Mouse talk.

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

my freind owns the local pet store and he breeds his own mice so i can get 200+ for .50 cents each ill check rodent pro and factor in the shipping and see which one costs less

[Loren]

Yes, but they're pricey and frozen. I think it's $9.99 for 6. The local petstore I frequent sells them for $1 a piece. I've just ordered from rodentpro.com and it's .16 cents a piece if you get a bag of 100, plus the shipping. I went in on the order with some other folks here in town, so we're splitting the shipping between 4 people and that put my cost at .34 cents per pinky.
Thats the best way to do it if you dont want to raise them. I did that(rodentpro) with 2 buddies before, but now I'm breeding them for all 3 of us. You've got to get the box as close to 100% as possible for the best price per rodent, because the shipping doesnt change a whole lot between a partial box and full box.

[tikichick]

Funny you should mention that because this last weekend I got 1.2.0 mice from a friend of mine who raises her own for feeders. They're adorable!! Smelly, but adorable, lol. So I will attempt to breed my own for a while and see how it goes. The females are still a little small, so it'll be a bit longer before the fun starts :p

[Loren]

Cool !
I just ordered 5 more small used cages, so I'll be up to 60 female mice. Also ordered 2 large used cages, so I can have more grow-out room for raising the larger sizes.

[Lori P]

Funny you should mention that because this last weekend I got 1.2.0 mice from a friend of mine who raises her own for feeders. They're adorable!! Smelly, but adorable, lol. So I will attempt to breed my own for a while and see how it goes. The females are still a little small, so it'll be a bit longer before the fun starts :p

I'm still waiting impatiently on mine to have those babies!! It's been 6 weeks... come on kids, get busy!!!!! I thought for sure she was preggers but so far, nothing...

[tikichick]

I've got to do some reading on mice. I have no clue on breeding, birthin', etc. I'll probably be up to my ears in them before I know what happened, lol.

[drache]

I'm still waiting impatiently on mine to have those babies!! It's been 6 weeks... come on kids, get busy!!!!! I thought for sure she was preggers but so far, nothing...
six weeks????
not that I know anything about rodent reproduction, but just from stories I've heard and general reputation . . .
it seems a bit long

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

everyone tell me how your mouse experiences went then ill decide if i want to do it thanks,
Reed

[Lori P]

six weeks????
not that I know anything about rodent reproduction, but just from stories I've heard and general reputation . . .
it seems a bit long

I think so too... now I had one thought (yeah, just one, that's all I can handle at a time these days LOL) that perhaps she did have some and ate them, but I've never found any blood. I'm thinking there's be SOME blood somewhere if that happened.

They could have been too young at first, too... so maybe it took them a couple weeks to breed.

Wait a minute... I just went back and counted. It's only been 4 weeks. D'OH!!!!!!! :o:rolleyes: Ok, I'm just impatient!!!

[Lori P]

Reed, be prepared to try and combat the odor or your parents will have you booted out of the house in no time!!!! :-)

[adamanteus]

I've bred them in the past, a few times, but they do smell. Unless you can set up something like Inge has done, you're always going to have that problem. These days I prefer to bulk buy 500 at a time. It's easier, less labour intensive and not much more expensive if you find the right supplier.

[Stefan-A]

Okay, so the tricks I've learned today, for reducing the odor, are the following: Keep a jar of vinegar water (1:2 - 1:1) in the room and mix peat in with the bedding. :D

I have no idea whether or not it really works, but that's what they are suggesting on a local mouse forum.

[Loren]

As far as odor- they just plain stink. There are tricks to reduce smell, but no matter what, they will stink. Best to raise them outside the home. Temps near room temp are best- anything too much higher or lower may effect reproductive success, and of coarse, extremes may kill them.
Another thing to keep in mind; if you let some females live together for awhile and then introduce a new male, they will likely kill him. Raise females and their male together from as young as possible.
I keep 3 females with 1 male, fulltime. I do not remove the pregnant females for birthing, and I have very little cannibalizing. If they do it once, let them live, if they do it twice- feed them to a snake.
High enough protein in the diet is very important to have good breeding and prevent cannibalization. At least 18% protein.
Although I am all for fresh blood in breeding anything else, the best success I have with feeder mice has come from inbreeding the heck out of them. Fresh blood always seems to end up in mommas eating babies or low fertility, although I'm sure you should add a little new blood eventually.
My 60 mouse colony started with 2 fm's and a male, inbred them from there. Trust me, they dont care if its their sister or aunt or whatever.:D
I prefer the regular white albino "lab type" mouse.
Just my experience.

