The Ultimate mouse Breeding Questin Thread

[Remmmy]

Ok well im going to Start off by Saying i have ALOT of Questions i will be Colour Coding this to make the Transition between one one Set of Questions to another Essayer to tell.

Just a little bit of Information on us. My room mate and i have a Combined total of about 30 Corns and Looking to get More for Breeding Purposes.

our Original Plan was just to breed pinkies so when we Breed the Corns the Babys we sell dont Cost us anything to feed them But thinking about it if i can get it so i can Feed every one without ever having to resort to buying mice that would be Superb. So well here it go's.


Housing!
~what is the Best thing to keep the Mice in (size Material) ETC Currently Using 20 Gallon Long Snake Tanks.
~What all Should be in there Habitat Water Bottle Food Bowl?
~for Hides what is Best i am Currently using Plastic Beer Cups
~for them to Give birth in what should i use I am Currently Using a Using Box with some Shredded Newspaper and Pillow Fluff
~what Kind of Bedding should they be on Currently Using Shredded Newspaper


Breeding!
~What is the Best Mouse to Breed?
~how often should a Mouse be Bred
~how many times can a Mouse be Bred
~i have Heard a 1.3 Ratio is Best is this True?
~i Currently have 4 Males and 5 Females Each Male has 1 Female and 1 male has 2 Females is this Bad could it Lead to too Much Stress on the Females if the Male dosent have Enough Females to Mate with? (we will be putting Each male with 3 Females just need to buy more Females to Start up.)
~Should the Male Be Removed Once all Females are Pregnant?
~How do you know if a Female is Pregnant
~how do you know when a Female is going into Labour?
~What is the Best Age to Start Breeding a Mouse?



Feeding!
~How often should they Be Fed
~What is the Best Food

Putting Down the Mice to be Frozen!
~How Old is your Typical Pinky
~How old is your Typical Fuzzy
~How old is your Typical Hopper
~How old is an Adult
~ive heard for Pinks to Put them Down you just put them in a Baggie and put them in the Freezer True??
~putting down any other Age mouse how should it be Done ive heard of making a Chamber and using Dry Ice True?
~if i should use a Chamber what Gas do i use?
~How long after they have Been Gassed do i Freeze them?
~how long after Gassing and Freezing can i Thaw and Feed to Snakes so i dont Pass on any Harmful Effects from the Gas?
~Ive Heard one Way to Put down anything over a Pinky is to Grab its Head and Tail and Pull to Snap its Neck is this True? Dont really want to Use this Method Because it Seems like it Would Be Extremely Time Consuming should i have a Large Amount of Mice!


Buying Mice to Breed!
~Ive Heard that Breeding Fancy Mice isn't good because you wont get many Litters out of them True??
~if i should not Use Fancy Mice where Would i be able to buy a Better Breed of Mouse to Breed? (Please Note i live in Ontario Canada)

Thank you for reading Any of This i Am Aware it is Quite Lengthy and May have some Spelling or Grammar Mistakes (infact i Guarantee there are lots). But than you for any Answers you may Provide.

Just a Side Note i do Know Some of The Answers to some of the Questions i am just hoping that this Thread not only helps me but helps any others who Decide to Breed there own Mice

If you dont Mind when Answering a Question Please use the Same Colour as the Original Question Just so i can Place the Question and Answer Better. But any and all Standard Black Answers are Equally Appreciated Thank you!

 

[ZoologyGirl]

Holy cow, lots of questions, I'll try to answer a few

Housing!
~what is the Best thing to keep the Mice in (size Material) ETC Currently Using 20 Gallon Long Snake Tanks.

