# Feeder mice



## jadem23 (Jan 5, 2011)

Ok, im thinking of breeding mice for my corns. I only have 6 corns at the min, but im looking to get more! 
How many adults would i need to for a constant supply of mice (pinkies, fluffs, and small mice) and how would i go about it.
Any information would be very much appriciated 

Thanks


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## timc20xe (Feb 11, 2011)

20 should keep you going and keep your freezer stockd , but if you are going to buy more corns then you will want to expand 

tim


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## jadem23 (Jan 5, 2011)

timc20xe said:


> 20 should keep you going and keep your freezer stockd , but if you are going to buy more corns then you will want to expand
> 
> tim


 
20 adults? Should i keep them at a ratio of 1.2? and are they ok in rubs?


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

rubs are fine, if you go on the fancymicebreeders forum they show you how to add mesh for ventilation

you can keep more females in with a male, depends on how big your rub is and how often you want to clean them out.

you might want them in a shed though, the males stink!


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## markhill (Sep 22, 2006)

my mice are in a big group, like 2.8 in a big tub.

I go on one breeding female per snake should be plenty


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## jadem23 (Jan 5, 2011)

markhill said:


> my mice are in a big group, like 2.8 in a big tub.
> 
> I go on one breeding female per snake should be plenty


How big is a big tub  Im thinking possibly 64ltr rubs? could you give me some more advice on breeding feeders? Could i just go to a petshop and get mice or should they be a specific breed? I only decided i wanted to start breeding last night, so today is my first day researching, so i dont have a clue on how to go about everything. Any more help please :2thumb:


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## markhill (Sep 22, 2006)

jadem23 said:


> How big is a big tub  Im thinking possibly 64ltr rubs? could you give me some more advice on breeding feeders? Could i just go to a petshop and get mice or should they be a specific breed? I only decided i wanted to start breeding last night, so today is my first day researching, so i dont have a clue on how to go about everything. Any more help please :2thumb:


The tubs in my rack are a cheap version of a 33L RUB with similar dimensions.

You can get them from a pet shop but I put a wanted ad in the classifieds and got mine that way, you'll prob pay 4 or 5 quid each in a pet shop but you'll get a much better deal from a private breeder.

I also found that they breed much better if given some where to make a nest, like an upside down tub of some sort, anything really just make sure its closed in to make them feel more secure.


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## jadem23 (Jan 5, 2011)

markhill said:


> The tubs in my rack are a cheap version of a 33L RUB with similar dimensions.
> 
> You can get them from a pet shop but I put a wanted ad in the classifieds and got mine that way, you'll prob pay 4 or 5 quid each in a pet shop but you'll get a much better deal from a private breeder.
> 
> I also found that they breed much better if given some where to make a nest, like an upside down tub of some sort, anything really just make sure its closed in to make them feel more secure.


Ok thanks, Ive put an ad up in the classifieds! i dont have a clue if anyone breeds mice near me and if not, im a bit unsure on where to get any? Are mice of any age ok to cull using c02?


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## markhill (Sep 22, 2006)

jadem23 said:


> Ok thanks, Ive put an ad up in the classifieds! i dont have a clue if anyone breeds mice near me and if not, im a bit unsure on where to get any? Are mice of any age ok to cull using c02?


yes you can cull at any age using co2 it just takes a little longer to do the un-weaned ones.


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## jadem23 (Jan 5, 2011)

markhill said:


> yes you can cull at any age using co2 it just takes a little longer to do the un-weaned ones.


Ok, but they wont suffer still?Ive read about not being able to cull like pinkies and they suffer if you do c02 them? Sorry for all the questions, im just trying to find everything out instead of throwing myself in the deep end and getting them without any knowledge on how to look after them!


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## markhill (Sep 22, 2006)

jadem23 said:


> Ok, but they wont suffer still?Ive read about not being able to cull like pinkies and they suffer if you do c02 them? Sorry for all the questions, im just trying to find everything out instead of throwing myself in the deep end and getting them without any knowledge on how to look after them!


Its a mis-conception that you cant co2 un-weaned pinks/fluffs as they have an anti smothering mechanism built into them to stop the mother smothering them in the nest.

You can do it but you have to do it for longer.

I copied this from another forum

Mythbusting part one!

There appears to be perpetual myths in the reptile keeping world that are being passed on in the urban legend style by google experts, i thought i would do my bit to lay this one to rest, it is as follows....

Quote:
CO2 is ONLY humane for weaned rodents.