[Stefan-A]

I finally got sick of paying 1.30 € for a damn newborn pinkie. I don't care how bad they smell, I'm going to start raising my own.

[Loren]

Lori- if you are still waiting for babies- the females look like they have a golf ball or two in their belly before they give birth- huge! It always seems to take a long time for the first litter, because you check everyday(probably 2 or 3 times a day, if I know you).
I have had breeding groups that didnt produce, too, but not real often.
Make darn sure you do have males and females,too. I am really good at sexing them now, but it takes practice to do it when they are young. I have gotten "males" that were females, and vise versa, from petstores before as they mis-sex them sometimes too.
I like small, basic cages, so they have nothing else to do but, well... you know :D.
Nexty time you try to feed that kingsnake, rub a live pinky all over a frozen thawed, or feed a live directly followed by a frozen/thawed. See if she'll take it. Or, using a needle nose or hemostat, very gently shake the frozen/thawed even after she strikes at it, let her think she's killing it slowly. Make sure your frozen/thawed are at 95-100 degrees or so, not just thawed. I use warm water.

[drache]

I love my rodent connection
I'd never dream of adding breeding smelly rodents to the list of stuff I already do (I'd really have to move them out of the house)
and even though I'm not terribly squeamish, I was grossed out the last time I got frozen rodents somewhere else and they came complete with fecal matter smeared on their butts and even bedding crud
when I went to look at rodents at the last expo I went to the also looked dirty to me
I must be totally spoiled
and Edna totally rocks (my supplier)
so I've got a couple of other people I order for and I just got myself a "like new" little chest freezer that's only previously been used to store breast milk (so appropriate)
Edna says that I can store them for longer in a chest freezer
so that all cuts down on shipping

after reading Stefan's post, I'm realizing just how fortunate I am
the last batch I got was less than $0.35 per rodent and that wasn't even a huge order - just 300 mice

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/extra/pinkies1.jpg

One of these pinkies were sold for 1.30€ at my local pet store, the other for 0.50€ by a breeder. Guess which is which. :rolleyes: The smaller one was actually the average size in the bag, the bigger one is actually smaller than average but it was the last one I had left.

They are still frozen, that's why they look that way. :)

[drache]

in your situation I might put up with some odour and extra work
your financial incentive is clearly much greater than mine

I'm guessing the bigger one came from the breeder

[Lori P]

Lori- if you are still waiting for babies- the females look like they have a golf ball or two in their belly before they give birth- huge! It always seems to take a long time for the first litter, because you check everyday(probably 2 or 3 times a day, if I know you).
I have had breeding groups that didnt produce, too, but not real often.
Make darn sure you do have males and females,too. I am really good at sexing them now, but it takes practice to do it when they are young. I have gotten "males" that were females, and vise versa, from petstores before as they mis-sex them sometimes too.
I like small, basic cages, so they have nothing else to do but, well... you know :D.
Nexty time you try to feed that kingsnake, rub a live pinky all over a frozen thawed, or feed a live directly followed by a frozen/thawed. See if she'll take it. Or, using a needle nose or hemostat, very gently shake the frozen/thawed even after she strikes at it, let her think she's killing it slowly. Make sure your frozen/thawed are at 95-100 degrees or so, not just thawed. I use warm water.

Thanks Loren!! I have been working very hard on only checking the mice once a day. :-) Trying not to disturb them too much. And yeah, I thought about the fact that they have toys, tunnels, a wheel, lots of chewies, boxes to play in, burrows under the bedding, etc to keep them busy... maybe *ahem* wasn't too much on their mind at the beginning... LOL!!!!

Ok, the kingsnake... I have been doing just what you said!! I warm up a pinkie to feel as warm as the live ones. I let the live ones crawl all over it for at least 30 minutes before I pile them all up together in her tank. As soon as she strikes a live one, I jiggle the f/t with a long pair of tongs. She comes back to nab another live, and I'm jiggling... and usually, she notices it but still grabs a live. Last week, I got her to strike the f/t!!!!! And then she dropped it, with a look of utter disgust! LOL

I'm going to keep trying tho. If I could post the f/t to follow a live, it may work, but right now I can't get quite close enough to make that happen; she is still a little skittish (but getting better).

