Inbreeding>>

[reptilesalonica]

Until which point you inbreed your rodents? I retire the 3d generation to the freezer.
~Greg~

[Solid Snake]

what does too much inbreeding do?

[Kyle Barker]

My process is if it bites it gets fed to something. I have no rats left, i just buy them now...

Too much inbreeding/any inbreedin can have any number of problems. Som of the more common physical ones are hairless, bug eye, crippled legs, kinky spines, missing toes etc etc. The sky is the limit.

[tai_pan1]

I have 3 colonies of mice @1.5 each. I add "fresh blood from another colony when I need replacements for another colony. I've had no problems. In the wild, I'm sure they don't get as much "new blood". JMO

[Linds]

Personally, I don't really pay attention :p

[Siretsap]

Neither do I, I use them up for my reptiles, so when an adult gets old, he becomes dinner, and I keep one of it's babies for reproduction.
Never had any problems with that yet, but only had my colony of 1.8 for a year now

[reptilesalonica]

...i found that most babies from 3rd generation brothers, are stunted and some of them dying before the 1st month of their lives.
~Greg~

[Linds]

Originally posted by reptilesalonica
...i found that most babies from 3rd generation brothers, are stunted and some of them dying before the 1st month of their lives.

Wow that's strange. I would be more suspicious of bad genes than I would however of inbreeding.

[marisa]

I agree with Linds.

I only breed mice for a "season" per year. During the colder months. Last "season" I started out with something like 4.16 and off those original mice I bred somewhere around probably 500 feeders and breeders. I saw no ill effects from this at all. I had no cannabilisim, no defects, no nothing.

All mice you are buying are heavily heavily inbred already. For generations.

Marisa

[reptilesalonica]

...but Marisa, there are mice that are strictly outbred. Swiss whistar strains are sold as outbred mice from Laboratories.
~Greg~

[marisa]

Well obviously you wouldn't want to mix one line with another. But I am talking about everyday feeders and breeders you buy from local pet stores. I haven ever had a problem inbreeding those for feeders or breeders.

Marisa

[Linds]

I don't know much about lab mice and rats, just a fwe things, but I was under the impression that they were all inbred to acheive certain uniform standard and characteristics. I've never heard of Swiss Whistars, but I know that Swiss Webster mice, ICR mice, and all those are inbred strains.

[Lisa]

We're still working on the fiirst, second and third generations of our rats. What tends to happen is we hold back certain rats that look particulary healthy or have the colours we want (like pink eyed whites). ones that are naturally bitey get fed off.

[reptilesalonica]

...i made a bad thought and i hope it is not true...
Here in Greece you cannot find mice and rats since they do not sold as pets from pet stores...
I obtain mine (mice & rats) from my importer of herps.
He is located in the capital of Greece (Athens) and he imports herps from Africa and west Asia. He studies biology and he gets the mice and rats from the laboratories.
Himself breeds mice and rats and sells them throughout Athens.
Well, i made this bad thought, that he gave me not the best mice and rats he had.
Maybe he is afraid that i am gonna breed them and sell them to pet stores...I don't know what else to think... :(
~Greg~

[Linds]

Also when working with lab strains, you should avoid mixing, and in some cases even housing them nearby, other types of rodents. Some strains are specifically bred to have weak immune systems or other weaknesses. All strains have been carefully developed and interference of other pathogens or genes can be detrimental.

[reptilesalonica]

I could not disagree Linds, but here i cannot find any other mice or rats except those lab ones from the herps importer... :(
~Greg~