Post by Deleted on Feb 29, 2016 0:28:25 GMT -5
I dont have a ferret yet but am getting one in a week or two. I already have a stock of raw meat, hearts, livers and beef kidney, and plan on starting the ferret on raw or at least transitioning right away. But my goal is to move onto feeding whole, prekilled prey.
So today I bought 4 female hoppers and 1 male hopper mice (the store only had hopper mice and pinkies). They still need to grow for 8 more weeks or so before breeding, so this will be a long work in progress. I have the females in a 20 long tank and the male in a sterilite tub. Ill eventually build a breeding rack though to accomadate more.
I know ferrets need at least 3 protein sources, and I plan on breeding rats and either gerbils or hamsters. But im starting with mice for now to get a hang of the process (ive never bred mice, my only experience is my old pet rat having babies). Is it ok to feed them mice 3 days out of the week, and then another 2 rodents 2 days a week each?
I plan on culling the males of the litter at 3-4 weeks and letting the females grow until the next litter is weaned. I know ferrets need adult rodents, but do 3-4 week old mice count as adults? Ive read things that say theyre adults because they can breed, but other sources say mice are adults at 8 weeks. Are hoppers only meant for treats? Becausd i also read they need varying ages of rodents as well as species. Because thatd be sad, since that could mean half the litter or more will be treats anc not meals.
Thank you and sorry if it is long to read.
So today I bought 4 female hoppers and 1 male hopper mice (the store only had hopper mice and pinkies). They still need to grow for 8 more weeks or so before breeding, so this will be a long work in progress. I have the females in a 20 long tank and the male in a sterilite tub. Ill eventually build a breeding rack though to accomadate more.
I know ferrets need at least 3 protein sources, and I plan on breeding rats and either gerbils or hamsters. But im starting with mice for now to get a hang of the process (ive never bred mice, my only experience is my old pet rat having babies). Is it ok to feed them mice 3 days out of the week, and then another 2 rodents 2 days a week each?
I plan on culling the males of the litter at 3-4 weeks and letting the females grow until the next litter is weaned. I know ferrets need adult rodents, but do 3-4 week old mice count as adults? Ive read things that say theyre adults because they can breed, but other sources say mice are adults at 8 weeks. Are hoppers only meant for treats? Becausd i also read they need varying ages of rodents as well as species. Because thatd be sad, since that could mean half the litter or more will be treats anc not meals.
Thank you and sorry if it is long to read.
I recommend growing them out for your first few litters. Once you have a good income coming in, then start on culling for treats. The first few litters, you could keep some females and grow them out as breeders. 
