oooo...maybe

[Brandon.O]

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 ......

[Ginevive]

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.

[SatanicIntention]

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.

[Brandon.O]

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.

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)

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.

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 ?

[BallPythonBabe448]

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


Great advice guys!

[the_mechanic]

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.

[Brandon.O]

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

[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.

[Brandon.O]

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 ?

[Andrew00]

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: