Show me pics of your Mouse colonies

I am starting to breed Mice and have 1 male in with 2 females in a 10 gallon tank. I was wondering what everyones setups look like for when they start producing little guys and how you do it all. I thought about getting little shoe containers to put the prego girls in but there not high enough to put a water bottle in. So I just want to see what everyone is doing to give me some ideas. Thanks :bow:

My pieces for the auto watering system will be in this week so the water bottles will be gone :D These are just the mice.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...k/PA090194.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...k/PA090192.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...k/PA090191.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...k/PA090190.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/MiceRack.jpg

I house 2 females per tubs and have 2 males rotating between 3 tubs each (they spend 2 weeks at the time in each tub)

Setup is under $40 not including water bottles.

Thats a really sweet idea. Do you guys keep your snakes and mice in seperate rooms? Also what do you do to keep the smell down?

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Originally Posted by legionxxii

Thats a really sweet idea. Do you guys keep your snakes and mice in seperate rooms? Also what do you do to keep the smell down?

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I have done both, for a year they were in the same room, without any problem.

To keep the smell down you need

To clean weekly
Not overcrowd your tubs
Feed the males first
Have a good absorbent bedding (I use Equine fresh it is VERY absorbent and I would never switch back to wood shaving)

How much do you pay for equine? Isnt it a little dusty?

My setup is a little different. :) But then, so am I...;):P

Here is 'Rodent Central' as of last monthish. Looks a bit different now:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...entCentral.jpg

Here's a shot of a tub alone:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...ks/Tubedge.jpg

One of the 'doomed' (as Ari likes to call them) - the weanlings waiting to be fed off:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...cesaPlenty.jpg

And my favorite shot of the very first breeders I had and their first litter. That golden female was my favorite mouse, and the brown and white is the dad:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...esBOlitter.jpg

My shelf. The big tubs are rat tubs, don't make the same mistake I did. Do NOT put mesh on the front of tubs. All they do all day is throw bedding out. WHAT A MESS!! Only put mesh on tops of tubs, trust me.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...t/DSCF3517.jpg

Mouse tub(s) close up.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...t/DSCF3521.jpg
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...t/DSCF3519.jpg

Inside of a tub. I house two females per tub plus there litters. I rotate my male. See the link at the bottom if you want a really in depth version of my method.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/DSCF3515.jpg

Homemade hopper, mesh rolled into a cylinder then hot glued into a cheap food dish. The top is open but when the tub lids are on it touches so the mice can't get into the hopper.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...t/DSCF3516.jpg


My method in depth here:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=77619

Pics of my one of my latest litters growing up here:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=79467

Looking good truth! How much would you say one of those small homemade cages cost you to make? I'm a bit cramped in space at the moment and have to have the balls and my mice colonies in the same room but your way is pretty space efficient by the looks of it.

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Originally Posted by Clear

How much do you pay for equine? Isnt it a little dusty?

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Well it does break down into saw dust so yes it will be dusty (more for rats than for mice though) however it is the best bedding I have ever used.

I pay $6.25 for 40 lbs and it goes a long way.

I have two breeder colonies and one grower tank. One male and two females in each tub. The grow-up one is a 15 gal long tank. There are running wheels, hides and items to chew in each tub. I've got them in my insulated garage, that keeps the smell out of the house.

I don't have shot's of my set up with me but here is what you have to look forward to! I just got my first litter two days ago.

http://tarazod.com/other_hosted_pics/pinks.jpg
~
http://tarazod.com/other_hosted_pics/pinks2.jpg

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Originally Posted by Doxster

Looking good truth! How much would you say one of those small homemade cages cost you to make? I'm a bit cramped in space at the moment and have to have the balls and my mice colonies in the same room but your way is pretty space efficient by the looks of it.

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The small mouse tubs (16qt 18"Dx11"Wx7"T) cost 7 dollars a piece (6.89 at bed bath and beyond) plus a 3dollar waterbottle and a 99cent food dish to build the hopper. So about 11 dollars per tub.

The rat tubs were 60qt for 12 dollars a piece. If you'll be makeing a lot of these you can order iris tubs online from target in multiple for cheaper, just watch the shipping prices.

I also bought a 5'x2' roll of hardware cloth but that goes a long way to make hoppers and put mesh on all my tubs. I used 1/2inch because I only used it for hoppers but you should use 1/4inch for mice. I'm actually gonna get some to make the mouse tubs mesh lids and perhaps redo a few hoppers to see if they shred less food with smaller mesh.

