Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have tried breeding mice twice, both with a male and two females in a 10 gallon aquarium. The first time they didn't produce anything except smell and after three months I fed them to my ball python. That time I was feeding them lab mouse food, which I think may have had something in it to sterilize them. The second time, I got two litters of about ten or eleven, and then they unexpectedly ate each other, and died. Very gross.
I just bought two baby corn snakes, so I thought I could certainly save money on pinkies and fuzzies (at 50 cents each), if I could do it right. Here's what I'm thinking of doing. Get three female and one male mouse, to be kept in a rubbermaid, with water bottle, appropriate food. Keep them, and as soon as they have babies freeze them to save for my corns. I'd keep this up until they slowed down and then feed them off too, and start over. What do you think? I would add vanilla to the water for odor control, and change it about twice a week. How big of a rubbermaid do you think I would need? I plan on keeping them in my room (I'm 15), and they CAN'T get out or my Dad will kill them and not allow me to get more, ending my project. I was hoping I might get a decent sized litter every month from each female.

Thanks,
Taylor
0.1 Ball Python
1.1 Motley Corns
2.0 dogs
1.1 parakeets
2.2 zebra finches
0.2 Bettas
1.0 guinea pigs
0.1 horse
2.0 nigerian dwarf goats
6.0 chickens
0.1 cats
tons of frozen rodents

I have a three to one mouse ratio and they just started produceing and I am gettimg way to many pinkies. I am letting some of them grow to full size for my little boa, but if your mice produce, that is going to be a lot of baby mice not getting eaten. If they each have a litter of 8 pinkies that is 24 pinkies in less than a month. 2 baby corns are going to eat maybe 8 pinkies a month. your going to be way over producing. If I did my math right ((365/21)*24) your going to get something like 415 pinkies a year, that is a lot of mouse. Unless you have friends that need them I would only keep one or two of the females.
Also consider that a lot of the time the litters are larger than 8, my first mouse had a litter of 11 that would be almost 600 pinkies a year.
Snakewise I am in the same boat as you three snakes prop at comparible sizes right now, and I am going to have to get rid of at least one of my breeders.

Hope this was not to long for you, just trying to help

MrBfrog
-----
0.0.1 Common Columbian Boa (Damian)
0.0.1 Amel Cornsnake (Kernal)
0.0.1 Okeetee Cornsnake (Guido)
1.1.0 Lhasa Apso's (Monkey, Tiffany)
1.0.0 Rat Terrier (Ricky)
1.3.0 Mice (nameless)
0.0.4 Goldfish (nameless)
0.1.0 Beta Fish (nameless)
0.0.1 Snail (Gary)"Meoow"

Also Canibal the Musical is just about the the most funny movie ever!!!

I hate lab block. I wouldn't feed seed mix either, except as treat to add to a good, dye free dog kibble with a mid 20%s protein.
Don't buy adult mice, get medium smalls and grow them for a month. Adults may be spent breeders or take longer to get started anyway. I put anywhere from 1.5-1.8 in a tub that is 15X20 or so.
If you use a tub then melt holes in it with a soldering iron or drill with a sharp bit....but smaller holes will help prevent chew throughs.
Always have feed and water available.
Cannabalism is a sign of not enough protein or stress. Don't bug em and feed them well.
-----
Sonya

Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with the software.

I would just buy the pinkies you need for one corn as it probably won't eat more than 10 pinkies before it grows big enough to eat fuzzies. I bought my corn snake in September and he was about 14" long. He was able to handle two pinkies per meal within two weeks of my owning him. Now he can handle small adult mice (4 week old mice). He is also twice the length and thickness than when I bought him. Last time I weighed him he was 75g close to a month ago.

If you still want to breed mice, I use a 1:4 ratio in a 55L sterlite container. I suspend a waterbottle from the edge using a wire harness I make myself (basically take about a foot or so length of flexible wire, and wrap it around the body of the bottle, leaving two ends to fold into hocks over the edge of the tub, or insert in holes drilled into the lip of the container. Just make sure the bottle hangs low enough for the mice to reach comfortible. You can slide the harness up and down the bottle for small adjustments, bigger ones may require cutting a longer piece of wire and starting all over again.

I feed my mice a 19% min protein, 8% min fat containiner dog food (with no dyes or preservatives) mixed with a budgee seed mix (about one third dog food to 2/3s budgee seed mix). To this I add about a cup of sunflower seeds and cracked corn or hamster mix. (one cup to approximately 2kg of the first mix). I put in a wheel, several toilette paper tubes and shredded paper into the bin, typically on aspen or pine shavings over a layer of newspaper. Never had any problems with breeding or cannibolizm.

What kind of chickens do you have? I've always thought day olds would be great snake food, but don't have any experiance with that.

If you can take care of that many different animals, mice should be a snap!

DeMak

Mine are black australorps, just a good heavy layer. I don't feed chicks to snakes, it seems a bit mean. I don't mind killing mice and rats who infest houses, spread disease, and stink, but chicks are just so innocent. Plus they're pretty expensive, they weight just a few grams and cost a dollar.
Thanks so much to everyone who replied. I think I'm going to set up a really good cage, with quality food and good care, and then hopefully the pinkies will overflow the top. I feed my corns like crazy, about 2 small ones per week, the guy I bought them from feeds them 4 small ones per week! I want to get them to breeding size in a fairly fast manner without spending tons of money on the food. Thanks again!

Taylor

I like chickens also, but to me they are livestock. If you can go with that and your snakes would eat them, then there are cheap places to get quality chickens. Below is a site that sells thousands of day olds by mail. The specific listing is for males from a special egg laying breed 'Pearl Leghorn'. Since they are an egg breed, they have too many cocks. Hence the cheap price. I live in CA which is one of the most expensive areas to ship to, $11.28. The chicks are $11.75 for 25 or $0.92 ea. delivered. For 100, it's $25.18 for shipping and $32 for chicks or $0.57 ea. delivered. Now if I could only figure out what to do with 98 chickens that second week!

For what it's worth...

DeMak
Frying Pan Special