I think she'll come around. I just need to keep at it. Thank you SO much for all your ideas!!!!! Keep them coming. :-)

[Loren]

Sounds like you are doing about all you can Lori. One other thing you could try would be to leave her overnight in a small ventilated deli cup or similar container with nothing but a f/t pinky, put her and it in there right before bedtime, and just leave the container in the snake cage in case she gets out, and to keep the cats away. put it in a decently warm spot, but not "on the heat" since she wont be able to escape the heat. Leave her overnight and see what happens. Just an idea.
Sometimes they are just plain stubborn.

[Lori P]

Does anyone here have the african soft furred rats?? I know they are predominantly fed to balls, but does anyone feed the pinkies from them to their garters or other snakes? Someone near me offered me a male and two females... but not sure that I need them if the kingsnake and garters should not eat them...

[Stefan-A]

They're quickly becoming more popular over here as food for every kind of snake, predominantly corns. I suspect some of the bigger pinkies I've bought have been natal rat (soft furred rat) pinkies.

[Lori P]

Oh cool, thanks Stefan. I'm going to go threaten my mice with replacement now if they don't make babies soon... lol.

[Stefan-A]

You do that. :) I'll just be sitting here thinking about what to do if my mice keel over.

[enigma200316]

You do that. :) I'll just be sitting here thinking about what to do if my mice keel over.



get more and try it again, or did you mean how to eat them..........:rolleyes:;)

[drache]

I'd prepare them baked in clay - like hedgehog gypsy style

[Stefan-A]

get more and try it again, or did you mean how to eat them..........:rolleyes:;)
The definition of insanity; Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. ;)

[Lori P]

The definition of insanity; Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. ;)

Well, call me insane, but I decided to try it one more time. :-) This time I bought three females and a male, and we'll give it another go. So cross your fingers and toes that these four know how to go about their business!!!

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

i think the soft furred rats are illegal in cali, and the pinkies have fur when they are born
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k211/halleyjhett/ASFbabies.jpg

[Stefan-A]

Well, call me insane, but I decided to try it one more time. :-) This time I bought three females and a male, and we'll give it another go. So cross your fingers and toes that these four know how to go about their business!!!
I'd cross my fingers if I thought it would help. How's that? ;) Not that you need it, I'm sure they'll do fine.

How old are these new ones?


Reed,
Oh, they have fur? I guess these really were normal mice pinkies, these bigger ones. Just older.

[Lori P]

Stefan, not sure how old exactly, but they appear full grown. I found out they actually breed their own at the Petco near my work, so went there to check out the quality and was impressed with the set up (amazing, as Petco ususally sucks). However, the guy got red in the face and rushed me to the checkout when I mentioned the word "feeders". :o Guess he wasn't the snake fan of the store. I tried to assure him that these, esp the brown one he specifically pointed out that he was fond of, would have a lovely home with me as long as they did their job.

Reed, that's a great photo and helpful info!! I did read that ASF babies grow faster than mice, so the pinky stage is very short...

[drache]

I tried to assure him that these, esp the brown one he specifically pointed out that he was fond of, would have a lovely home with me as long as they did their job.
their job being producing offspring for snake consumption - yeah, I'm sure that went over real well with a mouse lover

[Stefan-A]

I didn't encounter any hostility when I was looking for mice. :D I mentioned I was going to breed them for snake food in every store, just in case they were thinking of pet-quality mice only. ;) It even came up during the vet visit the other day. Not even a hint of disapproval.

My females have combined their litters. I still don't know how many pinks there are, but somewhere between 10 and 15. I still haven't decided what to do. I might need a new male if this one doesn't make it, so it'd be in my interest to raise them all until they're big enough to be sexed. Then again, they're easier to euthanize now and pinkies are more expensive, relatively speaking. Then again...

[drache]

that guy at Lori's Petco is probably an exception
there can't be that many people who really love mice to the point of forgetting that their main purpose in life is to get eaten

[Stefan-A]

So, how the hell do you get antibiotics (oral suspension) into a mouse? Either it's too small or my hands too big to hold on to it, and it's not eating any of the treats I've tried.

Force feeding a damn snake seems easy by comparison.

[enigma200316]

So, how the hell do you get antibiotics (oral suspension) into a mouse? Either it's too small or my hands too big to hold on to it, and it's not eating any of the treats I've tried.

Force feeding a damn snake seems easy by comparison.



there little droppers for feeding mice that you could use to give meds....