Un-weaned rodents have the ability to hold their breath for extended periods of time, due to the potential of being smothered by their siblings when in the nest 
Fact is baby rodents dont hold their breath when being gassed, when you start applying gas to them they dont all go 1,2,3...hold it hold it, gasp, gasp, gasp, hold it ...... so that part of the myth is complete tosh.


When gas is applied to unweaned rodents they will inhale it and it will effect them the same as any adult rodent, which is it will render them unconscious and ultimately death. 

Difference between an adult rodent and a baby rodent is that the babies have an amazing survival response to being exposed to zero levels of oxygen, once they have been gassed and look dead unless they are continued to be exposed to high levels of gas (usually three times the length of time it takes to kill an adult) they will revive completely. 

This is all down to complicated scientific reasons that are beyond my explanation but in a nutshell they do not hold their breaths their bodies are designed to cope with/process low levels of o2 which is believed to be related to their survival in the nest.

so to summarise it is just as humane to kill a unweaned rodent with gas as it a weaned rodent you just need to make sure you increase the exposure time an do not remove them from the gas prematurely. 

*DISCLAIMER*:" I have personally killed thousands upon thousands of rodents, I use co2 to kill my rodents, i do it for a living and routinely have my procedures inspected and passed by a local vet and DEFRA vets"


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## jadem23 (Jan 5, 2011)

markhill said:


> Its a mis-conception that you cant co2 un-weaned pinks/fluffs as they have an anti smothering mechanism built into them to stop the mother smothering them in the nest.
> 
> You can do it but you have to do it for longer.
> 
> ...


 
Ok thanks for that hun... i feel alot better now lol

Ok, so ive got a few spare 64 litre rubs, im prob going to do 1.3 in a rub... is that enough room? So i have 1 breeding female to each snake?
Im going to be using auboise with the snakes as of next week, is this ok for the mice too? and ive read to feed them on a rabbit mix, with a bit of dried dog food and the occasional fruit/veg... no greens and no citrus?
Should i leave the mum and babies in with the male and other females?
Is there any time i should remove any of them from the rub?
Where is best (and cheapest) to get a c02 canister from? 
Anything else you can add to make it a bit easier?

Thank you


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## timc20xe (Feb 11, 2011)

jadem23 said:


> Ok thanks for that hun... i feel alot better now lol
> 
> Ok, so ive got a few spare 64 litre rubs, im prob going to do 1.3 in a rub... is that enough room? So i have 1 breeding female to each snake?
> Im going to be using auboise with the snakes as of next week, is this ok for the mice too? and ive read to feed them on a rabbit mix, with a bit of dried dog food and the occasional fruit/veg... no greens and no citrus?
> ...


 

64 litre rub is far to big , rember these are feeder mice not pet mice , i keep min 1-4 in small cat litter trays , half of my trays i have increased it to 1-7 and they are doing fine and not eating the babys , still plenty of room for them to move about , just make sure they have always got food and water and there ok 

tim


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## jadem23 (Jan 5, 2011)

timc20xe said:


> 64 litre rub is far to big , rember these are feeder mice not pet mice , i keep min 1-4 in small cat litter trays , half of my trays i have increased it to 1-7 and they are doing fine and not eating the babys , still plenty of room for them to move about , just make sure they have always got food and water and there ok
> 
> tim


 
Does it matter that the rub is too big? will it cause any problems? just thinking as i have them spare i may aswell use them? unless i up the amount to 1.7 in a 64 litre rub? would that be better?


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## timc20xe (Feb 11, 2011)

jadem23 said:


> Does it matter that the rub is too big? will it cause any problems? just thinking as i have them spare i may aswell use them? unless i up the amount to 1.7 in a 64 litre rub? would that be better?


 

1-7 would be much better . ther is no problem with 1-3 , its just a waste of space though 

tim


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## jadem23 (Jan 5, 2011)

timc20xe said:


> 1-7 would be much better . ther is no problem with 1-3 , its just a waste of space though
> 
> tim


 
Ok, thats great.... So the more the merrier 
Does everything else i wrote before seem about right to you?
And any idea where i can get some breeder mice from?
Im in Liverpool btw


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## timc20xe (Feb 11, 2011)

jadem23 said:


