breeder mice cages

[NetBSD]

well im sitting here thinkin and wondering. i have two 10 gallon fish tanks im using for my mice, do you guys think if i put a divider in to split the tank in half it will be enough room for 3 mice in each side? i got spare plexie glass and sealer laying around so it would be a real cheap and easy way to seperate mice

[Lori P]

Well... that's getting pretty small. I use 20 gallon tanks for mine and still feel like they don't have enough room!! They are so active, you know?? But I'm probably not the best to answer.

[infernalis]

That would be rather small for them, it may stress them out, and they will kill and eat the pinkies.

Stuffing 3 mice in a space that small would be equivalent to stacking 3 people in a broom closet.

[Loren]

well, from a technical standpoint- thats about the size of the smaller lab boxes, which house 1 male and 3 females, but from a comfort standpoint, yes it is small.

[jitami]

Great question, tho. I've thought about doing that with a 15 gallon.

[infernalis]

It all depends on ones perspective I'm sure.

Labs test on mice, I'll leave that alone, different subject entirely.

In one corner there will always be a group who view the mice solely as food for the reps, therefore the comfort of the mice will mean less.

In the other corner will be those who feel that the breeders (moms and dads) should be rewarded for producing all that food by giving the breeders a comfortable life.

neither side is right or wrong, it's all personal feelings.

Is the first person a monster, NO

Number two a saint? NO

Just like some folks can feed live all day long, and others will pre-kill only, while yet another camp buys frozen exclusively, either because they cannot or would be inconvenienced by killing mice.

It's all preference

[Loren]

well put wayne. I starte out with the small lab tubs, but have been converting to roomier cages. I am going for the middle of the road I guess. Want them to have a decent life before I kill them, but dont want to go overboard either.

[infernalis]

That's a really good way to put it Loren, We started getting a little carried away at first, like we would be out shopping and Dorothy would come up to me with mouse toys and say "would they like this"?

So I moved the mice into the reptile room, that way it reminds everyone in the house just what we do it for.

I use these big poly totes, Wal mart had them on sale once for $4 each, I had snakes in them prior to the petco aquarium sale, "recycled them as mouse enclosures, for CHEAP...

a 10 gallon tank costs 10-12 dollars, even if you cut it in half, thats 5 bucks a side for cramped quarters, compared to $4 to have 10 times the room.

It's a win/win all the way around to me..

[brain]

well im sitting here thinkin and wondering. i have two 10 gallon fish tanks im using for my mice, do you guys think if i put a divider in to split the tank in half it will be enough room for 3 mice in each side? i got spare plexie glass and sealer laying around so it would be a real cheap and easy way to seperate mice

Ok I’ll wade in on this one because buying mice get costly as we all know. I have raised mice and rats for at least 10 years or so. And I taught two orphan kittens how to catch mice with my miceJ
That was fun.

I find that the lab set up a good rule of thumb, 1 male 2-3 female in a 12 qt tub. Much more than that and yes they will kill each other.

Rodent racks are a real good thing if you have the room. I'm a carpenter so I build my own on the cheap. It holds 15 tubs and that is suffent for my snakes needs.

How many can you keep in a 10 gallon tank? I can keep 6-8 at a time with out the dead part. I have kept as many as 30 in tank but they didn’t last. Day two or three and the killing begin. I will take the hoppers from the adults after I see them picking up food and eating. This is where I get like 30 in a tank. AHHHH

There can be fighting from time to time. This is quelled with a spray bottle. Water is always essential.

I feed with KayTee small rodent food which is now getting costly, @ $26.00 a 20 lb. ouch is right. But I find I don’t’ have animals getting tumors.

I’m going to start experimenting with another food source. Cheap dog food has been recommended to me; just get the highest protein for the buck.

[NetBSD]

yeah i have no room for a rack right now but i do have the plans all set for building one once my motorocycle is put back together and outof my basement. as for now i just have the two 10 gtallon tanks, one is the breeding tank with 3 females one male and the other is just 3 males waiting to be fed off (its cheaper to buy bulk mice at the local shop), i do get some fights but not to many and id say i have 1 die outof 5 when i buy them