[Stefan-A]

The vet supplied me with needleless syringes. The mouse just won't co-operate. My hands weren't made for grabbing mice by the skin of the neck, either. They were made for doing manly things, like strangling bears.

[CrazyHedgehog]

The vet supplied me with needleless syringes. The mouse just won't co-operate. My hands weren't made for grabbing mice by the skin of the neck, either. They were made for doing manly things, like strangling bears.
you don't - its snake food... buy another wow how quick did I become hard and horrible!:(

[Stefan-A]

I'm definitely leaning towards snake food, to be honest. I can always get another male from the two litters.

This has sure become an expensive way to save money. :rolleyes:

[enigma200316]

it should have became snake food in the first place, and just get another
did I just say that.......:rolleyes:;)

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

were going to get in hairless mice at my store. I may buy a few and start a small breeding colony.

[Lori P]

The vet supplied me with needleless syringes. The mouse just won't co-operate. My hands weren't made for grabbing mice by the skin of the neck, either. They were made for doing manly things, like strangling bears.

ROFLMAO!!!! Well, I was going to say, you just pick them up by the scruff and gently push the syringe into their mouth, but never mind, Mr. Bear Strangler!! Hmmmmm, will the syringe fit up the OTHER end?? (Did I just say THAT??!!!!) LOL Just kidding!!

[anji1971]

Well, I guess if he does manage to get the stuff into the mouse, he can then go and strangle a bear to work out the frustration and stress.........:D:D

[Stefan-A]

ROFLMAO!!!! Well, I was going to say, you just pick them up by the scruff and gently push the syringe into their mouth, but never mind, Mr. Bear Strangler!! Hmmmmm, will the syringe fit up the OTHER end?? (Did I just say THAT??!!!!) LOL Just kidding!!
Yeah, I know what to do. :rolleyes: The little ******* just squiggles loose every time and my next power setting above "lifting pencil" is "crushing coconut".

Maybe I should just change my name to "Lennie"..

[anji1971]

Lennie, the Bear-Strangling Googler.
How charming..........;):D;)

[Zephyr]

Strangling a bear?
That's not in the bear fighting manual! :O
YouTube - How To Fight A Bear (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvrvxmZ0jVg)

[anji1971]

No, it's not............they must edit that video for people like Stefan!
He's obviously WAY ahead of the average bear fighter!:D

P.S. Oooops. I think we've committed the thread- hijacking sin again.........!

[KITKAT]

No, it's not............they must edit that video for people like Stefan!
He's obviously WAY ahead of the average bear fighter!:D

P.S. Oooops. I think we've committed the thread- hijacking sin again.........!

I have heard that bear meat is greasy... would strips of bear meat be accepted by a garter?

(THERE... does that get you out of trouble? LOL! :p)

[Stefan-A]

I have heard that bear meat is greasy... would strips of bear meat be accepted by a garter?
It's a bit greasy, but it's good. Beware of trichinosis, though.

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/ctgdd.jpg

Funny (not really), they don't look anything like their parents.

[drache]

congrats, Stefan
how old are they in this photo?
they look so furry

[Stefan-A]

They're about 10 days old in that photo (taken this morning). There are 16 or 17 of them in that pile.

[Lori P]

Stefan, they are awfully cute! Good pile there. I'm hoping my new mice are as productive... they have about 2 weeks to go if they are.

Desdemona has now graduated to eating hoppers!! I bought extra this week as they can eat on their own, so hopefully I won't have to go to the store every week now (unless they grow too big before next Wednesday). So what age are hoppers, anyone know? The girl at the store had no idea.

[anji1971]

Well, they're cute, BUT, they're also lunch!!
Congrats, Stefan!! That's quite a nice batch, and just curious, but what do the parents look like?:D

[Stefan-A]

Well, they're cute, BUT, they're also lunch!!
Congrats, Stefan!! That's quite a nice batch, and just curious, but what do the parents look like?:D
http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/extra/mag2.jpg


Although..

Here's what the dad looked like a couple of days ago,

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/blargh1.jpg

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

LOL, whyd you kill the male?

[Stefan-A]

"LOL"? :D

The male had developed a respiratory infection (usually fatal for mice) and was getting worse despite antibiotics. And I didn't want the others to get infected.

[Loren]

So what age are hoppers, anyone know?

I size all of my mice according to the weight standards on Rodentpro rodentpro.com,llc - buy frozen mice at wholesale prices (http://www.rodentpro.com/catalog.asp?prod=3&label=frozen_mice)
They say hoppers are typically 14- 18 days old, 8-12 grams.

