Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have bred mice for years and have gotten used to there smell and how often I need to clean to take care of the issue.

HOWEVER. I just started breeding rats in the last 6 months and it appears to me that they almost eat less than the mice and do not have as strong of an odor and don’t need to be cleaned as often. Is that true or am I just imagining that. I was curious what others have noticed that breed both mice and rats.

If this is truly that case I am contemplating almost doing away with breeding mice except for pinkie production an focus almost strictly on rats.

Allen

rats stink, mice stink, african softs stink, gerbils, hamsters and all critters stink....we just get sued to it...

yes...people will say rats smell less...it's a different smell, maybe a little less ammonia soaked than mice...male mice do smell worse than females...I seperate the sexes in holding tanks...and the males smell alot worse....

....the general concensus will be,....rats are better on the nose......but if you don't keep up with it they all stink...

good luck...summer is coming....!....

...(I breed it all...and I am really sick of it...)...
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........JY

LOL I know what you mean. Mice stink like hell and rats just stink bad? Cleaning, feeding, and watering the rodents is a huge time and space commitment. I hate dealing with it as well but I also use over 300 mice a month and cant bring myself to paying for that many plus shipping. I started breeding the rats in hopes that my larger colubrids would eat 1-2 rats a week in stead of 6-10 mice. A 6' Texas rat sucking down 6 adult mice at a sitting is silly.

Thanks for the feedback. I will see how that rats go. I would love to reduce the number of mice and at the same time reduce my labor and smell. But maybe I am wishful thinking

Allen Sheehan

Male mice have a strong musk to their urine, which contributes to the amount of stink mice put out.

If given a large enough cage, not over crowded and cleaned regularly (once a week is usually good, depending on what substrate is used and how much) and the room has good ventilation rats definitely don't smell as much. I don't think they eat any less than mice but their metabolism is not quite as high as mice so that may make a difference in a long run. Rats are also more omnivorous than mice, so can eat a greater variety of food. Decent quality lab rat blocks work well. Most just use dog food which is fine, but I suggest adding some variety anyway. I find large parrot fruit/nut mix is a great addition (though this isn't all that cheap but at times it goes on sale). Besides that, most unsweetened whole grain cereals are good for a treat. Probably not as important with larger scale breeding than small groups.

fresh greens like bell peppers, collard greens etc, tossed in once in a while (avoid tomatoes or onions as these can cause serious bloating in rats) give some variety too. Or its fine to just stick with rodent blocks or dog food.
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PHLdyPayne

Forum Princess

feed stores....

I feed or have fed....

whole oats
dog food
shelled corn
lab block
sunflower seed
white millet

have...pig chow,trout pellets,monkey chow,red millet,soy beans,peanuts,horse short feed, cat food, human food bones including fish, leftovers, stale stuff, greens even from the yard which is not totally without parasite risks...

yard greens...(plantain, english plantain, lamb quarters, red clover,white clover, alfalfa, puslane, rye grass, smart weed, mulberry leaves, violet leaves and flowers, )

pumpkins, melons and squash, cabbage, etc etc etc....

.....they do NOT eat rabbit pellets.....
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........JY