> Ok, thats great.... So the more the merrier
> Does everything else i wrote before seem about right to you?
> And any idea where i can get some breeder mice from?
> Im in Liverpool btw


 
just keep looking in classifieds , if you was closer i could of sold you some , feed them on dog food , i pay £9 for 17kj of wags dog food , that would last you ages , then just feed them scraps aswell old bread ,cakes anything like that 

tim


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## markhill (Sep 22, 2006)

jadem23 said:


> Ok thanks for that hun... i feel alot better now lol
> 
> Ok, so ive got a few spare 64 litre rubs, im prob going to do 1.3 in a rub... is that enough room? So i have 1 breeding female to each snake?
> Im going to be using auboise with the snakes as of next week, is this ok for the mice too? and ive read to feed them on a rabbit mix, with a bit of dried dog food and the occasional fruit/veg... no greens and no citrus?
> ...


64 L RUB is massive for mice, you could easily keep 2.8 in one imo.

I feed my mice on dry dog food with some seeds chucked in.

I dont remove mums or dads, just babies when they're up to weaning size.

I dont use co2 but you can get it from Halfords and places that sell stuff for paintballing or welding supplies


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## jadem23 (Jan 5, 2011)

timc20xe said:


> just keep looking in classifieds , if you was closer i could of sold you some , feed them on dog food , i pay £9 for 17kj of wags dog food , that would last you ages , then just feed them scraps aswell old bread ,cakes anything like that
> 
> tim


My dog eats wag anyway, so i could just take a handul out of that every so often  
Ok, thanks for your help


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## timc20xe (Feb 11, 2011)

i also dont use co2 , i just give them a whack round the back of the head , kills them straight away 

tim


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## jadem23 (Jan 5, 2011)

timc20xe said:


> i also dont use co2 , i just give them a whack round the back of the head , kills them straight away
> 
> tim


 
Im not sure i could kill them myself... I think i would be ok with gassing them, but i couldnt hit them or anything


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## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

I don't think a cage can be too big. Yes they're not pets, but does that mean they should be crammed into practically nothing?

I suppose if they can move, that's all they need eh?

I'd add some stimulation for them as well- needn't cost much... some toilet roll tubes, a wheel etc.


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## jadem23 (Jan 5, 2011)

hippyhaplos said:


> I don't think a cage can be too big. Yes they're not pets, but does that mean they should be crammed into practically nothing?
> 
> I suppose if they can move, that's all they need eh?
> 
> I'd add some stimulation for them as well- needn't cost much... some toilet roll tubes, a wheel etc.


Ah yeah ill be adding all that anyway  

Im guessing its pretty easy to keep them then? I was thinking it was going to be seriously hard and was up for a bit of a challenge... Im guessing they breed quiet easy?


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## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

jadem23 said:


> Ah yeah ill be adding all that anyway
> 
> Im guessing its pretty easy to keep them then? I was thinking it was going to be seriously hard and was up for a bit of a challenge... Im guessing they breed quiet easy?


Nah they're easy to breed... I mean have you seen what some people keep them in, and they get babies? Then again some people keep them with nothing to do other than pump out babies.

Good on you for giving the mice a thought


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## timc20xe (Feb 11, 2011)

hippyhaplos said:


> I don't think a cage can be too big. Yes they're not pets, but does that mean they should be crammed into practically nothing?
> 
> I suppose if they can move, that's all they need eh?
> 
> I'd add some stimulation for them as well- needn't cost much... some toilet roll tubes, a wheel etc.


 
8 mice in a 64 litre tub is loads and loads of room 

no harm in chucking some toilet roll tubes in there , no point in spending money on a wheel 
my small weaners i keep them in 32litre tubs and there is about 100 small mice in each tub , they are just as healthy as any other mice 

tim


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## jadem23 (Jan 5, 2011)

hippyhaplos said:


> Nah they're easy to breed... I mean have you seen what some people keep them in, and they get babies? Then again some people keep them with nothing to do other than pump out babies.
> 
> Good on you for giving the mice a thought


I wouldnt have it any other way  
I kept mice as pets when i was younger.... and loved it...
Just because these are going to be feeders it make no difference


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## jadem23 (Jan 5, 2011)

timc20xe said:


> 8 mice in a 64 litre tub is loads and loads of room
> 
> no harm in chucking some toilet roll tubes in there , no point in spending money on a wheel
> my small weaners i keep them in 32litre tubs and there is about 100 small mice in each tub , they are just as healthy as any other mice
> ...


Aslong as they are happy and watered and fed its alright 
You ever come up to liverpool so i can buy some from you? lol
I used to live in northampton... would have been easier ey?


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