The thing is finding a shelf the right size. The shelf you can see in my pics has four poles for legs and the shelfs slide up and down it so you can put them where ever you want. It's the shelving unit that costs. I had this one already so it worked out. You can also just stack tubs, but it gets anoying after a while.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...t/DSCF3525.jpg

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Well it does break down into saw dust so yes it will be dusty (more for rats than for mice though) however it is the best bedding I have ever used.

I pay $6.25 for 40 lbs and it goes a long way.

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Where do you get your bedding?

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Originally Posted by truthsdeceit

Where do you get your bedding?

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At my local Tractor Supply :gj:

My diy tubs that I made to start with costed about $15 each to make.

Well as for doing the identical ones myself that's more or less impossible, I live in Sweden. ;)

However! A friend of mine just got in touch with a guy at a metalshop, he said he could make him an almost identical copy of the ARS 7030 snake rack, that made me think he might be able to do the ARS rat rack as well. That's not really doable for me right now as i live in a condo at the moment but when me and the gf move to a house it's on baby! :D

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Originally Posted by Doxster

Well as for doing the identical ones myself that's more or less impossible, I live in Sweden. ;)

However! A friend of mine just got in touch with a guy at a metalshop, he said he could make him an almost identical copy of the ARS 7030 snake rack, that made me think he might be able to do the ARS rat rack as well. That's not really doable for me right now as i live in a condo at the moment but when me and the gf move to a house it's on baby! :D

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ive already been working on these for some time. for rats mice and snakes.
once i get a prototype worked up it will be posted here for opinions!

they all look good. our set ups cost about 6 bucks each and work great i will post pics soon when the rat/mouse room is finished. we use 16qt steralite tube ($2.50) with med size critter canteen water bottles (2.50) and a wire feed hopper made out of 1/4-1/2 wire.

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Originally Posted by dmaricle

they all look good. our set ups cost about 6 bucks each and work great i will post pics soon when the rat/mouse room is finished. we use 16qt steralite tube ($2.50) with med size critter canteen water bottles (2.50) and a wire feed hopper made out of 1/4-1/2 wire.

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where do you get your tubs so cheap?

I got a question do you have to use a water bottle for mice or would those little 99 cent food dishes work to? I was thinking about buying those plastic shoe boxes at Wal-Mart that a $1 to put the pregnant girl in to seperate them but there not high enough for a water bottle.

With a water dish you would have to constantly clean up the mess and add more water.

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Originally Posted by legionxxii

I got a question do you have to use a water bottle for mice or would those little 99 cent food dishes work to? I was thinking about buying those plastic shoe boxes at Wal-Mart that a $1 to put the pregnant girl in to seperate them but there not high enough for a water bottle.

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Don't use a water dish. She'll bury it in bedding almost instantly and they she'll have wet bedding and nothing to drink. Very unhealthy.

Attach your water bottle to the outside of the tub, like I did. Melt 3 holes, one large enough for the bottle nozzle and two very small holes near the top on either side. You can use wire or do like I did and put paper clips through the holes attached to a rubber band on the outside which goes round the bottle. THe mice can't chew the paper clips and can't get to the rubberband this way.

Trust me they will try to chew anything you try to attach the bottle with so make sure it's chew proof. also always have the bottle in the hole, the nozzle hole is big enough for them to chew unless it's blocked.

oh and the bright blue hairtye you see round the nozzle is to keep the bottle more upright. The lip of the tub was pushing the top out and making the bottles unreliable.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...t/DSCF3520.jpg

Thats a good idea I will have to do that.

i get the tubs at dollar general for 2.50 and the ones at walmart are like 4 dollars and i like the dollar general ones better cause they have a lip on them that i can easily attach the water bottles to. and i have tried bowls for water before but the push poo and shavings into their water and it seems to be way to much trouble to keep them clean. i will post pics of our set up soon and it works so great.

ok this is our rat/mouse room.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...cture001-1.jpg
the tubs that i spoke of.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...cture002-1.jpg
this is the lip that are on the ones from dollar general.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...cture003-1.jpg

this is the feed hopper i add to each one.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...Picture005.jpg
a top view of the lids.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...Picture004.jpg

now a few shots of the tubs in action!!!!!
our baby girls
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...cture006-1.jpg
weaned rats
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...cture007-1.jpg
mom with babies!
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...cture008-1.jpg
mom with babies 2!
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...Picture009.jpg

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Originally Posted by nixer

ive already been working on these for some time. for rats mice and snakes.
once i get a prototype worked up it will be posted here for opinions!

