Do you separate pregnant mice?

[Jenn]

I don't recall learning the term "crapton" in math class. How many mice in a crapton?

I have done it both ways, but seperate the pregos now. I usually drop a big fattie in a tub with a non-prego sister and they both raise the kids.

[snakemanjayd]

Nice thread.
It's been really helpful.
Am just about to start my own breedin colony.

[dadspets]

No I do not seperate. I have small colony's of mice I work with. My colony's consist of 1 male to 3 females.

[Bettacreek]

Figure that now since I offically have my feeder colony up and running again, I can contribute. I seperate the females once they get large enough (usually drop within a few days). So far, I plan to put two females per 20qt Sterilite tub.

[truthsdeceit]

My females have there own tubs 1 or 2 per tub and my male rotates.

[Brandon Osborne]

Most commercial rodent breeders keep groups of 1.5 for weanling production. I have seen "pinky factories" in groups of 1.15+. If you are separating mice, you are limiting your production efficiency. Keep them together. By the time you pull weaners, you'll have pinkies a few days later. As some have mentioned, females will nurse any baby within its colony.

[truthsdeceit]

If you are separating mice, you are limiting your production efficiency.

Sometimes that's a good thing. I don't know what i'd do if my mice all had back to back pregnacies. I only have 3 snakes so rotating my male mouse lets me control how many mice I get vs. how many I need.

But yeah, if you need a 'crapton' of mice then keeping established colonies is probably the way to go.

[Brandon Osborne]

Sometimes that's a good thing. I don't know what i'd do if my mice all had back to back pregnacies. I only have 3 snakes so rotating my male mouse lets me control how many mice I get vs. how many I need.

But yeah, if you need a 'crapton' of mice then keeping established colonies is probably the way to go.

True. But instead of rotating, why not just keep less females? In your case, I would assume 1.2 or 1.3 would feed your animals quite well depending on your schedule.

[truthsdeceit]

True. But instead of rotating, why not just keep less females? In your case, I would assume 1.2 or 1.3 would feed your animals quite well depending on your schedule.

Probably true but... *shrug*

I have more luck rotating than I did keeping colonies. My male (or maybe the females) killed the children when I didn't remove him. That was a long time ago.

I just started up a new set of tubs. I'd been buying frozen for a while but decided to start up breeding mice again. And this time I've been having luck with the rotation thing.

and I also have four different sizes available at all times this way. Instead of Just one group of births at a time.

[Bettacreek]

Why wear the females out if you don't have to? It's not going to hurt to give mice a break, which most will argue prolongs the breeding life of the rodents anyways, plus you can produce healthier stock without overbreeding everyone.