[Stefan-A]

Mine are 12 days old now, I guess about 4-5 grams, and some of them have already started hopping. :)

There are 17 of them. Might keep a couple of them alive apart from the male I need, a couple seem to have the same colour and fur type as wild mice.

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/mousketeers1.jpg

[Stefan-A]

So, I gassed the first mouse today, the black one in the lower left corner in the pic above. After I turned on the gas, it took about 10 seconds until it lost consciousness, it stopped breathing after about 20 seconds and the last movement came after about 30 seconds. I didn't actually time it, but that's how long I estimate it took. I have no idea how long it should be kept in the gas chamber after that, but I gave it a good 5 minutes, just in case.

What kind of equipment do the rest of you use to kill your mice?

[mycolorfulheart]

That mouse pic is very interesting/cool, just from an artistic perspective.

[CrazyHedgehog]

What kind of equipment do the rest of you use to kill your mice?

a 10 inch rubber maid tub (tupperware?)
a small hole with gas pipe in bottom attached to a C02 bottle. (pub gas)
a tiny hole in lid to allow oxygen to escape.

I have tried slow release of gas, but the mice tend to panic, realising something is up...I now turn gas on full whack, takes about 3 seconds to lose consciousness, once out, I turn gas off, and leave them for several minutes. The more mice in the tub, the quicker it is, but I leave them for longer like you do, just in case!

[CrazyHedgehog]

2 week old rats....too cute for snake food!
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/rat1.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/rat2.jpg

[Stefan-A]

I have a practically identical solution. A 2 litre plastic container, with one small hole in the lid for oxygen to escape and a big one with the top from a standard plastic bottle attached, which the pipe attaches to directly. The CO2 comes from a bottle intended for carbonizing wine and stuff. There's a diffusor at the end of the hose, so the mouse didn't really react when the gas started flowing. If I had my camera with me, I'd post a picture.

About the rat pup.. The cuter, the tastier. ;)

[Tori]

I buy from a local man here in Michigan. I bought 50 fuzzies, 20 adult mice, and 20 hoppers for $35. I buy from him once a month, he even drives them close to us since he goes to the show in Ohio on Sat. each month.

[Stefan-A]

Murdered another four today, all the remaining black ones with the wavy fur. Best I can tell, there were 3 females and one male in that group. Still 12 left.

[Snake lover 3-25]

UGH i could never do that... i had these feeder fish for 5 days before i got too attached to kill them... and mice are so cute... i dont have any problem ordering them but the thaught of raising them just to kill them... i wouldn't have the heart no matter how much money it would save me... :(

[CrazyHedgehog]

UGH i could never do that... i had these feeder fish for 5 days before i got too attached to kill them... and mice are so cute... i dont have any problem ordering them but the thaught of raising them just to kill them... i wouldn't have the heart no matter how much money it would save me... :(
yeah thats what I thought, but when I had 100 snakes then things had to change or I would have become bankrupt!

[Stefan-A]

I thought I would find it a bit hard to kill them, but to be honest, I'm not moved one way or the other. Funny, I thought it would be different with pets, but apparently that's not how I "register" them.

[Zephyr]

I get attached to my roaches believe it or not. D:
Fortunately, for the most part, many of them look identical to eachother, so any one who's different gets my affection while the others become beardie snacks. :P

[adamanteus]

I get attached to my roaches. :P

......Ooookay......:D

[Lori P]

Well... in his defense... they really are kinda cute. They are much more personable than crickets. They LOOK at you. :-)

[Snake lover 3-25]

ewwww roaches are 100 billion times more grose than ants!!!!!!! EWWWWWWWWWW

[Lori P]

Some of the mice I bought almost 3 weeks ago are looking pretty plump. :-) So hopefully I have some babies soon too. Desdemona is now eating hopper size, so it's going to be a bit hard watching them grow to the right size.

Here's a question... how do you all "off" the pinkies?? I can't see myself putting them in the freezer alive. :-(

[adamanteus]

Many people do freeze them, Inge gases hers by the 'approved' method..... I guess Stefan shoots his.:D

[Stefan-A]

I guess Stefan shoots his.:D
I point my finger at them and say 'Bang!' That usually does the trick. ;)

[Lori P]

ROFL!! No, he glares at them with that eye until they drop!!!