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Awesome. I take it it's pretty hard? Especially if you do it with a metal frame. My welding skills aren't really up to date (about 3 years since my last weld), so I'd probably feel safer just buying it to be honest.

Be sure to post pictures of it when you are done!

Everyone's got awsome looking mouse colonies. :gj:

Anyone else want to share some pics?

Here is a tip to help make things easier for "your" setups.

Instead of using the lid to these tubs and drilling all the holes, get some 1x2s and cut them to length to make a frame to fit the top of the tub.

Get some hardward cloth and a heavy duty stapler and staple the cloth to the frame. Now place the frame on top of your tub.

To eliminate wasted food, get an 6-8" PVC coupler, set it on top of the cloth and fill it with food.

You can also set your water bottle on top through the mesh. If you are concerned about them chewing the cap, place the sipper through a metal washer.

I would hate drilling all those hole you guys put in your tubs. Not only is it time consuming, it also give animals the potential to chew out the holes.

Have fun.
Brandon

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Originally Posted by Brandon Osborne

Here is a tip to help make things easier for "your" setups.

Instead of using the lid to these tubs and drilling all the holes, get some 1x2s and cut them to length to make a frame to fit the top of the tub.

Get some hardward cloth and a heavy duty stapler and staple the cloth to the frame. Now place the frame on top of your tub.

To eliminate wasted food, get an 6-8" PVC coupler, set it on top of the cloth and fill it with food.

You can also set your water bottle on top through the mesh. If you are concerned about them chewing the cap, place the sipper through a metal washer.

I would hate drilling all those hole you guys put in your tubs. Not only is it time consuming, it also give animals the potential to chew out the holes.

Have fun.
Brandon

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I think making a mesh lid, which is all your doing, sounds like a lot more work and has no guarantees for those of us that aren't handy.
I'll stick with my lids that snap on and in my case have locks on them.

The only reason I can see to eliminate the lids is if you're building an actual rack. Otherwise why dispose of something made to fit the tubs?

I agree that 'drilling' holes sucks! I use a soldering iron, less than a second per hole and the holes are perfect 1/4inch size, too small for mice to get there teeth in. Trust me I've never had a chew outs and my mice have lived in 16qt tubs for about a year just fine with all my home made holes.

What do you guys think is cheaper to breed your own mice of buy them in bulk frozen?

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Originally Posted by legionxxii

What do you guys think is cheaper to breed your own mice of buy them in bulk frozen?

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Frozen is cheaper but only if you can get a good deal on shipping. Breeding takes up time.

Breeding I come out even at about 15 dollars a month. I was spending about the same amount when I was ordering frozen, shipping kills my last order cost me near 100 dollars and was gonna last me maybe 6 months. Except now I spend a lot of time on my breeding colony. I don't mind, I enjoy having my rodents around. I don't mind cleaning often and checking food and water constantly. I also sell some of my extras on craigslist which helps off set the costs, a little.

Also when my snakes are all eating adult mice I know I'll be saving money. Prices and shipping on fuzzies is way cheaper than ordering the same amount of adults.

It comes down to being willing to sacrifice the time and being able to buy supplies (bedding and food) in bulk. If you can then breeding is worth it.

edit: this is not counting start up costs, getting all the tubs, waterbottles, food hopper, wheels, and chew toys cost a lot, and I mean a lot, when you start ( i spent at least 100 on just setting up my mice). So be sure you want to do it. Start small just to supplement your frozen supply then when you know you'll enjoy doing it you can spend money to go bigger.

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Originally Posted by truthsdeceit

I think making a mesh lid, which is all your doing, sounds like a lot more work and has no guarantees for those of us that aren't handy.
I'll stick with my lids that snap on and in my case have locks on them.

The only reason I can see to eliminate the lids is if you're building an actual rack. Otherwise why dispose of something made to fit the tubs?

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Ok. It literally takes about 5 minutes. If you are not handy with power tools, have your local hardware store make the cuts for you. The lids can be made to fit snug. I have never had an escapee.

I've done the tub lid thing too and I have to say, it sucked...for me. I even have a better way to make your holes, but you probably wouldn't like that either. No harmful burnt plastic smell and even quicker to do.