You can use the aquariums if that is what you'd like to use, but most people that have more than a couple colonies use a rack system. Here is a thread on the one I built with a how-to video http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95025

~What all Should be in there Habitat Water Bottle Food Bowl?
~for Hides what is Best i am Currently using Plastic Beer Cups
~for them to Give birth in what should i use I am Currently Using a Using Box with some Shredded Newspaper and Pillow Fluff
~what Kind of Bedding should they be on Currently Using Shredded Newspaper

Water bottle, food, bedding. I just give them toilet paper tubes and paper towel tubes and my empty cardboard boxes. I don't give them anything to give birth, they just tend to make a little nest themselves with the cardboard stuff I give them and they shred it up and use that. I'm guessing shredded newspaper would be fine. Shredded aspen is fine too. And some use the compacted pine pellets.

Breeding!
~What is the Best Mouse to Breed?

I just started with the regular ol' white mice you can get from petco. A nice mouse to breed that produces a lot of babies is the Swiss Webster, but they are generally used in lab research and not something you can go to the pet store and buy, and can be pricey to get ahold of.

~how often should a Mouse be Bred
~how many times can a Mouse be Bred

My mice breed whenever they want. My females are always left in with the males even through birth and raising the young...so they breed whenever. As for how many times, I'm not really sure, but on a recent thread someone was saying they don't breed their females more than 3 times.

~i have Heard a 1.3 Ratio is Best is this True?

Probably depends on what size housing you put them in, but 1.3 or 1.4 seems to be around the average.

~Should the Male Be Removed Once all Females are Pregnant?

I don't remove any of my mice once one is pregnant. The only instance of baby eating I have encountered from a mouse was from another female which was resolved by permanently removing that female.

~How do you know if a Female is Pregnant

She looks like she swallowed a golf ball

~how do you know when a Female is going into Labour?

I'm not sure. I don't really watch for them having their babies. Don't want to bug them too much or it will stress them out.

Feeding!
~How often should they Be Fed
~What is the Best Food

Mine have food at all times. If they don't have food at all times you may end up with them starting to kill and eat eachother or more usually the young ones if they are available. This is why I like the rack housing system as well. I can fill the food reservoir on top and less food goes to waste. As for food I just use mouse/rat/small animal lab block.

Putting Down the Mice to be Frozen!
~How Old is your Typical Pinky
~How old is your Typical Fuzzy
~How old is your Typical Hopper
~How old is an Adult

I don't really pay attention to age, just size. I cull the sizes I need. Some of the mice grow at different rates. Larger litters seem to grow a wee bit slower than smaller litters for me, possibly due to the increased strain on the mother. It's good going by size too, because then you can have tiny pinkies, large pinkies, peach fuzzies, larger fuzzies, etc... More size variety.

~ive heard for Pinks to Put them Down you just put them in a Baggie and put them in the Freezer True??

Yes, pinkies can go straight to the freezer.

~putting down any other Age mouse how should it be Done ive heard of making a Chamber and using Dry Ice True?
~if i should use a Chamber what Gas do i use?
~How long after they have Been Gassed do i Freeze them?
~how long after Gassing and Freezing can i Thaw and Feed to Snakes so i dont Pass on any Harmful Effects from the Gas?

I use a CO2 chamber. You can use the dry ice method, which creates CO2, but I find it easier to just use a CO2 paintball tank. To fill a 20oz. tank with CO2 is only around $2-$3. I then use a remote coil line that connects to the CO2 tank and then put a hole in the rubbermaid tub to connect the line to. After they are gassed you can stick them right in the freezer. If you use a vacuum seal system for the mice (which I would recommend, you can just by the cheap ziplock hand pump vacuum seal bags) then I'd wait until they are a bit frozen up before vacuum sealing or you might squeeze out some nasty. If you have snakes to feed then don't even freeze them after killing, go ahead and feed them to the snakes. From what I've read it is safe to feed the mice pretty much right away.

Here is my mouse chamber.
Everything disconnected in this picture. Rubbermaid type tub. Remote coil line (with quick connect which is shown attached to the rubbermaid tub), and co2 tank. It is nice having the quick disconnect on the remote line because I can just leave that part connected to the tub and it is easy to connect/remove the remote line. That quick connect came with the remote line, but I'm thinking of buying another quick connect piece to attach to a smaller size tub for when I only have a few mice to cull, so I use less gas. Note, I'd buy the co2 tank and the remote line on ebay, there are some great deals. In stores they can be very pricey. Also, the 20oz co2 tanks need to be hydrotested every 5 years, so make sure when buying from ebay that it has been hydrotested (the new ones usually are).

