I got 'em

I went ahead and bought a male and female yesterday. Both are while with red eyes (Albino?). They are very sweet and a bit young from what the owner of the shop said. So she said it may take some time before I see any results.

Now the owner and an employee both checked to see if they were male and female and I should have asked how I could tell but I didn't. I haven't noticed any nipples with the one I suspect to be female, then again I haven't handled them much. I want them to get used to their environment. But the little boy I handled, he had what looked to be 'boy parts', do male mice have testicles? I know rats do, so I'd assume mice would too. I'll get so sexing shots to show you guys later today.

It's been awhile since I've had mice and when I did they were both female. Is it okay, when I held them that the squeaked a bit. It was more like they were talking. I don't think I hurt them.

Also, I was hoping to get fancy mice, for different colors, but all 4 pet shops I went to were out. So I settled on feeder mice in which they were all white. Are feeder mice fancy mice just with a different name? I'll get some pictures soon.

Thanks all.

Since both mice are albinos and have no special markings, if you guys are to confirm I have a male and a female, I won't be able to tell the difference from just looking at them.

Is there a safe way I can mark the male? I was thinking a drop of food coloring. Any suggestions?

Onto the photos:




If you look under the tail there is a 'bump', testicles I'd assume. The "female" I have doesn't have that.


Assumed Female

The 'bump' looks like testes to me, you can check for nipples as well [noticeable on the female]. As far as marking goes, I'd think that differences will become more obvious with time, so dyeing shouldn't be needed.

dave_jaclyn said:

The 'bump' looks like testes to me, you can check for nipples as well [noticeable on the female]. As far as marking goes, I'd think that differences will become more obvious with time, so dyeing shouldn't be needed.

Click to expand...

Or you could check the Ano-Genital Distance.
Which is the gap between the anus and the genitalia.

Longer = Male
Shorter = Female.

Assumed Female

Click to expand...

Indeed, female.

And yes, Albino.

One of my friends worked in a lab that had mice, and they'd punch holes in the mice's ears for marking. But I woudln't recommand doing that yourself. I think they had special equipment to do it. You might be able to take your mouse to a vet to get it done?

The food coloring would work, but only for a few weeks, so you'd have to keep doing it whenever it starts to fade. You can also shave a certain area but that might look kind of funny.

Ear punching is harsh.
It hurts the animal.
I wouldn't reccomend doing it at all.
You just might have to stick to comparing sizes, or just looking for the bump near their behinds, no bump = female, bump = male.

We just look for a bump when we sex them, without taking out our mice.

Green Bean said:

Also, I was hoping to get fancy mice, for different colors, but all 4 pet shops I went to were out. So I settled on feeder mice in which they were all white. Are feeder mice fancy mice just with a different name? I'll get some pictures soon.

Thanks all.

Click to expand...

To answer this question:
I have looked at the pictures you posted, I believe feeder mice are fancy mice with a different name as you said.
Fancy mice are the most commonly used as pets and for feeding, so yes, they probably are fancy mice.

Hmmm... that's why I prefer to use the fancy mice, different patterns I can tell who is who :shrugs: :cheers:

After you've had them awhile, you get used to knowing who is who without even having to think about it. I really wouldn't worry about marking them.

youre assumed Fem. may be a male from the pic (blurry)his jewels are just not visible if they were the dominant male would chew em off literaly! you should notice fighting if in deed they are both males,though female squeak/squeel when persued, at that age nipples should be noticable,pre teen mice are harder to sex than fuzzies or adults. they are old enough to breed good luck

Thanks all for the responces. I've been holding them off and on a few times a day, they are pretty calm and sweet. I'm beginning to become attached, lol.

Now, once F1 (female 1) has her babies, can I keep a female from that generation and breed the new female back to the M1 (male 1)? I figure by giving them a name and number I won't become so attached. And at what generation should I become worried about inbreeding to where a problem would arise with defects and such? These are strickly for food, not pets, so, yeah, just to put that out there.

Also since feeders seem to be fancy's, adding new fancy blood to the mix won't hurt down the line. Something colored?

Thanks all!

They look like a male and female to me. I just got a trio of rats this afternoon (couldn't help myself, they're adorable) and I've been staring at pictures online and staring at their butts all day to make sure the people at the pet shop sexed them right, and I believe they are two females and a male. Could be two males and a female (poor dear, if that happens I'll have to trade the male for another female).

http://www.afrma.org/sexing101.htm

That site has mice and rats, male and female in several stages of life. It came in handy for me.

Also feeder mice are just called so because they are generic albinos not bred for anything in particular (color, size, coat, temperment) and are sold for reptile food. Fancy mice is just a name for the same mice with different colors and patterns. I've had some wonderful feeder mice with a better attitude than some "fancy" mice sold as pets. Some of them are crazy.

As for the dye, as they get older, and the longer you have them, you'll recognize the face shape, or another distinguishing thing about them. As babies a lot of them look very much alike, but they do become unique. Just because they're both solid white with red eyes doesn't mean their structures and body types will be exactly the same.

Keeping a female or multiple females from the F1 stock to breed back isn't a problem at all. I did this with my fancy mice colony, but their first litter was kind of small because the male bred them when they were still fairly young.

I guess you could remove the male for a period of time to raise them older, but that might cause problems with reintroduction and such. And since you said these are feeders strictly, it's probably best to just leave them alone and expect a small litter for their first.

Also, you should be able to sex the babies when they're about 1 week old or so by comparing their genitals. If not you can always wait till they're fuzzies and look for nipples which are pretty prominant on the female babies.