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New Mice Are Here

Can they Breed?

  • Yes

    Votes: 5 41.7%

  • No

    Votes: 4 33.3%

  • Can't Tell

    Votes: 3 25.0%
  • Total voters
    12
P

Porky

PORK CHOP!!!!
Here are my 1.3 mice. They are still a bit small I think so I don't know if they can stay together. They are in a 10 gallon. I got everything I needed including the tank, mice, food and 2 dog bones for $25. They are making lots of squeeky noises and the male is chasing the females already. I don't think he is mature yet.
The camera died so I can't gat more pics til I change the batteries. One of the white ones already bit me. I wanted to drop her into the savs cage so bad. If I didn't just pay 2$ on her...... Oh well. I will get a pic woth a quarter for size comparison soon. They are between 2.5-3" without tail
 

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Thanks, I was told that they may be small but I am waiting for experience from someone that breeds lots of mice.
 
I am not an Expert but i have herd that it might take upwards of 3 month to make a coliny before they willl feel comfortable with breeding with each other. THey doo seem a little small but by them they might be big enought, I do not know though. i have tried in the past but it just never worked out for me, How are they doing for you Mike?
 
Mike? Was that a joke? or a mistaken Idenity? They are sleeping together now so they are not shy. The male was chasing the females earlier. I will try to watch them tonight to see how they act. Maybe they may start breeding in the next week. Most of the reading I did said if the female is in heat that the male will usually start to breed within 3-13 hours and I hope the females are mature now or at least soon. I'm going to give them some food to help fatten them up quick. I heard peanut butter helps so I may try a bit of that. they are squirmy, biting, albino turds!!!
 
I would keep them together. If you separate them, the females may kill the male when you re-introduce him to them. It is much better to put them together when they are still young.

I think they are probably a bit small for breeding. It may be a few months before you get any babies.
 
They look big enough to definitely be housed together, and possibly breeding size as well. So I think you're ok on that. =)

If its your goal to breed them, then just put them together and leave them be, and thank your lucky stars they're not fighting. I've had it take up to two months after the formation of a new colony to see pregnancy in the females, so just consider it a head start on your part.

I like to start new colonies when they're freshly and completely weaned, and the raging hormones haven't started yet and they won't fight. Which typically happens in the 5-6 week range.

Mice can breed at 4 weeks, but most of mine begin around 6-8 weeks. Sometimes I think doing it too soon can weaken the females and shorten their lifespan considerably. Most people just consider them feeder mice and don't care how short their lives may be, only that they spit out babies every month. But I like big healthy babies, and if the mom isn't healthy to begin with, the babies aren't going to be healthy when born.

But it sounds and looks like you've got everything taken care of. Just be forewarned, a 10 gallon is a tad small for 3 adult mice and will need to be cleaned out weekly at least. Look in the local papers for cheap used aquariums for sale, if you can find a 20 gallon, that would be optimum.

Mice will fatten up on a good diet of lab blocks, rest assured of that. Too many treats can give them the squirts and cause them to be obese if they're not getting exercise of any sort. I usually give mine weekly treats after a cage cleaning of a seed mix lightly coated with peanut oil.

Good luck with them. =)
 
Often times, I pull whole litters to wean out between 2 and 3 weeks of age. They are then house together in larger "holding tanks" for roughly a month to gain some size. Every now and again, I have a litter dropped in the "holding tank". Fairly often, the young does look and act pregnant. We're talking about mice 6-8 weeks old here.

On the other hand, I too have had whole colonies hold out for several months before producing. It really just depends.

Q
 
If they start to fight and 1 gets injured I will just feed the injured one to my sav. If all goes well I am expecting to get babies from all of the females. About how old do they look to you guys?
 
A new pic, this is the male. He looks big enough to breed. The females were eating all night last night so I anticipate they will be able to breed very soon if not now.
 

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a 10 gallon is too small for the 1.3 mice? I thought it was plent big. I am going to start a large community 40 breeder tank soon. Probably after the first babies are weaned.
 
Porky said:
a 10 gallon is too small for the 1.3 mice?
Click to expand...

IMO, a 10 gallon is adequate for 1.3 mice. However, people who raise pet or show mice will usually suggest bigger sized cages.
 
What I meant was, is that a 10 gallon is adequate for a 1.3, but I usually recommend larger if you can get it.

But, when you've got babies you're raising up in there as well it can quickly swell from 1.3 to 4.10 in a short amount of time and it can get SMELLY in a hurry.

Now if you have a tank to move the youngins to as soon as they'e sufficiently weaned, that's fine. But I'm just saying I've always liked to have extra room for most of my pets, feeder rodents included. That way if I was lacking the space, they can mill around with the parents until I can find that extra container.

The tubs in my mouse rack are 36" x 18" x 6". Most people keep the same amount of adults, 1.5, in a tub about the size of a small kitty litter pan. I can get away with a lot less changings than they could, and I have room to let the young ones grow up before culling them off as well.

Sorry I didn't expound on what I was saying, it was well past my bedtime when I posted. =P


Btw, whats this "large community breeder tank" you're talking about?

If you have more than one male mouse per container they're more than likely going to fight and they will have what I call "urine wars", they will pee on EVERYTHING. And there is nothing more gross than changing a sticky-slimy water bottle that reaks of urine.

Not to mention, I've done un-intended experiments (weaner bins that went too long) and when there are too many mice in there, the females are more apt to cull the babies as they seem to perceive its a crowded environment and don't want anymore.

The most I've gotten away with is a 2.10 in a 30 gallon aquarium. The males were brothers that I'd saved back and they got along well, but they still did the urine thing all over creation. When I finally got them separated into their own 1.5's, everything was much better.
 
I didn't mean for breeding. I meant like same sex tubs for holding weanlings. I gotta find a corn or 2 so I have a good enough reason to breed mice other than for my sav.
 
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