Tan butts?

[Joejr14]

Too funny.

http://www.geocities.com/joeseminole83/picture_0632.jpg

[Taceas]

Cute, and I was reading that "different colored butted mice" are speshul in professional mouse breeding competitions.

http://www.miceandrats.com/images/mar_rum.jpg


Anyway, one question is begging to be asked, why are they so skinny?

They look malnourished and bruised. And no, not a feeder nazi, I just like my feeders to be happy and healthy before their demise. Healthy mice = healthy snakes.

The one on the top of the other mouse, looks the most bruised and you can even see the tail bones. :confused:

Here's a pic of one of my fuzzies:
http://www.mainecoon.net/~rain/Snakes/Rodents/MouseBabies2.JPG

[carol]

Ya, I was thinking the same exact thing when I saw the pics, looks like momma needs more food, better food or both... Here is a pic of one of my crawlers.

[Joejr14]

I dont know--they're really not that skinny.

I'm pretty sure that it's her first litter, so perhaps that has something to do with it?

They get mouse blend from Walmart, leftover fresh bread, and veggies---that's what I've always done.

[Taceas]

First litter could have a little to do with that, but something ain't right.
Either she's not producing enough milk or there's not enough nutrition going around.

If the "mouse blend" is primarily seeds, I'd say find something else. Blech.

Seeds are fine as treats occasionally, but not as a sole diet. There's no nutrition in there, just fat. And if it says "enriched", thats a crock too. They can't inject the vitamins in the seed cases, they just spray it on the outside which is what animals don't eat.

Find yourself a good quality lab block. Petsmart carries Mazuri which is good or maybe find a local feed mill that can make it like here. I buy my feed in 50lb bags and I've had good results with it.

[Joejr14]

Well, I just made up a little cocktail for her, we'll see if she does any better with that in the next few days.

I'll check out the lab block idea---it's just I bred mice last year on pretty much strictly seed and leftover veggies and the occasional cheese slice or two, and they did fine.

They feel plump, it just seems that there isn't a big coat of fur coming in, I dunno.

[Taceas]

Was their bedding excessively wet for a period of time (water bottle leak)? It looks like either that, parasites, or malnutrition.

I've had a gerbil to starve her kits and they end up looking like that. They don't have enough nutrition to grow hair properly, so it comes in in patches.

If only they were a tad fatter and hairier, they'd be adorable. =B

[Joejr14]

No, I mean they are in my bathroom on the floor in a 10 gallon tank, since that's the only place I can have them, but their bedding isn't wet.

I honestly dont pay that much attention other than putting food in there, and checking on the water level. I'm not sure if she's letting them feed enough, or what. Normally when I see her late and night she's asleep on top of their hide box away from the babies.

We'll see if more food the next few days does anything to their size, and I'll check out the lab block.

[JTGoff69]

How do you guys do it?? They are so adorable!!! I have no resolve for the fancy colored ones, I'd have mice tanks all over the house. LOL Lucky snakes you all have to have such devoted parents!

[DAND]

How do you guys do it?? They are so adorable!!! I have no resolve for the fancy colored ones, I'd have mice tanks all over the house. LOL Lucky snakes you all have to have such devoted parents!

The cuter the mouse you feed to the snake the better looking the snake gets.

[luvofthechase]

LOL. i bred my own mice to sell to the pet store where i worked well before i started feeding them to my snakes. now i have learned to tell the difference between the sexes as pinkies, and the males get frozen as snake food (they dont sell as well for pets). i dont know what ill do once my snakes are up to hoppers, but i can deal with freezing pinks and fuzzies

[JTGoff69]

The cuter the mouse you feed to the snake the better looking the snake gets.

I'll have to take your word for it Dave, mine will have to settle for getting butt ugly white mice. ;)

[Amanda E]

It might not necessarily be the diet.

I noticed that one of my mice started having pretty anemic looking babies once she neared the 1 yr old mark. I kept breeding her but I would just kill off the pinks at 1-2 days old.

[JM :o)]

I see crappy, skinny pups with older females as well~ but more often if I have a poor gene combination. Some of the gene combination (specifically anything that is both silky and long haired~ but sometimes with other combo's) just produce weak babies. They look crappy like that as pups~ and rarely reach adult size before they just die off. I usually just get rid of (feed out) the female throwing the crappy pups as the male in her colony is apparently not compatible with her genes.

[Joejr14]

Well I bought some Kaytee block so we'll see.

She's pregnant again and should pop some new babies out in 2 weeks or so, so hopefully those look a little better. I'll supplement her diet with some extra calcium and some vitamins, and we'll see if there's a difference.

If not, I'll just knock all the pinkies off and consider getting another female.