Here is everything connected.

~Ive Heard one Way to Put down anything over a Pinky is to Grab its Head and Tail and Pull to Snap its Neck is this True? Dont really want to Use this Method Because it Seems like it Would Be Extremely Time Consuming should i have a Large Amount of Mice!

Yes, this is cervical dislocation, too messy and hands on for me. People generaly put a ruler or stick on the neck behind the head and pull the tail.

Buying Mice to Breed!
~Ive Heard that Breeding Fancy Mice isn't good because you wont get many Litters out of them True??

fancy mice are fine, lots of people use them. I've gotten a few litters out of my mice. And I generally get from 7-10 babies in each litter. I've had a litter of 12 before, too.

 

[dickdeuel]

I have a couple recommendations for you. I also would recommend going to a rack system with water bottles. Glass tanks are fine for a short time, but are hard to clean and break too easy.

If you can afford it, stay away from the cheap kitty litter trays found in stores today. Mice will eventually chew holes through them. I used to get mine from Consolidated Plastics over the Internet for about $10 apiece in lots of twelve. They work great and last forever.

Stick with water bottles. If the mice plug it up you will notice right away or if they leak, only that bottle full goes into the tray. A central watering system can flood the whole tray and drown all the mice.

I recommend spending a little more and mail ordering for your breeders. I have always used Swiss Webster and the larger litters are well worth it.

Be sure you have a way to control the odor. That's the main reason most mice or rat breeding projects fail soon after they start.

 

[dionythicus]

Putting any live animal directly into the freezer is considered cruel because of the pain involved as crystals form in the blood. I use CO2 for all my mice, even pinks. Pink can take longer, up to five minutes, as they are basically one giant oxygen molecule, lol. I would advise CO2 for all euthanasia.

 

[carnivorouszoo]

MY ANSWERS ARE IN CAPS SO YOU CAN TELL THEM FROM THE QUESTIONS.

Ok well im going to Start off by Saying i have ALOT of Questions i will be Colour Coding this to make the Transition between one one Set of Questions to another Essayer to tell.

Just a little bit of Information on us. My room mate and i have a Combined total of about 30 Corns and Looking to get More for Breeding Purposes.

our Original Plan was just to breed pinkies so when we Breed the Corns the Babys we sell dont Cost us anything to feed them But thinking about it if i can get it so i can Feed every one without ever having to resort to buying mice that would be Superb. So well here it go's.


Housing!
~what is the Best thing to keep the Mice in (size Material) ETC Currently Using 20 Gallon Long Snake Tanks. MY MICE ARE IN A 20 LONG SNAKE TANK TOO.
~What all Should be in there Habitat Water Bottle Food Bowl? I GIVE BOXES, TP ROLLS, AND WHEN I CAN AFFORD IT I WILL GET THEM A WHEEL.
~for Hides what is Best i am Currently using Plastic Beer Cups MY MICE DON'T REALLY HAVE HIDES. I FIND IT LEADS TO BITING.
~for them to Give birth in what should i use I am Currently Using a Using Box with some Shredded Newspaper and Pillow Fluff MY MICE MAKE THEIR NESTS WHERE THEY WANT WITH THE BEDDING AVAILABLE, I HAVE HAD NO ISSUES.
~what Kind of Bedding should they be on Currently Using Shredded Newspaper MY MICE ARE ON ASPEN MIXED WITH THE CARDBAORD THEY CHEW OFF THE BOXES AND TP ROLLS BEFORE THEY GET NASTY WITH DROPPINGS.


