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Can someone PLEASE answer

slackajack Nov 27, 2004 04:39 AM

I posted this question a few days ago and I still havent got any replies...

I have 4 spotted pythons that eat an adult mouse a week each (I can also give extra mice to friends). It's getting too expensive to buy mice, so I wanted to make a mouse colony. Will 4 pythons be enough to keep the size down, or will the mice breed and take over?

I don't have any idea what to do and any tips anyone has (even really obvious ones) would be much appreciated. What do they eat, what do you house them in, do you sex them or just buy a few to start, How big do their cages need to be, etc.?

I'd really like some help on this, thanks to anyone that replies, even if it's some really obvious help, Jack
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There's a village in Texas missing it's idiot

Replies (9)

rhallman Nov 27, 2004 08:06 AM

I buy 2 to 3 bulk quantities of frozen mice a year because I do not have the space, time, or patience to breed my own. Yes, it does get expensive with 50 snakes to feed (mostly pinks, fuzzies, and weans). I read an article by Bob Applegate who works with various tri-color Kings and Milks in San Diego. He has an extremely large commercial collection. He breeds his own mice and sells his surplus to local pet stores. He said the money he makes from the surplus equates to his feeding his large collection for free. You might want to inquire about local pet stores and see if they would buy your surplus mice. This will keep you from being overwhelmed and may put an extra few nickels in your pocket.
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Firehouse Herps

rugbyman2000 Nov 27, 2004 03:26 PM

Just some proper forum etiquette advice real quick - a subject line like "Can someone PLEASE answer" does not say anything about the subject of your question so few people will be enticed to read your post. You'd probably get more responses with a subject like "looking for advice on starting a mouse colony".

To your actual question though, you'll find buying bulk frozen mice saves you around 50% of pet store prices for live mice. It also saves you trips to the store, kills mousey bacteria, and I can honestly say after feeding my snakes thousands of frozen-thawed mice I have never ONCE had a mouse bite my snake (sarcastic, but true).

Like many others, I've tried to start feeder rodent colonies and given up after a few weeks/months because it can be a lot of work and they small so horrible it's not even worth it! If you are still interested in trying though though, just google a phrase like "breeding mice" and you'll get plenty of leads.

I'd highly reccomend frozen thawed mice to any snake owner, but whatever you want to do, GOOD LUCK.
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Jesse Rothacker
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary
Find out how YOU can get involved in reptile rescue...
www.forgottenfriend.org

jasonmattes Nov 28, 2004 11:21 AM

Screw the mice and feed rats...they are easier to breed, and better nutritionally than mice

Jason

mattcbiker Nov 27, 2004 04:12 PM

Just FYI - if you only have the 4 snakes, buying a bulk package of 100 mice or so would only average like $2 a week for all four snakes. I don't think it'd be worth it to start a stinky mouse colony.
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Matt from Minnesota
Cornsnake, Eastern Kingsnake, IL Bullsnake - all girls.
One Pair of cute Crested Geckos.

slackajack Nov 27, 2004 06:46 PM

Ok. I have a few problems with frozen mice:
1) I live in australia, and i can't find any bulk sellers.
2) When I put mice in the freezer for too long, they get frost on them, and then when i thaw them they are soggy.

If you've got any solutions to my problems, I'd be happy. If you could direct me to someone that sells bulk frozen mice to Asutralia cheaply, please tell me. Thanks for your help (even though you didn't actually help me in respect to breeding mice and my question), Jack
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There's a village in Texas missing it's idiot

Drosera Nov 27, 2004 08:26 PM

Okay, mousey care... There's also a feeder food forum you can scan through, but here's some info. I kept mice as pets for a few years so may be able to help.
I kept them on pine shavings and they're happy on that, but you may want something more sterile for the sake of your snakes.
I fed them a deluxe type mixture of fancy grains, dried corn and even dried banana slices. Stuff almost nice enough to use as trail mix. You may be able to get cheaper stuff that'll work as well, but your mice are what they eat, and by extension so are your snakes.
Female mice smell a little mousey but male mice STINK!!! You need to change the entire cage regularly.
Mice are reasonably sociable critters, but you may want to house the males from females seperately most of the time, just to prevent random breeding. They can and will breed like rabbits. You also need to prevent them from getting overpopulated or they'll be stressed and beat the hell out of eachother.
Mice are escape artists. What they can't squeeze through, they can chew through. Well ventilated tupperware or breeding trays may work. They need fresh water, gentle temperatures and just to be nice, you can give some of your cages an excercise wheel (maybe not with the newborns but anywhere else).
Mice are incredibly simple to sex. Just lift the tail and look for a very prominent set of testicles. You may want to get all your males unrelated from your females. Also as soon as your baby mice are weaned, seperate the sexes to prevent pregnant mice at the pet store. (see below)
The suggestion to sell your extras to a petstore is a very good one. Here's how you can take it a step further. Get a very nice relationship with your pet store. Find breeder mice that are adorable, with good proportions (best you can tell anyway) and unique colorations, spots, hoods, stripes, etc. The mice you can sell to the petstore are the nicest female offspring (they're the best pets as they don't smell), and maybe a few males. Keep the least attractive (so long as they are healthy) for snake food. You can probably also exchange mice for mouse food at the store and get an exceptionally beneficial relationship going.
They're a fair amount of work, so I frankly recommend searching for bulk some more. About frosty mice, put the dead mice in a good ziploc bag to prevent frost and freezerburn. defrost your dead mouse in a bag to avoid water condensation on the mouse. Worst comes to worst, you can get a paper towel and dry your mousicle off.
My fingers are near falling off from typing, so I'll end here. Good luck!

P.S. If you can't find a bulk supplier in your country but find you like raising mice, you may be able to start a buisness monopoly! :D
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0.2 chickens
0.2 dog mutts (half ownership, only mine when they misbehave)
0.1 Halflinger horse
0.0 reptiles due to living with
1.1 parents
Still searching for 1.0 WC human

crtoon83 Nov 28, 2004 01:11 AM

You say that after a few months they get frostbite...if not kept in a vacuum sealed package or at least in a ziploc freezer bag, then yes they will get freezer burnt. You can invest in a vacuum sealer, or just get some ziploc double guard freezer bags. pinkies will last about 6 months in ziplocs, an larger mice with a good coat of fur can last upwards of 9 months. If you vacuum seal, then they can last for years. As far as places down there, i'm really not sure. Wish I could be of more help to you.

Oh yeah, i've always wondered something...since everyone in the usa referrs to austrailla as "down under," do you refer to us as "up over?"
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-Chris

The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

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slackajack Nov 28, 2004 02:06 AM

Thanks for your help drosera and crtoon. I think i will invest in a breeding colony kept in the garrage. If i don't like them, i'll give them to my friend, and he can breed them and give me the excess mice. Now that i think about it, maybe i should just convince him to breed them.

And nope, sorry, we don't refer to you as 'up over', i think we're just 'down under' so all you americans don't get us confused with Austria. Thanks for your help, Jack
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There's a village in Texas missing it's idiot

twh Nov 28, 2004 05:32 PM

.............previous poster,switch your pythons to rats.rats are easier to raise and breed,there cool animals as they are smart and like human contact,there smell is a lot less offensive and most folks think there better food than mice.the advantages are too numerous to mention.have fun!

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