breeding mice

[Bartman]

I want to breed mice so my sav has some fresh guys to eat :) Ive never read anything or ever tryed this before so i need either a good site that explaines what i need to do...Just some things im very unsure of, about how much would a male and female breeding pair cost me...Whats the smallest sized cage you can put a set of breeders in...do i keep the male with the female all the time or do i have to seperate them when she is pregnent or after the "do it" or does it matter...how many mice can they make a year, or how big are each litter, and how frequent

thanks for any info!

[Linds]

It's best to run your mice AT LEAST two females to a male. I run mine 1.5 right now in a tub that is similar in size to a ten gallon aquarium, maybe a touch smaller. It is best to leave the colony in tact at all times. If you start moving them around it stresses them out which stops production, as well as you want the female to be reimpregnated after she gives birth so she has another litter on the way when her current litter is weaned, instead of waiting for that to happen then introducing and having to wait out that entire period. You cannot add new members to the colony if there are babies, their will be fighting, and the babies will likely get eaten. Make sure they have fresh food and water at all times, especially with babies. Mice are more prone to cannibalism than other rodents and eat their babies at the drop of a hat :rolleyes: Waterbottles are a must, they will just dirty their water in minutes if they are given a bowl. They will stink, you have to find a happy medium for cleaning. If you clean too often they scent more, if you don't clean enough it builds up. You can handle pinks as soon as day one, it is a myth that they will eat their babies if you have your scent on them. I think that's about it :)

[Bartman]

thanks so much, what do you mean about the water bottle..how would i set it up? Or are you talking about the hampster type water things? Im planning on keeping them in the garage but this is during summer so they could forsure last right..it doesnt need to be warm or anything? Another thing i wanna know is if they make to much noise, i doubt my dad will like the constant squeeking...thats not a big issue though. And lastly do you know an approx cost on each mouse? Like 10-20? or way more?

[vanderkm]

Linds has covered most of it above.
The water bottles are the hamster type - a bottle that hangs on the side of the cage.

The noise won't be a problem - the smell will - male mice scent mark a lot and it is very smelly.

The problem with a garage in the summer is that it may be too hot - mice do not breed well in hot weather.

Mice in the pet stores here (live feeders) cost about $3 each, but most are males - hard to find females. Might be worth checking with a local herp person who breeds their own to buy your breeding stock. You might pay a bit more, but mice with good stable temperaments make better breeders,

mary v.

[Linds]

Whenever I add new mice to my existing colony, I pay 1.99 each and don't have any problems finding females. Try to start off with younger stock, so you know that you aren't getting old, worn out breeders that won't be very productive, or will be on their last leg. Like Mary said, mice do not tolerate excessive temperatures. I find they do best in the 65-70 range. Even at 80 they will stop breeding, so the garage may not be the best idea.

[Bartman]

Ok so ill keep them in the basement :)
Thanks for all the info, oh and last question, how many litters can they have...like one a month?

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

Well they have a gestation of 22 days(where the babies are in her belly! LOL.) They can get pregnant in about 4 days again I think. I have had one pregnant the day she gave berth. Anyways they would have about 12ish babies every 26 days i would expect.

[Bartman]

then i dont even think it would be worth it unless i bought 5 females and a male...i wanted to feed my sav like 2 a day and crix. Ill see....

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

2 a day?!?! Thats way too much rodent in the diet man. High fat. I would be feeding like 2 a week. Mine eats them F/T anyways.

[Bartman]

well like hes still a baby so i wanna get him fat until hes older...i know that adult savs get obese easily but as a baby, hes like a foot, i wanna keep him plump. I dont feed him two a day now...id say in a week he gets 3..sometimes much more, some times less...and just more crix and worms

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

K. I've only given my sav two pinkies. I've had him for 3 months. Hes 6 months old. About 13 inches long. Wild caught. He only gets crix, superworms, occasional waxworms. Hes also had the 2 pinks, 5 silkworms, low fat dog food once, and scrambled eggs once. Believe it or not my sav is nice and plump. Very plump. The vet said he was on the verge of being fat almost. 3 a week should be good for him.

Chris

[Auskan]

Originally posted by CHRISANDBOIDS14
Well they have a gestation of 22 days(where the babies are in her belly! LOL.) They can get pregnant in about 4 days again I think. I have had one pregnant the day she gave berth. Anyways they would have about 12ish babies every 26 days i would expect.

Actually, the gestation is 19-21 days and they get pregnant again the same day they deliver, so litters tend to be close to three weeks apart. I have one female that delivers each litter exactly 20 days after the last.

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

hmm. Thanks. Im just starting(only been breeding a month and a half). I've heard many different things.