Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a new Freedom Breeder combo setup. 3 tubs of mice, 3 tubs rats and crickets, roaches, worms.... Any way, I have one colony of mice going great. 1.2 ratio and taking juvies out when new litter is born. But my oterh 2 mice colonies have been set up for just over 1 month. I have no "action". I have heard that since they are near the rats, they won't breed. Truth or fiction? Also with the heat/cold fluctuation in so. Cal I am losing my rats 1 by 1. (2 have died in the last week.) It is about 75 in the breeding room. But outside temps are over 90 during the day and in the 50s at night. Could this be the reason or maybe I need to make other arrangements?

TIA
NAncy

There is a post below with the same problem, the tempratures are too hot and they won't breed, bring them indoors and you will have sucess like the below post did. I have rats and mice togther side by side in tanks and no problems what so ever, fiction. Also if it gets too cold they will put their babies on the bottom of the enclosure and may freeze that way. But need to remain house tempreatures to get good breeding, once they are stablized then watch out, I have 3 mice that exploded in the same week a rat and one more rat preg, so it goes fast once the conditions are right.
Good luck.
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My roomates are2 boas, 4 corns,Rotti,3cats and snake food AKA the food chain.

The breeding room is about 75. That is only 2 degrees higher than the below post. That could make the difference? I will adjust that temp. Willing to try anything. I use about about 15 mice and 15 rats weekly. Need to switch to frozen.

>>I have a new Freedom Breeder combo setup. 3 tubs of mice, 3 tubs rats and crickets, roaches, worms.... Any way, I have one colony of mice going great. 1.2 ratio and taking juvies out when new litter is born. But my oterh 2 mice colonies have been set up for just over 1 month. I have no "action". I have heard that since they are near the rats, they won't breed. Truth or fiction? Also with the heat/cold fluctuation in so. Cal I am losing my rats 1 by 1. (2 have died in the last week.) It is about 75 in the breeding room. But outside temps are over 90 during the day and in the 50s at night. Could this be the reason or maybe I need to make other arrangements?
>>
>>TIA
>>NAncy

I would think you have time still on the mice, they can take a couple months. Though it will depend on how big they were with setup. If you set up young mice you will get action faster than putting adults together. Being near rats has nothing to do with it.

If the temps are 75 you aren't losing the rats to temps. Outside won't matter if inside is fine. I would suspect a virus if you aren't seeing symptoms. I also wouldn't set up adults, rather grow a group up together. Replace the lost ones with smalls or small mediums, NOT large rats or mice.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

I live in the desert which is hot and dry, and my mice did a fantastic job in spite of the 80 and 82 degree temps in my (and their) house. It's the best that my AC could do, so I added fans in their room to help circulate the air. The only time my critters seem uncomfortable is when it rains and ups the humidity... and also in the winter when the temps dropped below 72. So, I think that low humidity allows one to have higher temps if keeping them cool is difficult.

Just my observation.
MissHisssss

>>I live in the desert which is hot and dry, and my mice did a fantastic job in spite of the 80 and 82 degree temps in my (and their) house. It's the best that my AC could do, so I added fans in their room to help circulate the air. The only time my critters seem uncomfortable is when it rains and ups the humidity... and also in the winter when the temps dropped below 72. So, I think that low humidity allows one to have higher temps if keeping them cool is difficult.
>>
>>Just my observation.
>>MissHisssss

You are probably right there. I live in Upstate NY so there is only one type of humidity....high. Heck....low for us is 35-40% in the frozen dead of winter. I really don't see a drop in production unless my room gets above 85 for several days straight.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

Hey,

I went 4 months with 4 colonies and no babies, now after being in the ac for less than 2 weeks I have 2 litters of rats, and 4 litters of mice, and everyone else is pregnant....woah...just exploding!

Cool 'em!

Steve