I'm not sure about gassing newborns... I'll wait and hear from Inge. I know that as far as companion animals go, shelters that euth with gas are not allowed to gas newborn pups or kittens because their breathing structure somehow doesn't allow the gas to wrok quickly enough to be considered humane. I was thinking it would be the same with newborn mice.

[Stefan-A]

That's what I've read, that up until about 10 days of age, you shouldn't use gas.

I haven't killed any that young, yet. Probably won't have to either.

Here's what I've used so far:

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/carbdiox1.jpg

[adamanteus]

Soda?:D:rolleyes:

[Stefan-A]

Yeah, didn't I mention that already? :D

[CrazyHedgehog]

Yes I am afraid I freeze pinkies...
I actually went to the RSPCA for advice on this, pinkies have been proven not to have complete nerve endings, so they do not feel pain from being frozen, they get cold, go to sleep and die...Also, they have an ability to hold their tiny breaths for about 20 mins in case the mom lies on top and suffocates them, so it gets really hard to gas them.

Saying that, I either freeze them within the first 2 days or let them grow on.

RSPCA advises on paper or tissue on a pre frozen tray, paper on top. Try not to let them huddle (spread them out) as that only prolongs things.

First time is horrible!! A year down the line and I sometimes have to freeze well over 100 in a week. sadly, you get used to it.:(

[Lori P]

Wow. Ok, thanks soooo much Inge. I guess that will be the way to go, it's just going to be rough, like you said.

Stefan-- what do you say? That's a nice looking killing chamber there? LOL Wow, what a nice euthanasia box? It's hard to compliment such a device!!!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Since Little mr Sledge the hognose is so picky about his food being alive, I have started keeping mice in my basement. I have a male and 4 females. some pinks were born on sunday, they have since been hungrily devoured! I don't freeze my pinkies because... well.. that kind of takes the whole point of keeping breeder mice in my basement... sledge wouldn't even eat a pinkie that died after being born!!!

[Lori P]

I'm thinking I'll end up with waaaaay more pinkies than I need, so will freeze some for the garters. I'm thinking with 4 females and a male, I'm going to have waaay too many mice soon, period!! I have this feeling I'm going to go from 5 to 99 in a split second, lol!

[Stefan-A]

Stefan-- what do you say? That's a nice looking killing chamber there? LOL Wow, what a nice euthanasia box? It's hard to compliment such a device!!!
Why thank you. :)

The first three killings went without the mice freaking out, but I guess it had to happen sooner or later. Just gassed three males (their testies are developing) and there was definitely a panic reaction this time. Can't tell if it's the air flow or the CO2 they're reacting to, but there should be some way to avoid it.

Still eight of them left.

[Lori P]

:-( Was there a leak? Did they not get the gas quick enough?

[Stefan-A]

No, they were knocked out in record time, but they did do 'The Matrix' stunts for about two seconds before that happened.

[Lori P]

Oy. Were these the oldest ones you've done? Think it was a nerve reaction??

[Stefan-A]

The oldest, yes. At three weeks, are they still technically hoppers?

[Lori P]

I think they're on the last verges of being hoppers. At what age do they start breeding, by the way?

[Zephyr]

Hmm... Dunno if I can say this here, it is mouse related...
My garters just took their first unscented pinkies today. :D

[Stefan-A]

I think they're on the last verges of being hoppers. At what age do they start breeding, by the way?
IIRC, theoretically four weeks, maybe five weeks in reality.

[Lori P]

I think my male mouse may have an upper respitory thing... he is sitting off to himself, breathing hard. Bummer.

I've still had no babies again. They've been here 6 weeks. I must be the only person in the world who can't breed mice. LOLOL They have all been busy, building and re-arranging their home and eating well. They are espeically fond of warm oatmeal and raisins in the morning. Yesterday they got scrambled eggs and enjoyed that. They have a good quality mouse food, fruits and veggies, and lots of treats. They all (there are 4 females and 1 male) snuggle together, no-one is fighting.

So... breed, you spoiled brats, breed!! Altho now I guess we'll see what happens with the male...

Think my cats constantly hanging around the tank is enough of a bother to keep the mice from breeding???

[Stefan-A]

Stop spoiling them! :D I bet you provide them with toys as well. ;)

I accidentally left the cage in an apparently drafty spot over the easter weekend and ended up with three sneezing mice.

