Mice!!!!!

i am thinking about starting up breeding mice. I am thinking of producing enough mice ot sell some for feeders. i was thinking about having about 15-20 mice to start from the store as breeders. What do u think i would need for supplys, and costs. if there are any great website taht u guys can refer me to i would really apreciate it. What feed would u suggest i use to make quality mice. thnk you very much

can be a good thing when it comes to breeding mice.

I'm currently using 2 teaspoons of Double strength Vanilla Extract with 10 drops of G.S.E. to a gallon of water.
I keep my mice on alfalfa pellets substrate these days.
It's working out well odor wise. Big time difference in odor, since using this technique compared to the standard issue tap water & shavings setup.

Only drawback is the pellets cost per tub/use is quite a bit more than shavings, but, from super "dirt" cheap to relatively inexpensive is a bearable situation.

The mousetini cocktail / Rabbit pellets work almost to good, as excess droppings ( high fiber diet) can build up before the odor does, at least on a small scale like your talking. Depends on tub population density.

Shavings quickly accumulated odor will force you to change them long before that distinctive musky odor becomes a problem with the Rabbit pellets.
3-5 days later and the rabbit pellets haven't even begun to emanate odors yet, in conjunction with the mousee cocktail Recipe.


Doing a search here for more mice caging, care and breeding info. should give one results.

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/sho...&threadid=5039
http://www.kingsnake.com/obsoleta/projects.htm

Mice 101
Postnatal development of mice;

A mouse is born naked with closed ears and eyes, and if a female, with a closed vagina. Hair begins to appear at 2-4 days, ears open at 3-5 days, and eyes open at about 14 days. Typically, the vagina opens at 24-28 days of age, but it can be delayed in some mice until they are 35-40 days old. As soon as the eyes are fully functional, at about 16 days, pups will begin to eat solid food. However, nursing can continue to at least the end of the third week and sometimes a week or more longer. By the end of the third week of life, a young mouse resembles the adult in every aspect other than size and sexual differentiation.

Mice 102
Sex determination;
The sex of the newborn mouse can be determined from both the distance that separates the genital papilla and the anal opening, and from the general appearance of the urogenital-anal region. The genital-anal distance in newborn males is generally 50% greater than in newborn females. In addition, the male genitalia are often more prominent, and in the pre-scrotal region below, a dark pigmentation is often visible.
The simplest way to become adept at distinguishing gender is through pairwise comparisons of the pups — in each hand, a newborn pup can be held gently, but firmly, between the index finger and the thumb in a upside-down position.
As neonates age, gender determination becomes somewhat more difficult.
It becomes easier again at 8-10 days with the appearance of nipples along the ventral side of the female, and at the age of weaning (18-28 days), when the penis has developed more fully in the male.
http://www.informatics.jax.org/silver/4.4.shtml

I was going to read the reply, but it was too long . To feed mice I would suggest hamster food. Kaytee Small Animal food if you are going to breed mice. I feed my hamster that food and it lasted for almost two years. It's bacicaly just assorted seeds and stuff. I hope that helps.