Breeding mice

[Reiyuu]

I have several breeding groups on the go at the moment. Fed on a mix of guinea pig food and ferret food for protien and fats, with veg cutting from the skunk dinners.

mine are bedded on aubiose horse bedding. as it comes in huge bales and is made from recycled wood. dust free and they can shred it to nest in. its soft anyway but they still shred it more lol

I keep em in my kitchen, no extra heating or anything they seem to approve. other then that you could use a fan heater but for heavens sake stat it! you dont want to cook your mice if they are in a shed. please! You could use heatmats and lamps but again.. stat them. and fireproof your shed if you can.

Culling wise you could freeze them as some people do or you could flick the back of their necks which breaks the neck and kills them that way. dont flick too hard. otherwise its rather gross.

hope that helps you

[jcuk94]

so i could just put them straight in the frezzer then??

[LoveForLizards]

Originally Posted by jcuk94

so i could just put them straight in the frezzer then??

Well, yes you can, but it is definitely not humane.

[jcuk94]

oki shall probably stick to a co2 chamber

[andrms0]

i think they would die slowly and painfully in the freezer, i just throw them on the floor or against a wall really hard. sometimes i get twitchers but they are definately dead. i have a male and female rat in plastic boxes joined by tunnels, after the first batch was born they faught a bit but i cleaned them out recently and it seems to have stopped. it involved touching the three week old babies but the mother still accepts them. anyone else have problems with fighting?

[LoveForLizards]

Originally Posted by andrms0

i think they would die slowly and painfully in the freezer, i just throw them on the floor or against a wall really hard. sometimes i get twitchers but they are definately dead. i have a male and female rat in plastic boxes joined by tunnels, after the first batch was born they faught a bit but i cleaned them out recently and it seems to have stopped. it involved touching the three week old babies but the mother still accepts them. anyone else have problems with fighting?

If the male was left with the female when she gave birth he would have knocked her up just before she gave birth and when pregnant sometimes they will fight off/kill a male.

[LoveForLizards]

Sorry didnt realise I had said "knocked up" until after I posted, and the edit button has disapeared in my time of need.

[jcuk94]

if i did this in my loft would the smell come through the celling.

[LoveForLizards]

Originally Posted by jcuk94

if i did this in my loft would the smell come through the celling.

If they are kept on good substrate and it isnt to warm in there and there is a window then no it shouldnt. I wouldnt suggest breeding them in your loft if there isnt a window or two though. For both ventilation and light for the mice.

[jcuk94]

looks like ill need to get myself a shed then(any ideas were i could get one reasonably cheaply?)