Raising Mice

[Alias47]

You people are the experts...how difficult is it to raise mice...how many breeding pairs must I have to get a reliable source of small mice (fuzzies, hoppers, etc.)? How fast do they breed? What is their gestation period? How long before repeat pregnancy? Gimme' the basics so I can decide if I really want to even bother.

[ta2dshtrbug]

Ok, without knowing how many pinkies/fuzzies you need at a time I will give you a basic answer. Most people set up with 1.3 or 1.4. Gestation is 21 days. As far as how fast they breed, I usually witness bredding by hearing or seeing shortly after I drop males in with my females. The real key to breeding any rodent is to keep them well fed and well watered. I can't tell you how often people say "they just don't breed for me" or "they eat all their babies" as Im looking at their empty water bottles and lack of food. Others may not agree, but I have found that the cooler I keep my mice (above 50*) the better they breed. Also, just as a warning first time mothers will often cannibalize their young. If you have this happen, give them a shot at another litter. If it happens again, feed them off and grow one of the other mothers females into a new breeder. Which reminds me, be prepared to rotate your stock. That is, grow babies into new breeders and feed off the old breeders. Ok, Ive rambled enough. Bottom line, if you are prepared to care for your mice like you do your snakes, you will do fine. dave

[Alias47]

Thanks for all the info...don't know if I really want to take this step right now or not, as I have a reptile only store 15 minutes from my house and can get all the Fresh P/K or Frozen food I want (or live pinks for the little ones), but I may want to save on cost in the future.

Thanks again.

[LLAP101202]

OK first of all...YES everything HE said lol I have 1 10 gallon tank with 1 male and 6-8 females and that is my breeders I then have 2 large critter keepers about 10 gallon length but a little wider and then about 6-8 inches tall......I then also have about 6 large shoe box size critter keepers....I have put up to 3 pregnant mothers in each of these and then once the babies are fuzzy I transfer them to a large one.....if you put more then one pregnant female in to birth together thats usually fine however if you have one alone and she births and THEN try to add another FORGET IT......I was breeding this many to feed 4 BP's and a rat and corn The large BP's are eating like 6-8 each feeding.....I am about to change to frozen though only cause I can buy them cheaper now that I am moving to rats however during the time I raised the mice it was more cost efficent then buying...and YES cooler is better....Hope this helps

[Alias47]

Thanks a lot...I will probably stick to buying them for now...my wife already looks at me funny when I tell her I am buying more snakes...can't imagine the reaction when I tell her I am going to raise mice!