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Let's Try This Again...

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  • 02-16-2010, 12:40 AM
    Moofins07
    Let's Try This Again...
    About a month ago, I tried my first stab at breeding mice. In the end, it was heartbreaking (don't ask me how dying babies makes me cry, but watching older ones be constricted puts a proud smirk on my face).

    Maybe it was the bedding, maybe the enclosure wasn't warm enough, maybe they were bred too young, or perhaps the vicious RI the female had is what did them in. I'm pretty sure it was the RI. But HOW did the RI happen?

    I quickly skimmed the current threads on here, and got a ton of ideas. I would just like to know what I can do with what I have.

    - 1.2 mice. Male appears to be younger than the females, so would NOW be the right time to separate them, let them age a few weeks, and then start the breeding?
    - Aspen. Should I use only a little aspen like some people have said, chuck in some toilet paper tubes, and use newspaper as liner? I currently use newspaper as liner, ALL aspen, and a couple tubes, but they just burrow underneath the layers of paper. (In my last attempt, a friend gave me "hamster fluff". Is that a big no-no?)
    - Lab block diet, "hamster/gerbil seed mix", occasional bread. How can I better their diet?
    - 75 watt blue heating bulb. Do the babies need a lamp for added warmth if the house is under 70 degrees Fahrenheit? Even though the mothers will typically keep them warm?

    I think the biggest mistake I made was having only one female, and breeding too soon. I didn't take into account that she might get sick, and there wouldn't be another female to care for her young.


    What can I do better this time to ensure their chances of survival, both parents and babies alike?

    Thank you! :bow:
    PS: Sorry for such a loooooong post. Please bear with me. :oops:
  • 02-16-2010, 04:04 PM
    Raptor
    Re: Let's Try This Again...
    -Males can breed as soon as they can get their wee wee out. It's the females you want to worry about. However, if you're breeding for a certain size, you may want to wait to see the male's full grown size.
    - Aspen is fine, I've used it, no problem. You just want to stay away from cedar. Some people will poo-poo pine, but I haven't had any issues.
    - Lab block is probably fine.
    - My room is generally in the 60s and the tanks are right by a cold window. I honestly haven't had any issues, but I also put in a lot of bedding so everyone can cuddle down.

    Sometimes, you'll just have mice to die, it's a part of breeding. I had one of my breeders randomly die right before it was time to wean the pups. Previous day, she was fine. Next morning, dead.
  • 02-16-2010, 04:37 PM
    boasandballs
    Re: Let's Try This Again...
    High temps will make the male setril. Low 70's seam to be the best for us. Your lab block could be the problem. You need min 11% fat. We use 14% I think. We use aspen and the wood pelets and only change them everyother week. They don't like to be messed with or they will kill their babies.
  • 02-16-2010, 04:39 PM
    boasandballs
    Re: Let's Try This Again...
    oh, I forgot, We set them up 1.6 maybe a week after they are weened.
  • 02-16-2010, 04:52 PM
    Raptor
    Re: Let's Try This Again...
    I'm feeding mine dog food, and so far, it's alright. The handling bit all depends on the female. If you've got a good one, she won't care if you handle them. An even better female will accept another female's pups.
  • 02-17-2010, 11:10 PM
    Moofins07
    Re: Let's Try This Again...
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Raptor View Post
    I'm feeding mine dog food, and so far, it's alright. The handling bit all depends on the female. If you've got a good one, she won't care if you handle them. An even better female will accept another female's pups.

    The only problem I've ever had with dog food (it's possible, since I own a dog) is it REALLY makes them stink to high-heaven. I found that after I changed the feed to mostly blocks, partial grains, and a few kibbles of dog food every few days, the smell got a lot better, and they seemed more energetic.
  • 02-18-2010, 10:36 AM
    Raptor
    Re: Let's Try This Again...
    I honestly haven't noticed that. My mice are highly active lol. I have one who climbs up the water bottle and climbs upside down on the mesh lid.
  • 02-18-2010, 04:08 PM
    tomfromtheshade
    Re: Let's Try This Again...
    Forget the extra heat on the mice. Its not necessary and its even undesireable.

    I would set them up in colonies of 1.4 animals. I would wait until the females were 12 weeks old to introduce the male. This will just make sure that the females don't get bred too young. Also, putting the females together in a group RIGHT after weaning will give them a better bond and I feel like they will care for each other's babies better.
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