# Feeder rodent problems



## CaseyM (Nov 8, 2006)

Went out today and got myself some mice to start a breeding colony.... hit a major snag... the damned creatures are so bloody cute i cant do what i have to do with them or their eventual babies!!!!

What now??

Their names are Teeny and Tiny.... I hate myself.... :bash:


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## wohic (Jun 19, 2006)

lol, been there got the mice, it did not help that mine are throwing curly coated ones.
I solved the problem by selling the babies as pets and using the money to buy frozen


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

keep them outside in a shed or a utilty room only go in to clean and feed then you dont get to attached well thats whats susposed to happen :lol2:


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## CaseyM (Nov 8, 2006)

bosshogg said:


> keep them outside in a shed or a utilty room only go in to clean and feed then you dont get to attached well thats whats susposed to happen :lol2:


That was the idea, im useless, i wasnt even home before id completely fallen in love with the chuffin things :bash:


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## Pro Mantis (Apr 7, 2007)

wohic is right, brred them and sell the babies. New pets, enjoyment and even a bit of profit!:lol2: Maybe ANOTHER snake soon afterwards?: victory:


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## Guest (Apr 25, 2007)

Just think about the smell the males produce then put them in shed and do as planned 

forget about them as pets there stinkers LOL


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## CaseyM (Nov 8, 2006)

Im not sure i can to be honest  

Should have learnt from the gerbil thing i suppose, didnt happen then either and i now have 1.2 gerbils living it up in a cage full of tubes and wheels and stuff


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## sami (Oct 23, 2006)

hehehe we did the same thing. 

we now have 26+ mice... we've started a white colony, cuz then i can't say 'oh that one's got cool markings, i'm keeping it!' 

we sell a lot of them as pets now, cuz they're just so pretty! 

sami


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## Mr.Bob (Aug 4, 2006)

im the same...lol
i started off with some with the intention of feeding them...but cant they are far to cute.....
so now sell them and but frozen...it works out much better....lol


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## ross (Sep 17, 2006)

i think everyone has gone through it at some stage when they buy some to breed and feed and then when they look at them they just cant do it.i was the same and i got a friend to do the bad part for me but after that i sold them because i didnt like the part of playing god,choosing which ones live and die.personaly i would rather buy frozen because i havent got the heart to do it to the little things


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## peaches (Apr 3, 2007)

Just try to rationalise it, maybe think that this one wont be used but whatever babes are produced will be....yes they are cute, but by breeding and using, you get to see loads of cute ones anyway.

Plus it's better for snakes and I think they'll like the pretty ones too :lol2:


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## Tort (May 20, 2006)

Dont name your rodents because thats the first stage of attachment, sitting and thinking what cute little names would go along with their cute little faces. I worked at a pet store that killed their own rodents and it kinda helped me get desensitized so after a while you do get used to it.


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## Schip (Mar 31, 2007)

Ahhh bless I shouldn't laugh I have ermm 7 gerbils, 2 trios of fancy mice and a trio of mulitmamates the mice bite so I have no issue with the big swing to kill them. Then again if I wanted a chicken dinner as a kid I had to go kill my own bird and dress it ready for my nan to cook.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

wait till you get to the lil' bunny rabbits!


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## Tort (May 20, 2006)

:lol2::lol2:not the bunny thing again.:lol2::lol2:


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## baby05x (Aug 1, 2006)

i brought mice and rats to breed to use as food and im glad im not the only one that cant do it
i sell my rats to the local petshop and sell mice private and buy frozen in bulk online


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

baby05x said:


> i brought mice and rats to breed to use as food and im glad im not the only one that cant do it
> i sell my rats to the local petshop and sell mice private and buy frozen in bulk online


it actually works out better for me to sell my rats for pets to pet shops and then buy food as i get more money for them. i still keep some back for food though


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## Gaboon (Jun 20, 2005)

i had to kill before for my royals that woulent feed didnt enjoy it but id do it again if i had to. i dont see how breeding your own and selling them as pets then buying in frozan ones is justified though. your just pretending that the frozan mice where never living or something. dont get it...