I've split mine into two breeding groups with 1.2 in each. The young ones are now 6 weeks, I think, and I still have one original adult left. The males definitely know what to do already, I can tell you that. ;) But as usual, it's up to the females. Hopefully, there will be babies in a few weeks again.

[anji1971]

Stefan, maybe you should just ship some of yours to Lori, and put her out of her 'non-breeding mouse' misery!!:D

[Stefan-A]

Stefan, maybe you should just ship some of yours to Lori, and put her out of her 'non-breeding mouse' misery!!:D
Maybe her mice have been sterilized? ;)

[Lori P]

LOL-- ok, admittedly, anything that comes to live with me for too long is bound to get neutered... but I swear, not the mice!! (Or the hubby! Really!!!)

Of COURSE they have toys-- I can't have the poor mice getting bored. But I can't imagine the toys are more fun for them than, well, you know, a-hem. :D So they should still be, well, a-hemming their little hearts out!!

[Stefan-A]

You never know, maybe they are just having too much fun to be thinking about a-hemming. ;)

[Lori P]

Well. I'd sure as heck need more than a plastic wheel, some tunnels and a cardboard treehouse to keep ME from a-hemming... :rolleyes:

[Stefan-A]

I could be a-hemming right now, but I'm busy playing Asteroids and watching a documentary about the Roman empire and China. Not mention that I'm using this forum as well. :D

[Lori P]

OH!!! I just realized the problem with my mice!! With all those toys, I've given the male the equivalent of a remote control!!! My girls are never gonna get lucky... thanks, Stefan, for clarifying for me!! LOL

[Lori P]

I HAVE BABY MICE!!!! I HAVE BABY MICE!!!! Whoooo hoooo after all this time!!! I have--- er---- mouse-lings!!! LOL

Wow. I didn't count, but there's a whole load of precious petite plump pink pups in there!

Wow. And you know what?

Er.... I don't need baby mice. Dedemona is eating f/t.

LOLOLOL

[anji1971]

Funny how that worked out, huh??:D
Well, congrats on your unnecessary baby mice! I'm sure someone will still eat 'em if need be!

[Stefan-A]

Congratulations, Lori. :)

I gassed my last mouse about 45 minutes ago.

[Lori P]

The balls will happily eat them when they are grown, it's just funny that I started all this just for Des. :-)

So... the male that was in that tank died last week (URI, I think). How soon is it safe to introduce a new male to the little family of 3 females and the mouse-lings?

[Stefan-A]

Obviously I don't know much about mice, but I'd wait until the babies have been weened.

[Lori P]

Aaarrrrrrrggggghhhhh!!!! My second preggers mommy mouse-- she was HUGE, ready to pop any day-- died yesterday. Just... died. I found her lying in the tank when I got home. I can't fathom what happened!! These mice are very frustrating! It's become a challenge to me now-- I am determined to succeed at this...

[reptileparadise]

hmmm...How could I miss this thread!
I currently have 2.7 multimammates. Breeding very well I guess...I found 33 and 27 young this week, so everyone is getting spoiled again :D
I'm now trying to breed them for color...Almost al multi's have white spots, so I'm breeding them for normal (grey) and 'pastel colors'...Why? No Idea but I just found a couple of "black and tan" mice...but then grey with white bellies :)


So... the male that was in that tank died last week (URI, I think). How soon is it safe to introduce a new male to the little family of 3 females and the mouse-lings?

You could try this when you put all youre animals in a new enviroment (such as a clean cage, with clean toys/ acessories)

[Lori P]

I picked up three very beautiful females from the pet store last week-- they are a SILVER color! Just lovely-- I've been trying to take pics but they just look either brown or gray in the pics. I would also like to see what colors I can get from them... just for fun. I just moved my only male, a white, in with them last night. He sure is making the rounds! He seems to never stop grinning... :D

[Loren]

Aaarrrrrrrggggghhhhh!!!! My second preggers mommy mouse-- she was HUGE, ready to pop any day-- died yesterday. Just... died. I found her lying in the tank when I got home. I can't fathom what happened!! These mice are very frustrating! It's become a challenge to me now-- I am determined to succeed at this...

Yes Lori, breeding mice can be frustrating. I have had problems too. They do great for a while, then I get streaks of infertility and sickness. I think my main problem is that I keep my reptile room a little too warm for mice.
As for introducing a new male- if your situation goes like all of my previous times- the females will kill him. Unless you introduce them to him, one at a time, over a few days, then you might be ok, but it sounds like you are down one female now anyways.