Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just heard that some people use vanilla in the drinking water of the mice they breed to lessen the smell of the mice.
I'm just curious if anybody here has tried this, how much vanilla is needed if it actually works, and, of course, if there would be any bad effects for the snakes who ate their new vanilla flavoured mice.
Thanks.
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"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
J.R.R. Tolkien

I have done it in the past when I kept them in the house. I noticed very little if any difference in the smell. I played around with the
amounts but found that the slight benefit did not outweigh the hastle of continuously monitoring the bottle. From what I remember the mix was only supposed to slightly tint the water.

If you have only one family (1.2 to 1.4) and a big bottle it may be worth a try. As soon as your dealing with multiple families thats when it's time to move them outside!

Take care

I'm already dealing with two productive families, and I'm starting two more (new snakes arriving in a couple weeks).
Sounds like more trouble than it's worth. Might still give it a try in one or two of the families.
Thanks for the advice.
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"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
J.R.R. Tolkien

Well, I've had mice as pets, and now as breeders to provide pinkies for my snake. I know that it is ONLY the male mouse that stinks.Cleaning the cage too often wont help, he'll just go around marking his territory again, and possibly moreso. I've found that a few things help to lessen the smell, though nothing but keeping only females will take it away completely. First off, just the other day I had run out of bedding {not even a scrap of newspaper!}, so I rummaged around the house and the only thing I could find was cornmeal. I used it. It's the second day now, and although there is a slight smell {oddly, not the same as the origional smell, it smells completely different}it doesn't smell nearly as bad. I know that cornmeal is going to mold if it isnt changed often, but the lack of hormonal mouse smell is making me wonder if it is worth it... it just might be. I've also used these tabs that i got for cats, it says it lessens the smell of cat urine and stools. I didn't ever try them for mice, but I keep PET rats, and although they do not stink, their cages did smell particularly unoffensive. I also reccomend only keeping one male mouse {no matter how many "families" you have, as you can transfer the male from cage to cage so he can "do his buisness"} Not only will that take away the excess smell of multiple mice, but the one male will not smell another male, making him alot less determined to mark his territory. I hope I've helped. {PS: I've tried the vanilla right outof the bottle, and it is REALLY nasty. I find it hard to believe that any mouse with a taste bud would ever drink it.. diluted or not}

-Sara