Breeding!
~What is the Best Mouse to Breed? I USE PET SHOP MICE AS I CAN NOT GET BREEDERS TO SELL TO ME DUE TO MY SNAKES, LOL.
~how often should a Mouse be Bred MY MALES AND FEMALES ARE TOGETHER ALL OF THE TIME SO WHEN THEY GET BRED THEY GET BRED.
~how many times can a Mouse be Bred I RETIRE MY FEMALES BY SIZE AND NUMBER OF FEMALES IN THE COLONY. THE BIGGEST GET PULLED FIRST AS USUALLY THEY ARE THE OLDEST.
~i have Heard a 1.3 Ratio is Best is this True? DON'T KNOW. I HAVE HAD A COLONY AT ONE TIME WITH 10 FEMALE TO ONE MALE THEY STILL BRED.
~i Currently have 4 Males and 5 Females Each Male has 1 Female and 1 male has 2 Females is this Bad could it Lead to too Much Stress on the Females if the Male dosent have Enough Females to Mate with? (we will be putting Each male with 3 Females just need to buy more Females to Start up.) YEAH, ONE TO ONE LEAVES THE MALE TO HARASS THE ONE FEMALE ALL OF THE TIME AND STRESS CAN BE DEADLY TO THEM WHEN PREGNANT. SO AT LEAST 2 FEMALES TO ONE MALE.
~Should the Male Be Removed Once all Females are Pregnant? NO, I FIND MALES DIE IF REMOVED AND LATER REINTRODUCED.
~How do you know if a Female is Pregnant LOL, SHE HAS BABIES.
~how do you know when a Female is going into Labour? I DON'T, I JUST KNOW WHEN SHE HAS BABIES.
~What is the Best Age to Start Breeding a Mouse? MOST SAY 12 WEEKS, SINCE I LEAVE MINE TOGETHER ALL THE TIME BEST TIME FOR ME IS WHEN THE FEMALE IS ABLE TO CONCIEVE. NOT VERY. . . I GUESS ETHICAL BUT IT WORKS, ONCE THE COLONY IS GOING THAT IS.



Feeding!
~How often should they Be Fed I FEED MY MICE DAILY AND GIVE FRESH WATER DAILY.
~What is the Best Food I MAKE MY OWN BLEND OF FOOD, IT CHANGES AS I ADD THINGS EACH WEEK SO THEY GET A WIDE VARIETY. MOST FOLKS GIVE LAB BLOCKS THOUGH.

Putting Down the Mice to be Frozen!
~How Old is your Typical Pinky 1-2 DAYS
~How old is your Typical Fuzzy 5-7 DAYS
~How old is your Typical Hopper UM. . . .NOT SURE, I SAY THEY ARE HOPPERS WHEN EYES ARE STILL CLOSED BUT THEY ARE WALKING MORE LIKE ADULTS.
~How old is an Adult USUALLY AROUND 4 MONTHS
~ive heard for Pinks to Put them Down you just put them in a Baggie and put them in the Freezer True?? YUP, CO2 DOESN'T WORK ON THEM.
~putting down any other Age mouse how should it be Done ive heard of making a Chamber and using Dry Ice True? I USE BAKING SODA AND VINEGAR BUT SAME THING HAPPENS JUST A DIFFERENT MIXTURE.
~if i should use a Chamber what Gas do i use? CO2.
~How long after they have Been Gassed do i Freeze them? ONCE THEY ARE DEAD I PUT THEM IN THE FREEZER IMMEDIATELY.
~how long after Gassing and Freezing can i Thaw and Feed to Snakes so i dont Pass on any Harmful Effects from the Gas? THERE ARE NOT EFFECTS FROM CO2, YOU COULD FEED STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CHAMBER IF YOU WANTED.
~Ive Heard one Way to Put down anything over a Pinky is to Grab its Head and Tail and Pull to Snap its Neck is this True? Dont really want to Use this Method Because it Seems like it Would Be Extremely Time Consuming should i have a Large Amount of Mice! SOME SAY YOU CAN DO CERVICAL DISLOCATION WITH A PENCIL ON ADULTS, I WOULD FEAR RIPPING A PINK IN HALF DOING IT.