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## dani11983 (Mar 17, 2007)

i couldn't keep mice as feeders. Wouldn't have the heart to do it. Its a bit hypocritical of me that I'm perfectly fine with opening the freezer door and pulling out the next tasty morsel.


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## Pro Mantis (Apr 7, 2007)

*Is the big swing the thump? Or a freezer? Or a reaper? :hmm:*
*I would probably keep them as pets, but I wouldnt mind feeding my snakes the pinkies, but once the mice become more sensitive to pain I probably couldnt do it. Think how scared you were when you were on a launched frefall coaster, it's basically like that. Or am I totally off topic?*


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

I've just got four mice to breed so that, in the unlikely event my royal won't take defrost eventually, she has food here for her.

I've named them Inky, Pinky, Ponky and Perky. These four are going to be pets and even when they are old and can't breed I won't use them as feeders but any of their babies are fair game. I won't be doing the dirty deed tho' I have someone else who will do that.


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## greenlikegecko (May 18, 2007)

i decided to breed gerbils to feed to my snakes not because its cheaper or because my snakes are bad eaters, i feel that i owe it to the rodent to do the job myself, when you do the job yourself you can give the rodent the respect it deserves, and thats wots most important to me. I must mention i am a vegitarian(sortof) i do eat meat but id never buy it and kindof resent the commercial killing of animals, i do understand how it can be hard for some people and would never try to force my veiws on others,eace:


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## Tops (Apr 26, 2007)

how often do gerbils breed? is it as often as mice?


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

On a small scale, as in my cse, I don't think it's going to save any money in feeding the snakes.
It's just this little royal. Once I get her feeding on defrost I'll stop breeding the mice and keep what I have at that time as pets. In seperated sexes.
I considered buying those lab cages but couldn't do it to them. They have alsorts of toys in their cage and are handled each day.


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## yellow_rat_gal (Mar 24, 2007)

We have 2 mice colonies - 1.3 hairless and 1.2 normals. They are pets (but unnamed) and their babies are fairgame for food, growing on for more breeding/larger food and selling as pets. We also have 2.2 rats (have yet to pick up our other 2 females from christy) and the males we have named itchy n scratchy (we checked for fleas/mites but they just seem to be generally itchy, hence the names) but again any offspring is to be sold, or for food.

Mind you, Owen has slaughtered a lamb for dinner before so...!


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## greenlikegecko (May 18, 2007)

Tops said:


> how often do gerbils breed? is it as often as mice?


Mine normally have a litter every month, never bred mice tho, although gerbils do take a while to get to a nice size although i have some giant boys(pretty sure there not 'normal' gerbils) who i am trying to get to breed with the normal ones no luck though.


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

They're not Degu are they?? Very like gerbils to the untrained eye. Breed like rabbits too once they start. Can live upto 10 yrs I beleive.
If they were they wouldn't breed with the gerbils.
Can't see anyone mistaking them tho'. Unless they're small for degu.
Do you have pics of the larger males??


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## wohic (Jun 19, 2006)

Gaboon said:


> i had to kill before for my royals that woulent feed didnt enjoy it but id do it again if i had to. i dont see how breeding your own and selling them as pets then buying in frozan ones is justified though. your just pretending that the frozan mice where never living or something. dont get it...


 
well for me its more profitable to do it that way , I get £2.50 for a weaned live mouse, i can exchange that for 10 frozen ones of the same size.

And i like eating lamb but could not kill my own...same thing really


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## royalpython (Nov 16, 2006)

We just bought a gerbil, and the moment we left the shop it was named.. we're screwed!! Was going to be used for one of our nutty royals, not sure if we have the heart now though


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## talltom69 (Dec 8, 2006)

Well if any of you have ant spare mice, gerbil's or rats left over im more thank happy to breed for feed as I've never been one to fall in love with fluffy little things, so send them my way :lol2:


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## Chimp (Sep 23, 2006)

used to cut pinkies into 3 to force feed my cf baby royal didnt kno what a pinkie pump was back then
R.I.P my littleroyal never even got a name


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