Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay, so I started breeding mice for pinkies before I got my baby corn snake. (I also planned to supply my friends who also have snakes. When I first started, I set up 2 1.3 colonies, and the males had actively tried to mate the females. Since then I've only had one litter, and the males haven't even tried to mate with the females recently! It's been 2 months and none of the other females have become pregnant. Is there anything that could be causing this? Is there anything I can do?

..how old are they now?
what do you feed?
are they in what room / temps?

mice should have babies at least 4 times each in a 6 month breeding period...

I setup 1.15 in a tub and let them in there for about 6 months more or less depending how they do.....there should always be babies in my tubs...I leave 21 at least and 40 at most...usually I let 30...yes I pull from tubs all the time when needed...and I freeze and use all sizes....I also will pull like 15 hops and put 15 pinks into a tank with 15 hope and 15 pink....if I let the babies mixed sizes the small stuff won't get enough food or will be squished.....so I keep them all the same size....

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..J Yohe ....

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They're all about 4 months old, I'm feeding them a rodent mix from a pet store with a little cat food mixed in for protein (no one sells lab blocks around here) The temperature is around 70.

While I understand that you are not feeding lab blocks; I have had a pet store employee tell me that all lab blocks contain birth-control medication in them, and therefore, should never be fed to any breeding rodents. I wonder if your pet store rodent feed might contain some kind of contraceptive in it, as well?

I, too, live in an area where lab blocks are not availiable, for hundreds of miles.

???????????IF lab chow had meds in it noone would get any babies , therefore noone would need to buy more lab block?

.seriously...lab block is a one food idea...it'a all you need to feed.....if you cannot get it....try cheap dog food and some cheap seed.....not coated bird seed....not rabbit pellets or guinea pig pellets...they don't want to eat it....

I use dog food,whole shelled corn,whole oats,and lab block......the diet is about 50% lab block.....

.....I cannot tell you why they are not breeding anymore...70 is fine and if they have food they should have kids...and if the male had kids before he should not have gone sterile....some males don't make me kids ,but the ones that do never stop

FAT overweight mice will stop breeding maybe and mice that are very underfed will stop having babies...too hot and too cold stops them also....you have none of these problems....

I kill tanks that stop making me kids....and start them all over......(as said..I do 1.15 per tub)

....?......don't have anymore ideas for ya....sorry...
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..J Yohe ....

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Yes, that store employee definately said that ALL lab blocks contain contraceptive medications in them, although he did allow that MAYBE the special breeder formulations MIGHT NOT contain them. All of the other lab block formulations, he stated, most definately do contain birth control medications.

It stands to reason that, if you are a researcher in a lab, you do not want your experiment results to be adversly affected by the rodents reproducing. Therefore the rodents are fed a diet containing contraceptives.

Thus, I was wondering if it were possible, that Jimmythetiger's pet store rodent food might also contain contraceptives. There are many people that believe that, pet rodents should not be bred; and that only professionals should breed rodents. These same people feel that snakes should not eat rodents, either; though what they expect our snakes to eat instead, I do not know.

I no longer have mice. I have switched over to rats. I feed my rats sunflower seeds; Total cereal (or the store brand equivalent), for their vitamin content; sliced carrots; plus any other appropriate kitchen, or table, scrapes I have on hand. I know that this is not the best diet, but it is what I can manage to put together from what is availiable locally, in my very small ranching community. When I had mice I used to feed them Safeway brand dog kibble, the kitchen and/or table scrapes; plus some alfalfa (fresh or dried including: stems, leaves, seeds) and grasses with seeds that are all volunteer plants from my yard.

Snakey Lakey

Never believe anything a pet shop employee tells you. They are no more "in the know" than anyone else. Lab black does not have birth control in it, EVERY mouse breeder I know uses lab black and they regularly produce babies-- me included.

Some mice just don't breed well, some will kill off any offspring if they feel over crowded or a lack of resources (good food, clean water, space, security). Sometimes you won't even see a litter before they kill and eat it. Use a high quality seed mix (without ethoxyquin, it's a cancer causing additive banned from human food but not pet food) mixed with a high quality dog food (like Evo or Chicken Soup for the dog lovers soul). Cheap dog food had additives and colors in it that are bad for mice (and dogs).

