Keeping Mice / Multis /Gerbils

[RobB]

I've got some mice, multis and gerbils set up in my garage hoping to breed them for feeders.

Will I need to provide some kind of heating for them? What kind of setups do people have?
Should I move them somewhere so they can get daylight?

Cheers

Rob

[essexchondro]

I breed mice, multi's, and rats in the garage. They don't get any heating and its a double garage with only a small window...but it does let in enough light so that they can tell night from day.

I don't really work any strict system with my breeding (so production is probably lower than it could be), I just make sure I've got a male and a few females in each tub and they do the rest

I feed the dog biscuits and the occasional scraps.

[DASSIE]

mine are kept in my shed , i have a brick out building that i have fitted shelves into . the shelves have the same heating system that i use for my snakes , A heater cable along the lenght of the shelf . This is on a timer so only switches on during the winter nights , just to help out . Its pretty well insulated so heat isnt a prob . I find this little heat i provide helps the multies to keep breeding during the colder months. My main issue is overheating during summer(eventhough the summer has been sh*t) , i have a flap i have to leave open , fitted in the door , to keep temps down when the sun shines .

[madaboutreptiles]

so how bad do the mice smell.... I am thinking about doing mice but I am concerned about the smell?

[moonlight]

Originally Posted by madaboutreptiles

so how bad do the mice smell.... I am thinking about doing mice but I am concerned about the smell?

I breed mice and keep all of them in the sitting room, as long as you keep up with the cleaning of their cages the smell is minimal.

[madaboutreptiles]

I am looking at having about 200 trio's of mice on the go.....along with Multi's and rats

[RobB]

That's a lot of house keeping!

To be honest I've found the mice least smelliest of them though that's probably down to the fact that they have more space per animal than any of the others. The mice are in a large plastic tub but the others are in breeding cages.

Anyone got any views on daylight requirements?
They'll be lucky if they see 10 minutes of daylight a day and in an effort to a: ensure they're well looked after and b: get good breeding results should I move them to somewhere where they will get sunlight?

Cheers

Rob

[saxon]

Hi Rob,

I have mine in a 10 x 6 shed. I have a 4ft UVB light on 17 hours a day on a timer. I'm hoping this will keep them breeding throughout the Winter months.
I have a heater on if the weather is too cool through the night. I keep this at around 23c.
I bought an AC unit this summer but I've taken it out for now as it's just too easy to use and costs a bomb!!!!! I'll put it back in next year when the warm weather turns up again!!!

I find the mice can smell a little, usually the tubs with babies as I dont' clean them until babies are at least a week old, the rats if I miss cleaning them by a day or two can smell a little too but again that's my fault not theirs. The multi's dont' smell at all neither do the hamsters.
It also makes a difference what you use as substrate!!!
I am using megazorb and this tends to smell a little more if left too long as in the mice tubs with babies!!!!

I have shelving units in my shed but I really need another shed.

moonlight,

My shed is nice and tidy now!!!!!.....lol

[RobB]

Some great info again there, many thanks for that!

I'll have to have a look for megazorb - I've been using wood shavings.

I know temperatures in my garage will be significantly lower than 23c in the months ahead so I'll look to remedy that. Interesting about the uvb too, I might think about extending the cupboard in the back of my garage to house them all for heat retention and light.
Does the UVB need to be direct for the best benefit? Just wondering if I use reflective surfaces on the inside of the door if I could bounce the light down to cages at the bottom?

Cheers

Rob

[saxon]

I have just put it in the tube fitting fixed to the roof to be honest.
It was a spare 10% tube I had in.
At least they are getting some type of 'daylight' in the Winter months.