Starting colonies!!!!!

I'm getting a few colonies together this weekend. Do you think I could do a 1:2-3 ratio in a ten gallon tank? Once the females become pregnant, you have to seperate the males and females as well right?

I have three 1.2 colonies each in a 10 gallon Critter Cage. 1.3 in a 10gallon should be no problem at all.

The only reason to seperate the male from the females is if you do not wish to haveback-to-back pregnancies. Personally...my mice have a hard time keeping up, anyhow, so I just let them breed 'til they can't breed no more.

FWIW...I made sure that all three of my colonies were started with unrelated mice. In this way, I can take a male from one colony, and a female from each of the other two, and allow them to grow to replace my "retirees" when the time is right...

nice nice sounds good =). I'll just pick some up from various pet shops so they will be no way related!

i would also remove the male when the females are pregnant as they often stress them. also keep an eye out for baby snathching between the females. good luck!!!

lee

Depends on if you are talking about mice or rats. Mice will be fine in a 10 gal, rats need more space.

If it's mice, I would leave the male with the colony. Set up 1.2 or 1.3 or 1.whatever and leave them alone. Don't move them around or they will fight and kill each other off.

I have two colonies of mice a 1:2 ratio and 1:3, I don't take the males out because I need more feeders. From what I observed the males seem to protect the babies. I have one tank 1:3 with three adult females (2 pregnant), young adult male and female (pregnant), three hoppers, 7 fuzzies. I recently culled some of the fuzzies and an older male. I have an older female very fat never has babies, but she takes great care of the babies, so I leave her in there. I left the males in to begin with because I read the females will often kill a male if he is new to them or it will take longer for them to become pregnant. It took my colonies about two months to really get going and established. Especially if you need feeders leave the male there, chances are if he is in when the female has her babies she will be pregnant before you take him out, JMHO, susan

snakeboy24 wrote:

i would also remove the male when the females are pregnant as they often stress them. also keep an eye out for baby snathching between the females. good luck!!!

lee

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I absolutely disagree with this comment. Stress from the father is highly unlikely in rodent colonies.

I have had my mouse colonies for going on 6 months(and have produced well over 100 babies per colony), plus the 10 colonies we have had at work for over 5 years(countless babies produced), and have NEVER had a male that remained in the colony be detrimental to their health or safety. In fact, in almost every instance, the male becomes the "protector", and defends the babies, even if the mothers run away from me.

Now...male offspring I remove as soon as they are of weaning age(aprox. 21 days), and female offspring I seperate out to avoid unwanted pregnancies. But the breeder males and females always stay together. Mainly because female rodents are at their most fertile within 2-3 days of giving birth, and back-to-back litters is the only way a growing snake collection can be kept up with...

Even my rat colony at home, and the 2 I have at work, remain together...

just my $.02...