Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK. I BOUGHT 25 BREEDING LEVELS AND 2 HOUSING LEVELS FROM FREEDOMBREEDER LAST SEPTEMBER. BEEN DOING OK , SOEM ANIMALS DONT BREED AS WELL AS OTHERS BUT MY BIG PROBLEM IS THAT MY BREEDING HAS ALMOST STOPPED IN THIS PAST 2 MONTHS. I WAS WOUNDERING IF THE HEAT IS AN ISSUE, WHICH IM IN ALASKA AND THE TEMPS OUTSIDE HAVENT GOTTEN OVER 70. OR IF IT IS JUST THAT TIME OF THE YEAR THAT THEY DONT BREED.

ALSO I HAD GOTTEN SOME MICE FROM A LAB AND THEY PRODUCED GREAT, BUT THE FIRST GENERATION OR ACTUALLY THE ONLY GENERATION I COULD GET OUT OF THEM WOULD NOT BREED AND BY THE TIME THEY WHERE 4 MONTHS OLD THEY WOULD JUST GET SKINNY AND DIE. KIND OF STRANGE I THOUGHT. AND IT WAS JUST THE LAB MICE, NOT MY OTHER STRAINS.

ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRICIATED, AND THANKS IN ADVANCE

CHUCK
CORALLUS BOREALIS

Are you saying that the your original group of mice has stopped breeding? If it is from last Sept, they could just be at that age where they stop breeding and need to be replaced by younger stock. As far as mice getting skinny and dying off, I have that happen occasionally. I think it is just the nature of the beast. As far as temps are concerned, are your animals outside?

THANKS. NO THEY ARE NOT THE SAME MICE SINCE SEP. I HAVE CYCLED A TIME OR TWO. ALSO MY ANIMALS ARE INDOORS WITH VENTALATION TO THE OUT SIDE. TEMPS HAVE GOTTEN UP TO 78 AND I CANT GET IT DOWN.

My guess would be you got a strain specifically designed to produce pups that die of a specific genetic disease, so that disease can be studied.

HMM.. HAVENT THOUGHT OF THAT. THAT MAY BE TRUE.

WHAT ABOUT GETTING MICE FROM THE PET STORE TO BREED. DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD BE BETTER QUALITY BREEDERS THAN I WOULD GET FROM THE LABS?

Yes, I think it would be a safer proposition to get mice from a pet store for breeders....you never know what you might get with surplus lab stock.

I got all my starters at various pet stores and they do fine. What may have happened to the lab mice is they got 'contaminated' by your other strains and being from a sterile environment couldn't fight it off. If you get lab strains you CAN'T have any others in the same house. Literally.
As to the not breeding. I went through that mid winter but are not back up to full steam. I doubt it is the heat. Heck mine are in the herp room and at 75-80 nearly all the time. Just one of those lulls when I would check my males aren't getting old and that they were actually doing their jobs.
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Sonya