up against the wall of the tank would be a good idea ?
Just to make it a little more cozy ?

My friend has kept a lot of mice as pets in the past, and I would have to say the heat pad would be unesacary if they are staying indoors. 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 :shock:

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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.

And what about killing those babies ? whats the best way to do that ?

Gassing them. It is the easiest and most humane.

OK, i think i have a bbottle of CO2 left over from my dads paintball gun that i can use

So now all i need it a release valve and a hose right ?

How much do you think that will cost ?

Do you have a link or do you know somewhere i can get that ?

Yes you need a release valve and hose and a canister type place to put the rodent in that seals well.

Not sure how much it will cost ya, and not sure where to get it- sorry cant help ya on that.

I have used the dry ice method and the vinegar and baking soda .. vinegar and baking soda may leave it not smelling right- so the snake may not eat it then, but the dry ice works well.

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Yes you need a release valve and hose and a canister type place to put the rodent in that seals well.

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Would a small cooler work ??

Yep sure would, just drill/cut a hole for the hose and seal with some silicone. You could probably get one of those cheaper coolers, made of styrofoam I think, most convience stores carry them.

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Ok well there is a nice little spot for them in the laundry room, it doesnt get very cold in there,

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I keep my mice/rats in the laundry room too! Luckily it is a big room; almost a waste of space, bigger than our bedroom. : /

It is a rather cool room compared to the rest of the house, and hovers around 70 degrees. I keep the rat/mice cages by the heating vent though and their cages hover around 75 degrees.

Mine isnt so big......but it will have to do :)