Thinking about breeding mice

[dr del]

Um guys?

It might be because she is on a different continent where they have different laws?


dr del

[singingtothewheat]

I feed my snakes a variety of mice, rats and asf's and raise all three. they don't have to be too stinky. You change your litter frequently, you give them vanilla in the water and you keep male mice away from female mice except to get them knocked up.
It is pretty hard to have a small colony. I need at least 40 full size mice a month (or combination of feeders) That calls for a few mice/rats/asf's

[tweets_4611]

Ah, I don't need *that* many a week... 10 or so... most likely less since I need 10 of the tiny PetCo mice. If I had full grown mice I don't think it would be that many. Granted, there may not be many that make it to full grown. Part of the reason I'm leaning towards mice is that if I don't produce enough, I can get plenty here in town. I don't like PetCo, but they do have mice if I need them.

Does anyone put a "litter box" in with their mice? I read somewhere that mice are decently easy to convince to use a litter box, which makes clean much easier since you just empty the litter box as opposed to having to do a full change every time.

[Egapal]

Um guys?

It might be because she is on a different continent where they have different laws?


dr del

Yeah as a general rule when I post I am talking to or in regards to the original poster who is from Stillwater, OK. Susi´s trainer appears to be from Germany or some other European country. My point was that I see no need for neutering a male if you do not have a law requiring you to do so. Keeping a male by itself between breeding is not, in my humble opinion, abusive.

Ah, I don't need *that* many a week... 10 or so... most likely less since I need 10 of the tiny PetCo mice. If I had full grown mice I don't think it would be that many.

In order to recommend how many and what size breeding groups we would need to know how many snakes you have, what size they should be eating, and whether or not they will take F/T.

If they will take F/T then breeding rats and freezing them when they hit weight is a great option as you can let them grow bigger as your snakes grow.

Does anyone put a "litter box" in with their mice? I read somewhere that mice are decently easy to convince to use a litter box, which makes clean much easier since you just empty the litter box as opposed to having to do a full change every time.

Mice and more so males use urine to mark territory so a litter box will only get you so far. I find that with a large group they will tend to use a particular corner or their tub. I spot clean that corner every other day and put down some baking soda to absorb the oder and cover that with bedding from the center of the tub and then put a hand full of fresh bedding in the center.

When i do a full substrate change for my BP I will reuse that aspen cut with 50 new aspen for my mice. I don't have issues with water bowls spilling and I spot clean constantly so the bedding I take out of the snake enclosure is just like new. If soiled at all its soiled from the feeder mice that have been in the cage and even then less so than after a single day in a mouse tub.

They don't have to be too stinky. You change your litter frequently, you give them vanilla in the water and you keep male mice away from female mice except to get them knocked up.

Stinky is a relative term. Using all of the techniques singingtothewheat suggested as well as spot cleaning between full litter changes I still find a mouse tub stinks a lot more after 3 days than my pet gerbils cage after 3 weeks. Whatever you do the easiest advice to follow that will make the most impact is feeding your males before your feed your females. Adult females are easier to deal with than adult males.

[tweets_4611]

In order to recommend how many and what size breeding groups we would need to know how many snakes you have, what size they should be eating, and whether or not they will take F/T.

If they will take F/T then breeding rats and freezing them when they hit weight is a great option as you can let them grow bigger as your snakes grow.

I have 5 snakes. The largest being around 1800g and the smallest around 300g. I'm not too worried about figuring out exactly how many mice I'll need now, b/c if I come up short, I can supplement from the store until I get the numbers right. F/t isn't really an option for me for now... I just don't have the freezer space, and won't for a while. I'm also not too huge a fan of working with the F/t.

Mice and more so males use urine to mark territory so a litter box will only get you so far. I find that with a large group they will tend to use a particular corner or their tub. I spot clean that corner every other day and put down some baking soda to absorb the oder and cover that with bedding from the center of the tub and then put a hand full of fresh bedding in the center.

The litter box idea came from a breeders website. I figure it can't hurt to try it.... Once I get everything set up I'll see about trying it or not.

I'm planning on keeping the mice in by the litter boxes for my cats (it's an open, out of the way area) so hopefully they won't stink too bad, or if they do, it will just be the corner that already stinks sometimes b/c of the litter boxes

[Egapal]

I have 5 snakes. The largest being around 1800g and the smallest around 300g. I'm not too worried about figuring out exactly how many mice I'll need now, b/c if I come up short, I can supplement from the store until I get the numbers right. F/t isn't really an option for me for now... I just don't have the freezer space, and won't for a while. I'm also not too huge a fan of working with the F/t.




The litter box idea came from a breeders website. I figure it can't hurt to try it.... Once I get everything set up I'll see about trying it or not.

I'm planning on keeping the mice in by the litter boxes for my cats (it's an open, out of the way area) so hopefully they won't stink too bad, or if they do, it will just be the corner that already stinks sometimes b/c of the litter boxes

If I were you I would start with a single colony of 1 male and 3 females. I would recommend something like this 64 Quart Sterilite tub with latching top. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...ct_id=10401052 this link is for 6 tubs for 35$. Then I would get some 1/4" galvanized hardware cloth. http://www.tractorsupply.com/fencing...-5-ft--3627063 Next with a utility knife cut a large square out of the center of the tubs top. I then use an old soldering iron to burn holes about two inches apart all along the ouside of the square you just cut. Then cut a piece of hardware cloth so that it covers the square hole in the tub top with about an inch overlap. Finally secure the hardware cloth to the tubs top with zip ties through the small holes you burned in the top. For water I use the soldering iron to burn a larger hole near the bottom and push the water bottles spout through that hole. The water bottle should be on the outside of the tub with only the part they drink from exposed. Finally secure the side of the bottle to the outside of the tub. An easy way to do this is to take the piece that you would normally hang in the tank and glue it to the outside of the tub.

I am seriously into overkill. I like to have 4 tubs for 1 colony along with one small tub for a single stud mouse to hang out in while I clean. I keep the stud and 3 females together in one tub. Shortly before the pups are born I put the male in his own tub. Then when they are ready to wean I sex the weanlings into a male tub and a female tub. So at one point I will have, 3 breeding females for tub 1. The breeding male in tub 2. The weanling females in tub 3, and the weanling males in tub 4.

On cleaning day you put the breeding male in a small holding tub and clean it. Then Move cycle the mice through till they are all clean. Pretty simple. Now if you want to make a new colony you just get a few more tubs and take 3 weanling females that have been given time to mature to breeding age and put them in a tub with either a brother or a new male.

I would not worry to much about inbreeding. Keep in mind that lab mice are 23 generation inbred before they are suitably identical for experimenting on. I keep decent record and won't go more than one generation of inbreeding. Twice now when traveling I have brought a tub and picked up a male mouse on my way home from a local mom and pop pet store.

[RichsBallPythons]

All my mice breeding groups are left alone. Each group is 3 males 6 females and i never separate the males ever. I sell many pinkies to ppl needing them there for i dont mind the extra mice.

All depends on how many mice you want and how fast. With my setup im produce 400+ mice a month

[Shadera]

I've got 3 small colonies of 1.4 mice going. They really aren't any tougher than asf colonies to start. Just put them together as juvies and nature will do what it does. I really don't find either of those any tougher than regular rats to breed, either.

I leave my groups together at all times, and remove babies once they're old enough to wean. they go into 20L growout tanks until they're big enough to feed or freeze.

Best of luck.