More or less economical to breed your own mice? - Page 2

**Pareeeee** · 05-08-12, 08:09 AM

OK thanks. Now I need to decide if this is something I want to do, lol...I have owned many types of rodents in the past, but not mice. Certainly have not tried breeding before...

PS: One thing that makes this forum awesome is that it doesn't usually take long for people to respond with informative answers. Thanks everyone!

exwizard · 05-08-12, 08:18 AM

Anytime. We've bred lots of both mice and rats. If you're willing, rats are better all the way around though but thats up to you.

**Pareeeee** · 05-08-12, 08:29 AM

I like rats. Used to have them as pets. I think if I got more rats I would want to keep them as pets too, lol...they are so affectionate (unlike mice). Boaz can kill as many mice as he wants, however...lol...

Also, he's too small to eat adult rats...so if I got a surplus and they got too big I wouldn't be able to feed them to him...

knox · 05-08-12, 09:25 AM

I wish you the best. I tried to breed mice, but it only lasted 2 weeks. I couldn't take the smell. Even after thoroughly cleaning the cage, it would stink the next day.

I am OCD when it comes to cleanliness, so I just fed off my breeders and was done with it.

But, it can be very rewarding - almost like gardening and growing your own food. There is satisfaction in growing and breeding your own feeder mice.

exwizard · 05-08-12, 09:33 AM

and supplying half the metro

Skits · 05-08-12, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

I like rats. Used to have them as pets. I think if I got more rats I would want to keep them as pets too, lol...they are so affectionate (unlike mice). Boaz can kill as many mice as he wants, however...lol...

Also, he's too small to eat adult rats...so if I got a surplus and they got too big I wouldn't be able to feed them to him...

You can always keep the breeders as pets, and feed your snake the baby rats. That's what I'm doing pretty much. I find rats are a lot less smelly than mice. I had two pet mice in the past, and when people would come over they were mostly bothered by the smell of the mouse bin over everything else, and I cleaned their cage 2-3 times a week.

mykee · 05-08-12, 10:02 AM

I've figured this out over the years; It costs me $1.15 in bedding and food to raise a litter of mice to small adult size. If you estimate a litter of mice at 12, then that's roughly 9.6 cents each.

exwizard · 05-08-12, 10:28 AM

Ty Mykee. This illustrates the cost effectiveness most clearly.

mykee · 05-08-12, 01:09 PM

No problem, boredom over the years has allowed me to do many of these types of experiments. The results of such just need to be coerced out of me.

**Pareeeee** · 05-08-12, 04:16 PM

So instead of over $12 a month on buying individual mice, I would only be spending 40 cents?!

**Pareeeee** · 05-08-12, 04:17 PM

The smell topic worries me...in a small apartment that may make the whole place smell, lol...I've only owned hamsters, rats and guinea pigs before. Guinea pigs being the dirtiest, by far...but they just kinda smell like horses or cows, lol...

exwizard · 05-08-12, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

So instead of over $12 a month on buying individual mice, I would only be spending 40 cents?!

That is long term averages based on how long your supplies last vs supply costs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

The smell topic worries me...in a small apartment that may make the whole place smell, lol...I've only owned hamsters, rats and guinea pigs before. Guinea pigs being the dirtiest, by far...but they just kinda smell like horses or cows, lol...

Check this stuff out. We use it all the time. It works great

Kennel Fresh

exwizard · 05-08-12, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StudentoReptile

What I did was set-up two cages of two female mice, and rotated one male stud between the two every 2 weeks or so. This ensured that I always had pinkies available for all the smaller snakes. Sure I had a little surplus of fuzzies and hoppers at times, but I would just either give a few to local friends who needed a live one every so often, or outright sell the surplus.

Now I HATE taking care of rodents and once I sold most of my baby colubrids or eventually got them on f/t, I just quit breeding mice. But it can save you a little money. Again, you have to evaluate the number of snakes you have, and the expense of keeping X number of rodents, as well as your own "human" factors": are you up for caring for rodents? Can you take the odor? and are you okay with feeding live to your snakes?

If you breed your own rodents, you dont have to feed your snakes live feeders. You can kill them and freeze them if that is your preference.