mouse breeding

[flaming_lizard]

Well I have asked about mice racks and lab blocks, so now that I am preparing to breed a few I still have questions. I have 4 females and 1 male. The male is not with the females. I want to plan births of litters every 2 weeks, but want to keep all of the females together. The only way I can think of acheiving this without having problems reintroducing females back together is stick one female with the male for a couple hours a day for 5 days. Two weeks later I will do the same with the next female and so forth. Is there an easier way, or will this work? What do the mouse breeding "aficionados" :) out there think?

[Alias47]

I am surprised that no one has answered this yet...so I will post so it comes up new again.

I have never bred mice...so I am reluctant to give you advice...even with all I have read...although I know if you look through some of the threads in this forum...there have been a couple of discussions about moving/introducing the females and the males...with various people using various methods to get the same results.

I am interested in reading about it all again, though...I will probably end up having to breed mice before 05 is over.

[Quigs]

I raise my own mice.

The reason I have not answered is simple.

I don't remove males or females once the colony is setup. I believe that you are trying to cheat the system by deliberately having seperate mothers give birth every two weeks.

In other words...Murphy's Law doesn't work in that fashion.

I'm certainly not saying you are wrong or that it can't be done. But from my experience, I have good weeks and I have not so good weeks on the production front. I'm currently running just under 100 adult mice.

In short, I don't think that you can accurately predict within reason a small colony of 1.4 The results are going to stagger much to yor disappointment, I believe. Besides mice have litters generally on a 3 week interval.

Quigs

[Alias47]

I never read into this post that far...
If I were breeding mice...I would just let 'em go...and freeze any extras that don't get fed out...
Of course...I can't imagine I will have an overabundance...I figure these will help supplement the frozen I already buy.

Wow...Quigs...you have 100 adults?
Thats alot of breeding mice...becomes a job in and of itself...
Much more work than snakes...
How do you have time to sleep?

[Quigs]

Nah, honestly Derek...it's a pretty managable herd.

It takes the wife and I together about 2 hours a week to take care of all of them. Granted we only change bedding once a week as well. Some people say you must change at least twice but we have not found it necessary as of yet.

We do put up with a little bit of mouse smell but that comes with the territory. I quite simply could not sustain the collection we have without rasing our own prey items.

We actually rather enjoy raising them and will continue to expand in the future.

Quigs

[Alias47]

I will end up doing the same...once I have a collection that warrants it...

How big is your collection? And what species?

[CornCrazy]

I raise a few mice here (6 colonies). I have tried separating the pregnant females from the males and other females and it simply did not work. When I tried to reintroduce the mice to each other, they would always fight...and some of them would be killed by the others. I have also tried just taking the males out, and leaving all of the females together. This did not work either! When the males were reintroduced back into the colonies, the females tormented them. The males were almost always killed by the females. Now, I leave the colonies together and I don't have those problems. When I need to rotate my stock, I add 1 or 2 younger females to the colony and remove 1 or 2 adults. The adults don't seem to mind having non-sexually mature mice added...they hardly ever bother them.

[Quigs]

How big is your collection? And what species?

Was this directed towards me, Derek? Or someone else? Sorry, I got lost somewhere in there. lol

Quigs

[Alias47]

It was directed to you, Pat.

I was just curious...

[Quigs]

We have right around 50 snakes +/- a couple. Most are corns but I have have a few kings and the one western hognose too.

We also have veiled chameleons and crested geckos.

We added several corns from a local guy that is getting out, this past weekend.

This is just one of the little gems, we picked up!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v421/Quigs/corn%20snakes/100_0168.jpg

Quigs

[Alias47]

That's gorgeous...

You will have to get ahold of me when your clutches hatch...


I am always in the mood for more corns...

ALthough I NEED to start getting some other snakes from my "LIST" as well... :twisted:

[Quigs]

This is going to be our first year breeding any of the cornsnakes. Nothing all that exciting due to hatch out this summer. It's gonna be more of a trial run for us.

Give me a few years though and we should be producing some really nice babies! Who knows how many I'll have by then or where I'll be staying for that matter!?

Quigs

[Alias47]

Why, you moving up here??!? :D


I won't be breeding for at least another year...unless I purchase some older animals this year...but I think I can wait...

I have some pretty interesting (to me, anyhow) projects I am trying to get lined up...some are ready...others are in the works.

SHould be great.

Keep me posted as you go through the process...I want to see how it goes and what interesting insight you may have.

[flaming_lizard]

Well my experience so far is unpredictable and a lot of attention in this matter. I will go with what is suggested and put them all together and leave them. My rats have been easier to deal with. I just now got into mice because I bought two little cutie corns from Ken and they are the only ones who really eat mice/pinkies. Everything else is bigger. Thanks all for the help.

[kenster]

I have been meaning to leave you a PM to check on those babies...They doing good? Eating well and all that other snake stuff they do? And when do we get to see pics of them??

[flaming_lizard]

They are doing very well. The female is docile but yet a very aggressive eater, the male is somewhat the other way around. My daughter loves them, because they are more her size. As far as pics I will get a some in a couple days. I have been a little busy making a website, but then again I need pics of them for the website. The corns are really cool and it makes me regret not getting any corns sooner. Thanks again Ken.

[Alias47]

UH-oh...


I hope your daughter doesn't get TOO attached...


When you have to feed some of the adults out and raise younger ones into breeders, could be hard on a kid.

[LLAP101202]

umm Derek...I think he means the corn snakes are more her size....hehehe not the mice. but DARN you are such a caring guy...we love ya anyway......lol

[flaming_lizard]

yea I meant the corn snakes :oops:

[Alias47]

:D I can feel the love!



My kids love their corns, too...
And my kings...


And they don't mind feeding them mice...

Of course I am not raising mice....yet.
We will see how they feel about it when I do. :twisted:

[flaming_lizard]

[kenster]

[Alias47]

Very nice site...
Hopefully you will get some ghosts this year...

Nice cresties, too...

[flaming_lizard]

[kenster]

[flaming_lizard]

[Boa]

If I were you, I would leave all four of them together until one or more produces. Take the male out a the other "mothers" will help nurture (sp) the young. This is the way I do it and I have had plenty of success.