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Post by Sherry on Dec 22, 2017 10:14:14 GMT -5
Oh they are darlings!
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Post by bishop24 on Dec 22, 2017 12:06:25 GMT -5
So cute! And their ears are so big 😆
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Post by Aftershock on Dec 29, 2017 1:54:24 GMT -5
The three hold backs officially have names! Male with star on his head- Nugget (because well.... he has nugs) Female mink color hooded (Hooded means they have the stripe down the back)- Creme Brule AKA Bru Female black cap- Pecan Pie AKA Pie I did my first official cervical dislocations yesterday. I .... feel awful saying this, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I felt bad, and I know the first two didn't go the way I wanted, but the last two were pretty perfect. I was shaky after because the last two decided they were going to scream at my CD tool touching the back of their necks. The very last one was the worst. He had been the most skiddish and tense out of this litter. I was actually worried that he was going to bite me when I went to pick him up to CD him. He flipped his head back at my hand. I barely touched the back of his neck and he flipped around at my CD tool and absolutely screamed and wouldn't stop. I can't decide if I got the feel of it, or if the screaming made it instinctual for me. Hmm. Anyway- some fun news Thyme's litter is four weeks old on the 29th which means temp testing for them! This litter is FULL of lickers. I stick my hand in and it's got ten tongues all over it It is QUITE adorable. Bahahahahahaha
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Post by Sherry on Dec 29, 2017 6:15:33 GMT -5
That would have definitely made it difficult. But it shouldn't feel weird because the act of CD wasn't as hard as you'd expected.
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Post by Miousse on Mar 1, 2018 3:27:25 GMT -5
Hello Aftershock, I realize this is a couple months old, but I was wondering how this was going? Rats are restricted where I live, so it's not something I would be able to do, but I'd love to see how this goes for the temperament. Do you suppose it would work for other rodents?
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Post by Aftershock on Mar 1, 2018 15:07:23 GMT -5
Hey there! 😅 I didn't actually realize how long it has been since I have updated this! (We've been going through the process of closing on a house)
I've had to do some rearranging with some of my original plans, since I want specific markings/colors and switched their food (hog feed mixed with black oil sunflower seeds) but I've already seen a massive improvement in temperament from gen1. I've managed to luck out with both temperament and coats.
To answer your question- Yes, to an extent. What are you thinking about breeding? I know a bit about other species and what to expect❤
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Post by Miousse on Mar 1, 2018 16:45:58 GMT -5
Hi Aftershock, I already have pet Guinea Pigs, so have expanded to include some younger breeding stock, (some of which are super shy) but was also considering another small rodent (Mice vs ASFs) or Rabbits. I'm hoping to be able to home-grow most of the food for our ferrets and 2 Sm-Med dogs, so production will be the main focus, but I'd like breeding stock that race to the front of the pens to see me like my GPigs do, so if I could tweak the program to encourage that I'd be thrilled! Congrats on the house! We're on the hunt too. I can't wait to have a real yard!
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Post by Aftershock on Mar 6, 2018 11:16:13 GMT -5
Now that we are moved and most things are put away - Yes, breeding for temperament works for mice and rabbits. I've seen people say they've done it with ASF, but it seemed to take longer to breed out the unwanted qualities. Mice can stink pretty bad and cannibalize babies easily. ASF ... Are kind of a hit or miss. The bad stock can be prone to chewing, aggressive biting (rat bites are not something to be shrugged off), and you can't introduce new adults. I know a lot of people who say ASF (along with dwarf hamsters) are the devils of the rodent world. 😂 I've heard rabbits can be pretty easy to stress as well (we plan on breeding them eventually, but I haven't done much looking into it honestly) but I don't hear a lot of complaints about them. So with rats and mice, helicopter tails and suicide jumpers aren't usually a good sign. Helicopter tails are when you pick them up and they spin their tails. It's usually because they aren't comfortable in your hand and want to jump down. I am currently giving my rats passes on helicopter tails. Suicide jumping is when you pick them up and they straight jump (I give passes currently if they stop after 3 times) from your hand. I've had a few in litters that just keep doing it. Depending on your stock you can either breed for calm (not skiddish) or those that seek out your attention. I've been testing out a mix of both and will be seeing where that gets me because I've had hormonal issues in my originals (and a bit in gen1). I personally have been doing a lot of observing as they age and prefer those that gain interest in my hands, and keep it (basically rats that stay stable in their temperaments vs turn into screaming, aggressive creatures once 5 weeks hits). I've seen a massive improvement in gen1. Actually! I just had my first litter of gen2 the other day 😍 their mom is from my worst tempered mother (Saffron) and has been a MAJOR improvement. I can put my hand in and check babies with Bru still in the bin and she hasn't tried to bite me and usually only starts trying to move her nest by the point that I'm almost done. Saffron has already bit me once, I usually place her in a separate bin while I do quick checks on babies (I usually check up until a week old just to make sure no one dies and they all have good milk bands). Now that I've rambled on with my tired brain 😅 the process is fairly easy to be honest, it just takes getting familiar with body language, learning what YOU want, and time. And now, a picture of my first gen2 litter! Adorable naked fatties 😍 Mother is Creme Brulé (aka Bru)- mink hood Father is Nugget- black hood
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Post by Miousse on Mar 16, 2018 11:40:54 GMT -5
Love the little Fatties! I'm glad to hear there can be such big improvements in such a short time, I'll start trying this out
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