If you still don't get babies, feed off these adults and start again- get them from a different source.
I breed a lot of mice successfully and have only had to "retire" 4 females that were lousy breeders, these were the only 4 that came from Petco.

While it stands to reason that some employees actually know what they are talking about, this particualr employee seams to be fuil of it.

I have been using Mazuri Lab block for years in my colonies and have had great success with breeding.

I suggest making a phone call to aq few producers before making grand claims that they ALL have birth contol meds.

Mazuri Lab is by far the best product on the market, not only does the product contain vital nutrients but there is no waste purchased with the product, IE seed shells. Lab block can be feed in overhead troughs for ease of fill and material control. No more waste food from squirrel behavior! They even make a Breeder Formula!!!!!

Don't think Mazuri is available in your area...think again. If you are in the continental US its available. The product comes in 50lb bags so its can be shipped UPS or FedEx ground. The Mazuri line is also distributed by Purina Foods, so that feed store down the road can order it. Send me your zip I'll find it for you...

Lastly if you havn't done your research on Dog food your in for a world of hurt. Some of the crap in dogfood these days maybe your problem. Its a known fact that cheaper brands use bone as a filler, but did you know that some are geting their bone from euthanised animals. The chemical in euthanasia does not disappear readily, as a result there have been reported deaths of animals that consumed more than safe and passed away. People have unknowingly been Euthanising their pets slowly for years.

That is just one example but I can think of quite a few more chemicals that will effect rats in quanties not lethal to other animals.

Do you nit remember the milk scare a few decades ago...
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Jeremy Payne
JB Reptile

1.0 Snow "Kahl"
0.2 Triple Het Moonglow "Kahl"
0.1 Orange Tail Hypo Het Leopard
0.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow
1.0 Ghost
0.1 Possible Super Hypo
0.1 DH Ghost
1.1 "Kahl" Albino
1.0 Hypomelenistic
1.3 Pastel Hypo
0.1 Suriname/Columbian cross
0.1 Anerthrystic

1.1 Morelia Clastolepis

BigHurt- I didn't mean to imply that all pet shop employees are ignorant of all things, I simply meant that in general their position doesn't give them access to "super secret insider information"
Mazuri is a Purina product and can be ordered by any Purina dealer, this includes not only pet shops but also farm supply stores. It can also be purchased online.

https://www.mazuri.com/indexMazuri.asp

You can also buy "Native Earth" lab block which is the new retail name for Harlan:

http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/dept.asp?dept_id=256&brand_id=1770

I agree with BigHurt that lab block is the way to go for many reasons but if you can't find it or you can't get someone to order it (and I find that hard to believe) there are alternatives, though they will be less ideal.

Do a search on "what's in pet food" on google, it's gross. There are some high quality organic pet foods. I've been a vet tech for over a decade and I can tell you that skimping on food will give you more trouble than it's worth. You'll have lack of production, health problems, cannibalism etc

???...I thought Mazuri came in 33 pound bags?....

...it is good stuff....just a little more per pound than the Zeigler I have to use....(Zeigler uses fish based proteins yet I think)......wonder if it's crab shells?....LOL...my mice may long for picnics and clam bakes ???...I know I do....

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..J Yohe ....

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Harlan 33
Mazuri is 50 you are correct...it's been a few years since they had that at my local store...
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..J Yohe ....

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No feed store for hundreds of miles carries any Purina product.

When I tried to get Big R to special order some Mazuri for me they tried to sell me d-Con instead. They do not deal with Purina, despite information to the contrary on the Mazuri website.

This particular employee (who also claims that he has an account here on kingsnake.com) is in charge of the animal department at Zamzows on Overland in Meridian, Idaho. I bought my original pair of rats from the Zamzows on Fairview Av, in Boise, Idaho. (All of my rats descend from Sam and Zoe). Boise is almost 200 miles from my town.

save your cash and eat the Total cereal yourself....

give the rats dog food....period, they'll do just fine...

sunflower can be fattening when overfeeding them, also expensive too...they went up to $40 at some stores around here there for awhile...stupid...I get them at local farm with a store for $15 for 50#........corn $5 , and oats $6.....half what the local Agway sells them all for.....the little farm store is saving me cash.......dog food is not the same story, cheapest I can get is Dollar General store....

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..J Yohe ....

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