Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, after over 30 years of working with herps I have finally given in to breeding my own rodents. This forum as well as many who provide info. within have made the starting of this project very simple.

This is where I am at now.

Purchased 3 sizes of used lab style breeding tubs for mice and rats. If anyone needs help in locating these I can send you in several directions. Currently keeping 5 colonies each of mice and rats in groups of 1.4 and 1.2. I use alfalfa pellets for bedding. Imitation vanilla added to water bottles. I change bedding weekly but there is basically no bad odor at all emanating from these tubs after 7 days of use. I figure to keep it that way as cleaning is a snap.

I use Ziegler rodent chow for the mice and
FRM for the rats supplemented with some pro plan (dogs don't mind sharing).

Now that it appears all the females are carrying, I'm curious as to when one cleans tubs with pinks present. I was planning to keep with my cleaning on a weekly basis but with pinks present using a scoop to move them from one tub to the next.

Any additional info., comments or advice given would be appreciated.

Thanks

Sounds like you have a great start.
When cleaning I just take all the adults out and put them in either an extra bin or a 5 gal bucket. Then is when I count babies and assess production. Count the pups into a separate container. Clean the tub and put the pups back on clean bedding, then dump in the adults. You might lose a litter or two of mice to cannabalism from first time moms but it won't be from you cleaning the bins once a week. Mice are a bit freakier than rats. Rats might bite you to protect their pups, but otherwise they won't be messed up by your handling them.
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Sonya

Rich:

Please let me know where to go for the lab style tubs. I already know of one place. It is at pythonsdirect.tripod.com/index.html

I wouldn't mind getting some more sources for tubs. I think that using tubs for rats would be probably just as good as a rack system. I know that the tubs come with a watering bottle that will last for days or weeks.

As far as how I clean the cages of my rats when there are pinkies, I don't do anything special. Here are two equally good ways: 1) I just prepare a new tank and put newspaper in the new tank and move the mom and babes there. My rats don't seem to eat their young even when the babies are handled on the first day of birth. 2) when I don't have clean tanks already available, I just move mom and babies to a temporary container. I then clean the tank and lay newspaper and put the babies back. In the new tank, I don't do anything special. I just put the babies directly on the whole, intact sheets of newspaper. The moms then will tear up the newspaper and move the babies under the torn pieces. Rats are good moms.

Mice are a little more persnicketty. For them, I would wait until the babies are at least 24 hours if not longer before moving them. It is a good idea to disturb mice with pinkies as little as possible.

Hey: by the way, thanks for sharing your personal experience with pellets and vanilla extract. Also, thx for sharing your seven day cleaning cycle. It is good to read about personal experience and good endorsements of the pellets and vanilla combination. I am in the process of considering possibly maybe going that route. I currently use newspaper and I would like something more sanitary and pleasing to the eye and nose. So, see, even though you are new to breeding, your sharing of your experience is helping people like me already.
Hey, even though you are new, you have already taught me something. Your endorsement of the pellets and vanilla extract and your seven day cleaning cycle is something that I may adapt in my own home. Additionally, I may also start using the lab style tubs. Please give me some places in addition to python direct. I'll also look for them at the MARS reptile show which is in two days.

Hope to hear from you in the future and maybe we can all learn from each other in this big tent well call Kingsnake!

sincerley.
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Longtang. I like snakes and rats.

I had the wrong company in mind.

the actual link which has those tubs was hometown.aol.com/reptile4me/myhomepage/business.html

Is this the place from which you got your tubs? How much did it cost ya? Do they still have them in stock? I am asking about the price and shipping cost because if MARS turns out to be more expensive, then I will just wait and buy them where you bought yours.

thx in advance.
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Longtang. I like snakes and rats.

They are not the people I have been buying additional tubs from since. There are other sources I have found recently which I have gone with. Basically was shopping for a rack system and came across these used tubs. Figured to experiment first with breeding before I get to far into it. I also noticed almost any lab will sell used tubs to you as well.

At first it was difficult to acquire more tubs. I have now found several sources that I can e-mail to you that are very easy to deal with. I am currently paying $12 a tub which includes a water bottle. With shipping charges it puts about $1 additonally to the cost of each tub.

You will probably see some at the show. If not, shoot me an e-mail and I will send you some other links.

Thanks

why the vanilla and why the rabbit pellets?
I don't want anything cutting edge going on unless I'm in on it.
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0.1 Rubber Boa
1.1 Eastern Hognose Snakes
1.1 Western Hognose Snakes
1.0 Durango Mountain Kingsnake
1.0 California Kingsnake
1.1 Woma's (new!)
Spadefoot
Black Knobbed Sawback
Northern Diamondback
Florida Redbellied Slider
Australian Redbellied Side Neck
Western Painted
Southern Painted
1.0 African Hedgehog
1.0 Sulcata
2.1 Leopard (Babcocki) 1.0 borrowed (thanks Bobby)
2 Plecos
2 Silver Dollars
3 Bosemian Rainbows
2 Clown Loaches
1 African Dwarf Frog
1 Khuli Loach
1 Cory Cat
1 Upside Down Catfish
2.0 Fire Guramis

uhh... I think that is it.

A few drops of vanilla in the water bottle is supposed to cut down the ammonia smell in the urine. The rabbit pellets are more absorbent than other types of bedding.

np
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0.1 Rubber Boa
1.1 Eastern Hognose Snakes
1.1 Western Hognose Snakes
1.0 Durango Mountain Kingsnake
1.0 California Kingsnake
1.1 Woma's (new!)
Spadefoot
Black Knobbed Sawback
Northern Diamondback
Florida Redbellied Slider
Australian Redbellied Side Neck
Western Painted
Southern Painted
1.0 African Hedgehog
1.0 Sulcata
2.1 Leopard (Babcocki) 1.0 borrowed (thanks Bobby)
2 Plecos
2 Silver Dollars
3 Bosemian Rainbows
2 Clown Loaches
1 African Dwarf Frog
1 Khuli Loach
1 Cory Cat
1 Upside Down Catfish
2.0 Fire Guramis

uhh... I think that is it.

I use Vanilla Extract in the water, about 1 tsp./gallon I beleive is the prescribed amount, this is easy for me as I have auto watering system. And it definitely seems to make a difference. The wife noticed more than me as the rodents and most reptiles are in shop, this is were I spend alot of time and just get used to the smell , the wife comes out less often and commented on it the other day. So now I have instructions to use it regularly.

I am nothing if not obedient!!

Bruce