As far as racks, some people don't want to breed that many. I personally prefer racks. Clean, feed, and water once a week.

Just thought I'd share.

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Originally Posted by Brandon Osborne

Ok. It literally takes about 5 minutes. If you are not handy with power tools, have your local hardware store make the cuts for you. The lids can be made to fit snug. I have never had an escapee.

I've done the tub lid thing too and I have to say, it sucked...for me. I even have a better way to make your holes, but you probably wouldn't like that either. No harmful burnt plastic smell and even quicker to do.

As far as racks, some people don't want to breed that many. I personally prefer racks. Clean, feed, and water once a week.

Just thought I'd share.

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Your way is probably just as easy and has the added plus of eliminating the need for complicated food hoppers. I just can't see throwing away good lids then spending money on building new ones. The soldering iron works. *shrugs*

I totally agree about racks!! they're a great idea and I'm gonna build be one when I have the time to do it and the space to do it in, I live in a tiny apartment. Then I will be disposing of my lids. :D yay.

Sorry I came off defensive earlier, it's been a long day. :oops:

What's your hole making technique?

im currious about a fast hole method lol

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Originally Posted by dmaricle

im currious about a fast hole method lol

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One word.....Unibit.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg

Fast, easy, no cracking, and no smell.

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Originally Posted by Brandon Osborne

One word.....Unibit.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg

Fast, easy, no cracking, and no smell.

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I think I'll stick with the soldering iron. I'm afraid I'd end up with holes too big or some other disaster. :oops:

Here's my set up. I've got two breeder colonies and one grow up tank. My ball eats them before they get old enough to mate. I'll probably have to add another grow up tub later.


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

Made the tub from designs on here. Thanks folks! so much easier to clean than the tanks.

does the uni bit leave little spurrs like using a drill bit?

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Originally Posted by dmaricle

does the uni bit leave little spurrs like using a drill bit?

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Absolutely not. It makes a very clean cut hole. Just be sure to set your drill to low speed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snakelady

Here's my set up. I've got two breeder colonies and one grow up tank. My ball eats them before they get old enough to mate. I'll probably have to add another grow up tub later.


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

Made the tub from designs on here. Thanks folks! so much easier to clean than the tanks.

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Glad to here you've come over to the tub side! :P

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Originally Posted by truthsdeceit

Glad to here you've come over to the tub side! :P

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me too!

I'll be changing over the tanks to tubs soon. I just have to convince my hubby that that's a good idea. Right now he's saying "those mice are costing us a lot of money" He means well. It's just that the frozen don't smell up a room. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by snakelady

me too!

I'll be changing over the tanks to tubs soon. I just have to convince my hubby that that's a good idea. Right now he's saying "those mice are costing us a lot of money" He means well. It's just that the frozen don't smell up a room. :rolleyes:

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Tubs are cheap! It's not like you're asking him for more mouse tanks, you're just switching them over. Plus tubs are easier to clean ergo less time on mice more time for him. :P Tell him that. lol.

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Originally Posted by truthsdeceit

Tubs are cheap! It's not like you're asking him for more mouse tanks, you're just switching them over. Plus tubs are easier to clean ergo less time on mice more time for him. :P Tell him that. lol.

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lol! I'll try that. ;)

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:

My dad built me rack for christmas and it finally got to my apartment today. I'm so stoked. No more lids! yay. :D

I'll post pics tonight.

Quote:

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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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Pretty darn nice looking! Well done! The middle one looks like the lid is open- don't want any escapees!

anyway to get a screen shot of the tops of those tubs i want to make them there sweet:bow:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by truthsdeceit

My dad built me rack for christmas and it finally got to my apartment today. I'm so stoked. No more lids! yay. :D

I'll post pics tonight.

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sweet!

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Originally Posted by HypoPita

Pretty darn nice looking! Well done! The middle one looks like the lid is open- don't want any escapees!

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

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Originally Posted by punyhuman07

anyway to get a screen shot of the tops of those tubs i want to make them there sweet:bow:

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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

So it's the next night but...
Remember my tubs with those annoying lids, which I acctually didn't mind that much

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...t/DSCF3517.jpg


However my boyfriend took over the shelves for storage an my mice have been stacked in a corner.. what a pain!
I don't have pics it was horrible.


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/DSCF3691.jpg

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

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