Temporary mouse housing.

[daver676]

Originally posted by annieb_mice

Would you recommend "power feeding" for snakes or lizards? This amounts to the same thing. When an animal is "power fed" to encourage fast growth, it not only shortens their natural lifespan <not a problem with feeders usually> but also compromises healthy development.

Lol. Actually, while you make good points, what you have stated is exactly what I'm trying to do with these mice. Get these mice as big as I can in the shortest amount of time possible. They are quite skimpy from the store, so I want to fatten them up before I feed them off. Lifespan is not an issue. I am not feeding them dog food however, just so you know.

[Linds]

Originally posted by annieb_mice
[BI am surprised that you would encourage "rapid growth" in the offspring. Would you recommend "power feeding" for snakes or lizards? This amounts to the same thing. When an animal is "power fed" to encourage fast growth, it not only shortens their natural lifespan <not a problem with feeders usually> but also compromises healthy development.
[/B]

As I stated previously, I wouldn't recommend this for pet mice (IMHO pet rodents should be fed a varied natural diet, not a commercial diet), but feeders have an incredibly short lifespan, so it doesn't make a difference. Powerfeeding feeders is fine, it is efficient and they do not have time to develop any problems due to this. In addition, low-quality dog food is nearly all grain product (the kind I use has animal fat as the only animal product in it and smells like veggies ), and matches the values of commercial mouse lab diets, and in fact, is similar in makeup altogether, as there is animal matter in most, if not all, lab diets. I haven't noticed any problems, only about half of my mice even get that "greasy" coat, which leads me to believe it isn't soley diet to blame for this. I've also seen mice fed soley seeds and nuts develop a greasy coat. I've been told long ago that this is what causes it, but it doesn't seem to add up in my colonies, and I don't have any way of securing the culprit. If there were any significant health problems, those mice wouldn't be producing the way they are. They would be producing smaller litters, or infrequently. I have seen no evidence that they can develop any health problems short term on this diet, and that is what is important, as they are not being kept around for the long haul

Originally posted by annieb_mice
*** He said for a short time. I've had to use for a day or two when I've run out of bottles and such. For a day or two they will suffice, but not for an extended period of time.

Exactly... then even if you feel dog food is a no-no, it shouldn't matter if it is only a day or two

[sapphire_moon]

Low quality dog food IS grain based, that is why it is low quality dog food, because they are considered a " filler". They are mostly grains, to be used with meat that you yourself put in there.

If I ever have to breed mice (which I might) I am going to be using the same thing for them as I do my rats. Dog food supplemented with fresh veggies and fruits weekly, with a sprinkling of random treats inbetween.

And yes most people that breed rats/mice want their feeders to get to the feeding size they need as fast as possible. These are breeders/feeder, not pet rats. And of course people don't want to "power feed" their snakes. But their snakes aren't being "fattened up" to feed to something else either.

I am sure that while not the most ideal food to keep them on, that they are getting the best care. And if they didn't like the food, they wouldn't eat it.
I have to agree with linds on this one. Because we are talking about breeder/feeders.
If we were talking about pets that would be different.

[ReneeB]

I use a mixture of wild bird seed, budgie/finch mix, noname dog food, and rabbit pellets. My litters are all over 14 babies, and the adults have 'perfect' (non greasy, full, shiny, no patches).
They are kept on pine bedding that has been dried out for months before so there are no oils left They also get the lint from my dryer to make nests out of.

I've kept rats using this same diet and they had large litters too.

I occasionally give them apple cores, carrot tops, and celery stalk ends.

[Auskan]

LOL on the dryer lint - I *never* would have thought of using that!

[Lisa]

Heh i've been thinking of tossing the lint from the drier into the rat cages for nesting...

[sapphire_moon]

you might want to be carefull of that, the lint can get caught around the pinks necks and kill them, and it can get caught on the rats toes and end up tightening around them.