Got some breeder mice

[frankykeno]

Well with two b.p.'s in the house and another one coming from Adam this fall, I finally broke down and agreed to try breeding some mice as we have to drive to another town to buy ours as it is.

We got a male and two females (one is already obviously preggie). They are in a nice big bin with food, water and a big cereal box hide thing I made. Looks like a mousey apartment with lots of in and out doors and some tunnels made of toilet paper and paper towel rolls.

Now as far as I read, mice are preggie for around 21 days, then you wean the babies and seperate them by sex at about 4 weeks so the young males won't get their moms and sisters preggie.

So I would need the big breeder tub and then two other tubs for feeder males and females wouldn't I? Once they are weaned at 4 weeks and put in feeder tubs about how big are they and when are they considered adult?

It said in one article that there is a fair bit of cannibalism in mice (some of it being normal culling of defective offspring or as a result of overcrowding or an older/ill mother) but that males don't usually kill their young as long as they are with the mom mouse throughout her pregnancy and delivery? Is this correct or should I remove the dad mouse when the currently preggie one gives birth? I assume the other female will become preggie herself quite shortly and everything I've read seems to indicate female mice are okay left together as they help each other with their babies.

I know we'll have to continue to buy feeders for awhile for the b.p.'s but if this works it will solve the running to buy feeders in the middle of a rotten Michigan snowstorm thing we'll face this winter LOL.


~~Joanna~~

[Shelby]

Mice grow pretty fast.. close to full grown in 2 months. I leave the male in with the mom and babies, and I keep multiple female breeders together.

[frankykeno]

Well the obviously preggie mouse is growing before our eyes LOL. I swear the poor thing looks like she swallowed a golf ball and if a mouse can waddle....she's a-waddling. I figure birthing must be fairly near as she's dragging more bedding into the mouse house and seems quite busy compared to the other female and the male who are sacked out snoozing this hot day away.


~~Jo~~

[NocturnalBC]

Yes all you need are 2 other smaller tubs to keep the male and female feeders in. My friend has been breeding mice for as long as I can remember for his snakes and has never taken the males out. Most people consider mice young adults around 5-7 weeks because they can start breeding.

[frankykeno]

Well as much as I don't care for mice these breeders are kinda growing on me though I'd still rather handle my pet rats than these scittery lil boogers.

The preggie female delivered today and it looks like either a pretty small litter of pinkies or some got ate but as this is this mouse's first set of babies, guess that's to be expected. Removed 2 that were obviously born dead (not pink at all but dead white and unmoving). She seems to be nursing them (as I peeked in she got up and pinkies fell off her belly LOL) and the male and other female seem to be okay with the babies, sorta curling up near them when the mother goes for a bite of food.

Can't believe how deflated that lil mouse mama is.....wow!


~~Joanna~~

[tigerlily]

I don't know about you, but I still feel that way and I only had two kids....lol! The body is never the same after pregancy.

I was wondering if you'd had babies yet, and I noticed you named them. Uh oh.... does that mean you'll need new ones or just not naming the babies?

[frankykeno]

Magee is the male breeder mouse and his ladies are Mocha and Cocoa (named for their fur colors by the kids). We talked it out with the kidlets (older ones anyways) and agreed we will name the breeders but NOT their babies as they are for food. The kids understand that the breeders will eventually get fed out and replaced by new breeders, so they really shouldn't get too attached.

The mice are more of a fascination for the kids as they are new, but they have their pet rats that can be handled and played with unlike these lil nipping mice, so I'm sure the bloom will go off that rose real fast LOL.


~~Jo~~

[Shelby]

Yup.. mice are the most irritating animals I have the misfortune to house in my room. I prefer my cockroaches.

[Egyptian_Sphynx]

i like my breeder/feeders, they are semi quiet and not too much cannabalism has gone on. if you want to have fun with them, wait for them to be hoppers then try to clean the cage out. it is always fun trying to chase and catch those little boogers

[NocturnalBC]

The kids understand that the breeders will eventually get fed out and replaced by new breeders, so they really shouldn't get too attached.
~~Jo~~

HAHA..good luck with that!!