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Basics of Breeding Mice

Currently they are on 18 hours of lighting, but it's because i'm not home to turn off the light before midnight, and so they get that... Tonight i'll take the light off and allow them diffused sunlight from a window.

What do you recommend: i can 'trade' my 5 mice for mice at this store where the owner says the mice ARE breeding should i do this instead of starting a second colony? Basically i'm worried about pushing back any pregnancies for another month.
 
yes trade it because mice will breed they dont need a month time to introduce themselves to each other its probly just an old male u have in your coleny or theres somthing wrong with him. make sure the male u get has a healthy looking shiny coat if he has patches in his hair ive noticed its not as healthy and wont breed as well but ur looking for ur mouse to be old but not too old cause the first few litters will be small with younger/older mice...and mice arent picky you dont need an exact lighting/heating cycly but i think that 18 hours light is just stressing them out too much i suggest u get a time and put them on 12/12 day night cycle...and try giving them a balanced diet if it doesnt work...i just use dog food and i keep them near a windo for day night cycle and i dont use aditional heating room temp is fine.
 
oh but if u have an extra heat pad availabe it is suggested to use it ...the ideal temprature is just below 80 i get a litter of 15 babies on average with all 3 of my colenies
 
Okay well first off the male looks and acts like he's a small little bull, full of energy and very active.

Anyways did you say trade my entire colony for a new one or just the male? i'm considering just trying a new colony with the mice i'll be buying tomorrow.
 
Just for a little flavor~ I'll go ahead and add my thoughts~

A month is not very long at all. If they are from the feeder bin then they were weenlings most likely~ they have to finish maturing and work out their colony dynamics and then start breeding for you. I don't find it at all unusual to put a colony of weeners together and expect at least 2-3 months before active production from them. You'll get better production from an older male and younger female (he knows his job and instructs her whether she likes it or not) but DO NOT take that as my suggesting you change out your male for an older male~ or change out any mouse in the colony. Put a colony together and LEAVE IT ALONE.

I would also suggest that 80F is too hot. Makes your mice uncomfortable and lazy. They'll spend all their time spread out trying to cool off. I would love it if I could keep my mouse house down to 70F year round. I can't in So Cal, so I get about 65-70 winter and try to keep it down to 80F in the summer. There is a DRASTIC decrease in production in the summer.
 
I'm going to try my question again. How do you keep your colonies cool, we typically have a month of over 100F? The suppliers in this area will have colonies die from the heat. I've done frozen water bottles with hampsters, will this work with mice.
 
the mice will chew into the bottles and flood their tubs.

There really is no good way to do it.

Buy an AC unit~ pay the high electric bill and replace the unit in a year or two (dust and amonia gets on the coils~ will ruin the AC unit~ and will increase your electric bill dramatically every month before it dies as the unit works harder and harder to cool the room with the dirty coils)

Or use a swamp cooler. Thats what I use, a portable swamp. Electric isn't too bad and I've had it for a couple years without replacing it~ but I have to fill it up with water EVERY morning, and I suspect the increased humidity does as much harm as the cooler air does good. I lose a lot of breeders this time of year as the weather changes. Usually by July those that just can't take the heat and humidity have died off and whats left does fine.

Good luck~ sorry I don't have a better answer for you.
 
I have a suggestion, but i'm not from california so i don't know if this explicitly applies. but i here on the east coast my basement is about 60 - 75 all summer long, have you thought to try this during the hottest month?
 
owen said:
yes trade it because mice will breed they dont need a month time to introduce themselves to each other its probly just an old male u have in your coleny or theres somthing wrong with him. make sure the male u get has a healthy looking shiny coat if he has patches in his hair ive noticed its not as healthy and wont breed as well but ur looking for ur mouse to be old but not too old cause the first few litters will be small with younger/older mice...and mice arent picky you dont need an exact lighting/heating cycly but i think that 18 hours light is just stressing them out too much i suggest u get a time and put them on 12/12 day night cycle...and try giving them a balanced diet if it doesnt work...i just use dog food and i keep them near a windo for day night cycle and i dont use aditional heating room temp is fine.
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Owen. Truly you don't know all that much. I've been breeding rodents on and off for 12 years. Cooler temps are better for mice. They breed more babies because it simulates early spring. Oh and just because something works for your colonys might not always work for other colonies.

To answer susang's question a fan or a bottle frozen in the freezer to make it cold will work to.
 
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