Buying Mice to Breed!
~Ive Heard that Breeding Fancy Mice isn't good because you wont get many Litters out of them True?? I USUALLY GET 4-6 LITTERS BEFORE I PULL A FEMALE. IS THAT NOT A LOT? I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T BREED FOR PETS I BREED FOR FOOD.
~if i should not Use Fancy Mice where Would i be able to buy a Better Breed of Mouse to Breed? HONESTLY THERE IS ONLY ONE BREED, YOU PROBABLY MEAN LINE. ASK BREEDERS IF THEY CAN GIVE YOU BREEDING STOCK, DOESN'T HURT TO ASK BUT BE HONEST WHEN THEY ASK WHAT THEY ARE FOR. IF THEY FIND OUT YOU LIED LATER IT LOOKS BAD ON YOU. (Please Note i live in Ontario Canada)

Thank you for reading Any of This i Am Aware it is Quite Lengthy and May have some Spelling or Grammar Mistakes (infact i Guarantee there are lots). But than you for any Answers you may Provide.

Just a Side Note i do Know Some of The Answers to some of the Questions i am just hoping that this Thread not only helps me but helps any others who Decide to Breed there own Mice

If you dont Mind when Answering a Question Please use the Same Colour as the Original Question Just so i can Place the Question and Answer Better. But any and all Standard Black Answers are Equally Appreciated Thank you!

I HOPE THAT HELPS!

 

[dionythicus]

CO2 does work on pinkies, it takes longer, is all.

 

[ShenziSixaxis]

Answers are in bold. Just my 2 cents.

Housing!
~what is the Best thing to keep the Mice in (size Material) ETC Currently Using 20 Gallon Long Snake Tanks.
I recommend tubs. You can even build a rack with those. Tanks are heavy and can break.

~What all Should be in there Habitat Water Bottle Food Bowl?
I recommend a hide box or two. A vacuum water bottle is a must. I don't bother with food bowls; they dump it or dig all the food out of it and fill it with bedding.

~for Hides what is Best i am Currently using Plastic Beer Cups
If they fit in it, it works.

~for them to Give birth in what should i use I am Currently Using a Using Box with some Shredded Newspaper and Pillow Fluff
I don't think I understand this.. they'll give birth wherever they want. Leave them alone so they don't eat their babies from stress.

~what Kind of Bedding should they be on Currently Using Shredded Newspaper
That should work. I use softwood bedding from PetCo as a HUUUUGE bag is only 6 bucks.



Breeding!
~What is the Best Mouse to Breed?
Uhh, domestic?

~how often should a Mouse be Bred
Back to back for as long as they produce without having litter size decrease.

~how many times can a Mouse be Bred
For as long as they produce without having litter size decrease. Some people only breed them for 3-6 months.

~i have Heard a 1.3 Ratio is Best is this True?
I dunno, but it's most popular. I am using 1.2 groups.

~i Currently have 4 Males and 5 Females Each Male has 1 Female and 1 male has 2 Females is this Bad could it Lead to too Much Stress on the Females if the Male dosent have Enough Females to Mate with? (we will be putting Each male with 3 Females just need to buy more Females to Start up.)
I think that'll be fine.

~Should the Male Be Removed Once all Females are Pregnant?
NO. Reintroduction is hard, and the male will help them take care of the babies.

~How do you know if a Female is Pregnant
Someone posted a good picture...

~how do you know when a Female is going into Labour?
I'm not sure.. she'll probably separate herself from the group, though.

~What is the Best Age to Start Breeding a Mouse?
Not sure... right at maturity, I suppose, works.


Feeding!
~How often should they Be Fed
They should have food at all times.

~What is the Best Food
Dog food with no food coloring is a good alternative to expensive rodent food.

Putting Down the Mice to be Frozen!
~ive heard for Pinks to Put them Down you just put them in a Baggie and put them in the Freezer True??
For pinks and fuzzies, yes. Pinks and fuzzies are quite resistant to CO2 and die much quicker when froze.

