At Christmas time I bought 15 lab mice. (low budget). I bought 1.2 each of 2 inbred strains that are known producers of small litters (4 - 6 avg sized litter). I bought 1 female ICR, and 2.4 swiss websters. I also bought 1.1 hairless mice.



Of those mice I purchased only 1.1 of the swiss websters are even alive, in addition to 1.1 of one inbred strain, and 1.2 of the other inbred strain.



One of the two swiss webster males they sent me was a dud. One of his females had a litter of 3 pups.... and none of them had anything else for ten weeks thereafter. I switched to the other male and within three weeks had a big pile of pinkies (35 pinks out of four females). I've used those to create some additional breeding groups, and now I have six setups, 1 @ 1.3, 3 @ 1.2, and 2 at 1.1 (depending on maturation of the mice more than anything). In the oldest group of mice, they just started popping them out, but again, less than the desired amount. Always less than ten viable pups. The mice themselves are about 16 weeks old. Some of the other groups have also started having offspring, and they are having less than 10 babies each.



I did have a while that I was feeding a rodent chow that was a little low in protein and had some cannabalism, so that might have something to do with the low production I had for a while. But it's been a while since I remedied that. Even my low-litter-size inbred mice that are 8 months old are kicking out litters of 12 to 14, and my regular fancies are kicking out litters of 10 - 20. But the swissies are still kicking out low production litters.



I have one hybrid group, I crossed my largest-litter producing fancy strain (I call'em Toblerone) with the female ICR, and am now breeding those female babies to a Toblerone/swiss combo. Those mice are getting huge litters also.



Even my one ICR female, before she perished, had litters of 15 - 20 each time.



Either the hype is just that, "hype" or the swissies just won't produce for me. If I had my druthers, I'd get ICR in the future. (can't afford it).



Since I have fancy strains that produce in a similar manner to the swiss websters I'm not too worried though. Why pay extra for some special strain of mice when your specially bred mice do the job so well anyway!?
-----
~Sasheena



Kit, Kaboodle, Tantilla, Tantillas, Lightning, Kinkee, Maple, Licorice, Castle, Bishop, Queenie, Jester, Pandora, Phantom, Aphrodite, Athena, Hermes, and Lady

[ Show Entire Thread ]