A Quick Guide to Keeping and Breeding Mice
One of the most common reasons that people choose for breeding mice is that they are either selling them to people how have snakes, or they have snakes themselves and would like to keep the feeding cost down. If you are thinking of breeding mice, there will be many things you will have to take into consideration; this is a major task that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Before you start breeding mice you will have to decide where you will keep them. It should be in an area that is completely set aside for the mice, preferably someplace that is not real close to your own living quarters as mice can have an unpleasant odor. You will also need to have several cages for your mice; some places you may want to think of keeping them would be like in a loft or a garage. You will just have to keep in mind that the area needs to stay warm enough, year around.
The type of cage to get is the kind that is specifically designed for mice. If the cage has too much of an area that mice can squeeze through you may have some escaping, especially babies. Basically, you will need quality cages that are designed for breeding mice; many pet stores carry, or can order these cages.
Another consideration will be feeding your mice. When you first start out you can probably get food from a pet store, but once you have a large quantity of mice, you may want to consider getting rodent pellets from a supplier that specializes in this type of food.
Breeding mice is really a matter of educating yourself. Mice are a species that can breed at a young age, both male and females can begin to breed when they are about six weeks old. Mice will continue to breed until they are about one year old. The first litter for a female will likely produce few mice. A female will also produce fewer babies as she ages.
One of the most important things to remember when you are breeding mice is that you only put one male to a cage. This is a big one because when you have more than one male they will fight and kill each other. The best method of placing your mice is to put one male to about three or four females; this should lead to having a new litter every two and a half to four weeks. The number of babies that your female mice have, will depend on their breed, but in most cases you can expect a litter to be anywhere from three to twelve.
It is recommended that when you are breeding mice that you have at least nine cages to cycle your mice. Begin with one or two cages, and as your young are weaned remove them and create another breeding cage until you have about nine. After you have the ninth cage, you will start over again with the first cage.
Breeding mice is really not too difficult if you take some time to research and prepare for the venture. It is also a great way to reduce the amount of money you are spending to feed your snake. Keep in mind that the better you take care of your mice, the more babies they will have that will be healthy and become good breeders.