~putting down any other Age mouse how should it be Done ive heard of making a Chamber and using Dry Ice True?
Yes. Or you can dislocate their neck or smack 'em real hard on the head.

~if i should use a Chamber what Gas do i use?
CO2. Mix it with water for sublimation.

~How long after they have Been Gassed do i Freeze them?
I'm not sure...

~how long after Gassing and Freezing can i Thaw and Feed to Snakes so i dont Pass on any Harmful Effects from the Gas?
CO2 ain't harmful.

~Ive Heard one Way to Put down anything over a Pinky is to Grab its Head and Tail and Pull to Snap its Neck is this True? Dont really want to Use this Method Because it Seems like it Would Be Extremely Time Consuming should i have a Large Amount of Mice!
You can do that, but CO2 is better if you have a lot to deal with.


Buying Mice to Breed!
~Ive Heard that Breeding Fancy Mice isn't good because you wont get many Litters out of them True??
Depends on the lineage, but you can't know that.

~if i should not Use Fancy Mice where Would i be able to buy a Better Breed of Mouse to Breed?
Just get the fancies. They're just called that 'cause they're not albino.
(Please Note i live in Ontario Canada)

 

[durrn]

Can you breed mice with only one tank/tub? I've heard it's not a good idea, but not sure why.

 

[carnivorouszoo]

My mice are in one tank. People that have more than one colony have more tanks or tubs but if you do not need a lot of mice one colony will do just fine. Bah on tanks being heavy, if you use a shop vac and have a tub the mice can sit in while its being cleaned now and then they do not even need to be moved, a bucket can hold the bleach water for cleaning and a good fluffy towel will dry it just fine.

 

[durrn]

My mice are in one tank. People that have more than one colony have more tanks or tubs but if you do not need a lot of mice one colony will do just fine. Bah on tanks being heavy, if you use a shop vac and have a tub the mice can sit in while its being cleaned now and then they do not even need to be moved, a bucket can hold the bleach water for cleaning and a good fluffy towel will dry it just fine.

How does that work out? When you need fresh adults, do you let the babies grow up in the same tank? Or do you euthanize the adults first? Won't the little female get knocked up before it's ready?

 

[ShenziSixaxis]

Females get knocked up when they're ready. And yes, just let some babies grow up.

 

[carnivorouszoo]

How does that work out? When you need fresh adults, do you let the babies grow up in the same tank? Or do you euthanize the adults first? Won't the little female get knocked up before it's ready?

If she can get pregnant she is ready. They are food for snakes not cute little pets. You have to look at it that way or you would never kill any and your snake(s) would starve. I never harvest the entire litter at the pinky stage, they grow out but males never get past the hopper stage so there is no fighting. When I have a colony in full swing there are mice of all ages and sizes in there all the time. I just pull and process what I need to stock up on.

 

[carol]

Holy moly this should be stickied!

 

[durrn]

If she can get pregnant she is ready. They are food for snakes not cute little pets. You have to look at it that way or you would never kill any and your snake(s) would starve. I never harvest the entire litter at the pinky stage, they grow out but males never get past the hopper stage so there is no fighting. When I have a colony in full swing there are mice of all ages and sizes in there all the time. I just pull and process what I need to stock up on.

Haha, I realize this. Got no problem putting them down to feed my snakie. But I want to at least be humane; don't want to put her through any undue suffering.

This is a neat thread. I'd love to try my hand at feeder breeding. Lol, I've tried with fish, but my turtle always eat them all before they get a chance to breed.

 

[carnivorouszoo]

LOL that would be why you use a separate tank to raise the feeder fish Food is food to the predator

 

[Remmmy]

Thank you Every one for the Input that every one has Given i am useing 95% of the Input that was Given to me so Thank you very much shortly after i started this threwd i got my first litter of 7 Pups unfortunatly 3 Died but i now have 4 Pups that are 12 days old 1 Female and 3 Males