Breeding Spiny Mice - Feeder Food

[Dr_Bob]

So can you use Spiny Mice (Turkish) as a feeder food for ball pythons ?

As anyone ever had any success / experience using them as a feeder for ball pythons ?

Read a few of the scientific papers online going on about predation etc. Found one talking about prescence of spiny mice bones in owl pellets (so they do get munched in the wild).

Other than that, was wondering about what age the so called spines develop?

Are they really that spiny, or are they just coarse?

After that how about whether baby spiny mice (i.e. with no developed "spines") would be suitable prey items for baby ball pythons?

Kept enough tarantulas to know about kicking hairs, but are we really talking this level on the mice? or is just a case of a mouse with pubic hair on its back LOL!!

Cheers

Dr Rob Pearson (UK)

[littleindiangirl]

I had thought that spiny mice weren't actually spiny. J

If your BP will eat them, and they breed well and dont actually posses quills, I dont see why not.

[littleindiangirl]

See now, they aren't actually spiny

http://www.pogstarhedgehogs.com/spin...eciesinfo.html

[OhBalls]

Their hairs are similar to a hedgehog...real course
I would not use them if you feed live simply because their tails are very delicate. If they wriggle when hanging from tongs, there is a good chance they would break away from their tails.
If one gets injured, in my experience, they'll pack together and kill it by taking turns biting and nipping at it...not pretty

If you were looking for something smaller than an ASF with softer fur AND low odor...look into zebra mice. Their fur would not be an issue and they don't really produce a foul smell.

Hope this helps!

[Dr_Bob]

From the above link:

"The hairs along the mid back of spiny mice are very noticeably thicker and stiffer than the rest of their coat, giving them the appearance of quills or spines that led to their name."

Got a male female pair of spinys was thinking of breeding them thats all (there only babies current tho).

Bit more taken with them than my new balls to be honest. Already trained them to come to the bars when I whistle!! LOL!!

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Mini experiment:

I've just brought x4 CB 12" fem Balls + x1 CB 12" Pastel Male from Hamm in Germany ~2 weeks back

Fed them for the first time on white mice ~7 days ago.

x2 fed on the first evening, x2 on the second, one didn't feed.

Got the latter two to feed by heating the mice to about ~30oC in a hovobator then wrapping them in zebra mice bedding.

Tried a similar trick with the spiny mice bedding last night (~7 days later).

Only x1 ball fed, probabbly the one that wasn't bothered last week (I'm just in the process of getting rid of my mack snow geckos before I can move the balls into seperate vivs).

So is that just a feeding thing, or do you reckon the fresh spiny bedding put them off?

[littleindiangirl]

I took the above quote as "giving the appearance" meaning they aren't actually quills, but thicker guard hairs. Now I'm all confused.

[OhBalls]

Could not comment honestly on why the snakes were put off as I only bred spiny mice as pets and never fed them to my snakes.
I breed ASF rats for my snakes but also offer white mice, gerbils and regular rats. None of my snakes have a problem with gerbils or ASF....some are fussy about mice...I guess it's just up to the snake if it wants what is on the menu!

[Dr_Bob]

No worries, just had a proper look at mine upstairs. The spines are starting to grow on there backs.

Figure it will get coarser but its not hedgehog by any stretch.

Maybe when they get to adults?

Bugger it breed a few see how a go on; if they get eaten they get eaten, if not well I sell them to the petshop!!

[OhBalls]

No worries, just had a proper look at mine upstairs. The spines are starting to grow on there backs.

Figure it will get coarser but its not hedgehog by any stretch.

Maybe when they get to adults?

Bugger it breed a few see how a go on; if they get eaten they get eaten, if not well I sell them to the petshop!!

The hairs won't get LONG like a hedgehog but they certainly have a similar feel when they are fully developed.

Here is some information http://www.waza.org/virtualzoo/facts...%20and%20Hares