my small scale breeding setup

[Sharlynn93]

http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/ad187/Sharlynn_Sarnoski/2f57518d-5cf4-4814-a9ed-6f53785dd564_zps8af735bb.jpg (http://s934.photobucket.com/user/Sharlynn_Sarnoski/media/2f57518d-5cf4-4814-a9ed-6f53785dd564_zps8af735bb.jpg.html)

my mice are in the 10 gal tanks, the bottom 2 tubs are my new rat project...the top tub holds my daughter's 2 guinea pigs (they outgrew their old enclosure and she is buying a new one next week)..their lid doesn't sit tight and has holes drilled through the lid all over for ventilation, then it will end up another rat tub when the guineas move :)

I think I have the hubby liking rodents now that we got the rats, LOL...I had pet rats as a teen and loved them...we have 1 hairless male that is so sweet, I think I will keep him as a pet! :) his name is Rattigan (from "The Great Mouse Detective")

[Jim Smith]

Is there any risk of the rats chewing out of the plastic tubs?

[Sharlynn93]

from what I have read, its a minimal risk...we made sure to use steel to protect the cutout areas of plastic on the inside, and there are no other edges for them to get at...time will tell, but I did alot of reading and looking online at other people's tub enclosures, so hopefully this will work out :) had them for 24 hrs now, and no signs of chewing yet...as long as you provide other things to chew, it tends to keep them away from chewing the enclosure....

[IW17]

Is there any risk of the rats chewing out of the plastic tubs?
I've wondered this too. I'm gonna start Breeding asf rats once I move and I just think it's worth the one time cost of buying glass tanks. I'd hate to have a snake loose, but if a tub full of rats got loose in the house, I'm pretty sure my Mrs would be a lot less supportive of my hobby! Lol

[TheZoo]

for your mice id throw in tolet paper tubes and other wood/cardbored chews, when there not bored there not as prone to canibalzim

[Sharlynn93]

great advice, zoo :) i have done that since this pic...i still have some issues, but its only with the REW mice I got from the one pet store...half the babies were born dead and deformed and they started killing the rest...i think they are too inbred...so i eliminated them this week...i will stick with the fancies...lol

[mclund]

Here is how I do it. You are correct on the cannibalism. If they are eating the babies, get rid of them. You should cycle out the breeding mice every 8-10 months for the best results. After that, litters will be smaller. Optimal age to start breeding mice is 9 weeks for males and 11 weeks for females. They will obviously breed much sooner but it will reduce the size of your litters. Mice: 1 male to 4 females. Most of the time 2 males will fight. Expect a litter every 28 days. One might think I have been at this a while...lol. I hope the information is useful.

[Sharlynn93]

thanks! I have been cycling out the white ones since they obviously aren't going to produce...I have 1 left that is expecting and i will be snagging those pinks for my GTP baby...after that she goes for lunch...I expect to replace my buck in probably 3 to 4 months...I have no problems paying $3-4 every few months to feed...lol...we are in the process of installing radiators in our basement to provide heat down there to move the rodents out of our snake room...then hopefully I can go to a rack system like you have... :)

[mclund]

If you have the room, raise up some of the offspring from your best breeders. If you watch them carefully you can eliminate some bad genetics. I would also recommend replacing them all at once except for a lone female at one time. I always hold back one of my females in each tray until they produce 1 litter. New mothers can be sketchy and the old female will often act as a surrogate.

[Sharlynn93]

good idea...i tried using one of my good fancy moms as a surrogate for a few babies from the white ones, and she tried...they didn't thrive...i just really think they were too inbred... :(

[Sharlynn93]

i actually just put my last preggo white girl in with another fancy who hasn't produced yet, but was an excellent nanny to 2 other litters...i believe she is pregnant too, but isn't really showing much yet to be sure...

[TheZoo]

also try a hard biolded egg and some veggies during the pregnacy it really helps the mothers thrive and produce healthy stronger babies.

side note... if you get any hairless females from you male dont keep and breed them female hairlesses are prone to not being able to feed there young(non lactating)

[Sharlynn93]

Thanks. .I think I read that when I researched my hairless rat...he is male so not worried about him...he is more of a pet..lol...thanks so much for the reminder! And all the help!

[robertjnovak59]

Mice are by far the worst for cannibalism. A little extra stress in the first few days after babies are born and they eat them. I've always got too many or not enough mice. Its hard to get consistent production.

[Sharlynn93]

So I noticed...my fancies are fine...I can touch the babies if I want and they dont hurt them...but those darn white ones are loco! Lol

[robertjnovak59]

I've got all my mice in 10 gallon tanks, I try to use food and water bowls that I only have to fill every couple days so if I notice they had babies, I don't have to stick my hand in the tank for a couple days.

[Sharlynn93]

I moved all the weaned babies to a big tub setup as there were too many for the 10 gallons...the 10 gallons now house expecting mothers...

[TheZoo]

always wait 3 days after there birth for moving touching handling

[Sharlynn93]

oh, I try not to touch the babies at all (unless i need pinks, and even then i remove the moms from the tank first) until they start to show peach fuzz...

on an upnote, one of my remaining white mice gave birth yesterday, and is nursing them fine..I separated her and put her with a seasoned nanny (she apparently is barren since she hasn't ever conceived, but has nannied 3 litters so far) and everything is going great! :D also, my first female rat gave birth yesterday too! 12 squirming pinky rats...and momma is doing great with those too!

[Tsubaki]

Nice set-up, mice are fun to breed.:D I bred them several years as snake food, but got caught up in it and ended up also breeding prize winning show mice:p
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/100x93q90/23/avatarsdf.jpg
An easy way to prevent cannibalism in mice is giving them low salt cat/dog kibble before they give birth(adding it to their regular food). Its easier than feeding them hard boiled eggs. Also proving a running wheel, and fresh willow branches to chew/climb made a huge difference for me. If they get frustrated they can 'take it out' on something other than the young ones. Makes cleaning up a slightly longer task, but you end up with healthier mice who have more litters.

[Sharlynn93]

I tried the dog food...they didn't eat it...just buried it...lol...

[Tsubaki]

Mice with a shortage in animal protein will eat it, they will prefer it over eating their own young. Mice who have plenty of protein, and do not like the taste of the kibble obviously wont eat it (the cheaper brands were never favorites here). Giving birth is often the cause of a deficiency. Baby mice are made of protein, and it all has to come out of the mothers body. That is why she eats them, if not provided enough for herself to sustain her own body beforehand. Never heard of mice just plain refusing to eat it. However normal kibble and cheap brand kibble can be to salty for them. I used a high quality low salt 99% meat kibble, and they Loved it. (so does my dog)

[Sharlynn93]

this was a brand called "retriever"...a puppy blend...23% protein content...was the highest content i could find at tractor supply...i don't buy pet food from walmart..lol...since they wouldn't eat it, i started giving them eggs (once or twice a week) and sunflower seeds...that seems to do the trick with all the mice except those few white ones...i just think they were nuts...lol