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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2012 1:35:24 GMT -5
1) If I get two males that get along from the pet store and put them in the same cage together, if I put one with several females so he can breed them, will the other male attack him if I put him back with him, or will they still get along?
2) Is it safe to put several females in a single cage if they have pups? For example - two females have a litter of pups, can I keep them caged together? Or should each female with litters have their own cage? Would it be safe to put a mother with a litter of pups with a female that isn't pregnant?
3) I plan on cleaning out their bedding every day to minimize smell. Is it safe to clean out a mother's bedding that often if she has pups? If not, how long should I wait before cleaning her cage?
4) What's a good diet to put the mice on? Both the studs, the females who aren't pregnant, and the females who are pregnant/nursing?
5) Any other advice you can give would be much appreciated!
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Post by goingpostal on Mar 13, 2012 4:55:39 GMT -5
Ok, don't put adult or breeding males together, they will fight, I keep two females per cage and just rotate males in and out as needed, you can clean out the cage with babies in, better to wait a day or two and just clean around them. You can make a homemade diet or feed lab blocks, mazuri 6f or harlan teklad is what I use, throwing in some cooked eggs, meat, veggies is always good.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2012 15:01:55 GMT -5
1) If I get two males that get along from the pet store and put them in the same cage together, if I put one with several females so he can breed them, will the other male attack him if I put him back with him, or will they still get along? Don't do it. Brothers may get along for a while and then one kills the other over night. If either has been near the girls he will fight for his territory even if there are no girls in sight.2) Is it safe to put several females in a single cage if they have pups? For example - two females have a litter of pups, can I keep them caged together? Or should each female with litters have their own cage? Would it be safe to put a mother with a litter of pups with a female that isn't pregnant? Some people will house preggos together or use nannies. You run a risk with either. It can work great, or one of the mice may get stressed and start eating the babies. Nannies have also been known to steal babies for themselves, only to have the baby strave to death. Houseing together also makes it harder to track the genetics if your into that.3) I plan on cleaning out their bedding every day to minimize smell. Is it safe to clean out a mother's bedding that often if she has pups? If not, how long should I wait before cleaning her cage? Not needed. I use sani-chips and a handful of shredded aspen from national pet pharmacy and it dries well. Some mothers will tolerate cleaning of the cage with young bubs in there more than others. Depends on how well she knows you are her personality. I tend to handle the bubs from day one or two, but this is with tame does. I clean cages once a week. Labs usually do it less, but they have closed air systems.4) What's a good diet to put the mice on? Both the studs, the females who aren't pregnant, and the females who are pregnant/nursing? Harlan texlad 18% from national pet pharmacy is the best premade food I know of. It was only recently packaged for private sales. Previously it was only for labs. It is tested for all types of nasties that could impact a lab study, so I like it better than the others. Pregnant or nursing does could use added protein. Eggs, meal worms, crickets, or even a quality ferret food. Mine seem to like a piece or two of ferret food a day. Just remember that their bellies are small and the lab blocks are the best balance for regular mice, your just boosting the protein for the babies.5) Any other advice you can give would be much appreciated! Decide how many you plan to breed at one time. Within a few days, cull litters down to 5 or 6 bubs. This insures that they are all getting enough nutrients. 4 to 6 is the magic range for how many babies a mother mouse can fully feed. There is a long term difference in health and the babies will look much plumper. I like my towers. In fact, I'm finishing my third one today. There are pics somewhere on here. Basically I have four bin cages with built in lids that act like a drawer system. So much easier to care for.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2012 22:53:46 GMT -5
Does anyone know where I can get cages they use in labs? I could probably get some super cheap shelves on CriagsList or something to put them on and have rows and such, but my dad used to breed mice and rats for feeders and those were what he had. Easy to feed, easy to clean....
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2012 1:25:46 GMT -5
1) If I get two males that get along from the pet store and put them in the same cage together, if I put one with several females so he can breed them, will the other male attack him if I put him back with him, or will they still get along?
Males should never be housed together, they WILL fight.
2) Is it safe to put several females in a single cage if they have pups? For example - two females have a litter of pups, can I keep them caged together? Or should each female with litters have their own cage? Would it be safe to put a mother with a litter of pups with a female that isn't pregnant?
No, no, and no. They can fight over pups and kill them. Mommy mice have their hands full enough with a litter, they don't need added stress.
3) I plan on cleaning out their bedding every day to minimize smell. Is it safe to clean out a mother's bedding that often if she has pups? If not, how long should I wait before cleaning her cage?
Cages only need weekly cleaning. If you clean a buck's cage more often than that you will stress him and he will urinate more to reclaim his territory. Same with girls. For females with litters, you need to wait 3 days before handling anything and until they are weaned, spot clean only. Then do a full change.
4) What's a good diet to put the mice on? Both the studs, the females who aren't pregnant, and the females who are pregnant/nursing? HT 2014 is great maintenance food, and in addition (for lactating does and young mice, or bucks in breeding cages) a bit of cat food, egg, or chicken.
5) Any other advice you can give would be much appreciated! Feel free to PM me. Or I'll just check here too. I know a fair bit about mice.
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Post by ferretlove67 on Mar 21, 2012 1:22:13 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2012 15:20:47 GMT -5
Honestly, I like bin cages over mouse lab cages. The lab cages are too small for anything more than a single male, imo. They also cost a decent amount and don't stack well. Look through the other threads. I'm pretty sure I have posted a pic of the towers I build.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2012 16:15:27 GMT -5
I was thinking about maybe getting some of the critter keepers from Petco. I don't want/need a huge breeding colony. I still have time to sit on it though.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2012 19:55:09 GMT -5
Allowing the male to stay with the female causes her to be pregnant while nursing. This is very stressful on her body and can interfer with full nutrition getting to the babies. Having multiple females together sometimes works, but can sometimes cause problems when babies are in the cage. You run a higher risk of baby theft resulting in starvation or one killing the babies. Most critter keepers have small opening and need to be high to accomodate the water bottle, but floor space is what is important to mice. I've got some, but only use them for cleaning day and as a back up.
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