Might start breeding mice

[satomi325]

About how old would you say those hoppers are?

Hoppers are about 3 weeks old.

My boyfriend and I are discussing whether or not we will need a grow out tank to start off, or if we will end up killing the mice before they reach sexual maturity. I read that it is 2-3 weeks for hoppers and 3-4 weeks for "weaned mice". I'm not sure what the difference is between an older hopper and a younger weaned mouse if the weeks overlap. What is the actual definition of a weaned mouse? I also read that sexual maturity happens around 5-8 weeks, later for males.

Hoppers and weaned are based on growth development.
There is a stage where the babies hop around, which is why they're called hoppers. They're still dependent on mom's milk, but are looking like miniature mice. Fuzzy mice (the stage before hoppers) is just pinks that have peach fuzz fur.
Weaned is when they're eating solid foods and no longer need mom. The time period you said for hoppers and weaned mice is about right.

After some discussion, this is our potential plan. Please tell me if it sounds do-able. We will have the main tank for breeding/nursing. The breeder male would get his own separate tank to avoid excessive mating/breeding. We plan to kill and then freeze the entire litter and then breed another one, etc, etc. We would worry about getting additional grow out tanks when our snake is starting to eat bigger mice who are reaching sexual maturity. The only way I foresee this being a problem is if he gets to that point quickly. Right now, like I said, he is eating 3 prepackaged hoppers a week. The weaned mice, which I assume are a little bigger, we'll start after his next shed. How long do you think we could go without needing the grow out tanks with this plan?

Exactly how large is your snake in grams? At a year old, he could definitely eat an adult mouse or a weaned rat. Maybe even more.

oh and also, how big should the 2nd tank be since it will only have the one mouse in it? (2 at the most if we decide to keep one to raise to maturity) Should it be small since there is only 1 or 2 mice, or should it be a grow out tank size? If the latter, how big do those need to be? Same as the current one, or can it be smaller and be an ok environment.

You can probably fit 2 max in a 5 gallon tank.
A 10 gallon tank is big enough to house multiple mice and their nursing litters.
You can comfortably use a 20 gallon long for a grow out enclosure for multiple litters. But if you're only growing out 1 litter at a time, a 10 or 15 gallon will probably suffice.

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure that if we do this, we do it right. I know they're food, but the way I see it they're pets too and they need to be as well taken care of and comfortable as any other animal in my home. I don't want to just be shoving a bunch of mice in a tank together and act like its ok to have no room just because they're food. .

I agree with you. I breed rats, but I don't see them as just a food production. They're well taken care of and I really enjoy playing with them. They probably live better lives than some pet intended animals.

ok and he's looking for more food today, so 3 hoppers a week isn't enough at this point to keep him satisfied. definitely need the next level up. Would rats be a better idea than mice?

Personally, I start all my babies on rats. It's just easier in the long run to feed a single rat compared to multiple mice. Other than that, there is no difference in feeding rats and mice. Both have the same nutritional content.
Try feeding adult mice or a rat weanling. He may not switch to rats because some snakes are just really picky about their food.