Raising Rats, Mice, and African Soft Fur Rats...

[Freakzter]

I always find it so bizarre when I read about people's thoughts on mice smell. we keep ours in the living room of our small apartment and I've never noticed a stink. I even asked my husband just now if the mice smell to him and he shook his head. we currently have 15 females and 2 males, spread over 8 cages that get cleaned about once a week.

[cchardwick]

I always find it so bizarre when I read about people's thoughts on mice smell. we keep ours in the living room of our small apartment and I've never noticed a stink. I even asked my husband just now if the mice smell to him and he shook his head. we currently have 15 females and 2 males, spread over 8 cages that get cleaned about once a week.

Maybe you both don't have a very good sense of smell? I work with a lot of people who can't really smell anything, not sure how they got that way, the Chinese folks in particular can't smell most of the smells that are so strong they knock me over. Or maybe I'm just super sensitive. My rodent breeding is in full swing, the female mice aren't that bad, but I do have a carbon filter on most of the cages except a few single females in single breeder cages. I separate the babies when they are weaned into male and female cages, I have about 8-10 males in a 20 gallon breeder and when I slide the top off the smell knocks me over. Seems like the older they get the stronger the smell. I almost can't wait to feed the males off because of the smell, just keeping back one main stud male to service my females. However, if I just slide the lid of the male tank over to remove the food dish and water bottle and slide it back real quick the smell stays in the tank and doesn't smell up the room.

Just had my first rat babies, they are WAY too big for my baby king snakes! Way bigger when just born than ASF babies that are a week old. Should be great for my young ball pythons. I've been feeding pre killed mice because some have really bitten the snakes during feeding, no major damage so far though. And I have two ball pythons that still only take live and refuse a pre killed. I've heard that small rat pups are about as big as a mouse but much safer to feed.