Breeding Mice

[GarterGeek]

Newspapers are a very poor substrate for mice. The paper has less absorbancy and less oils to control odor, when compared to shavings. Newspaper, unless it is a product called "Yesterday's News" or similar, tends to stick together, which makes it get wet and smelly quickly. (see below)

This increases the odor. Try getting your pine shavings in a bale - a bale costs around $14, but lasts a LONG time unless you are producing lots of mice. If you are giving your mice adequate space per mouse in their enclosure, you can change shavings once a week without the odor being overwhelming.

Also, researchers have found that too much bedding actually increases odor and moisture. Less is more with mice, because the mouse likes to dig around in the bedding, and the action of them doing that will cause evaporation, which dries the bedding and allows it to last longer. Bedding that is too deep cannot be stirred around by the mouse, and you end up with wet, stinky corners in the enclosure.

If you want to feed mouse chow (purina) you will have to special order it, but it is the best food for mice, hands down. I don't use it, because I am going for cheap. Grocery store dog foods that are extremely low in cost and lower in protein, with corn as the first ingredient, is my staple food, with wild bird seed added. My mice also get apple cores and skins, and other garden produce occasionally... but not too much, or stools are loose!

Hmmm, I was wondering whether newspapers were the best substrate. I guess you've answered that for me!! I'll stick with newspapers until I expand more. It's cheaper.

I thought about using wild bird seed but was worried about the bug-killer they put in it. Is this a real concern?

[KITKAT]

I thought about using wild bird seed but was worried about the bug-killer they put in it. Is this a real concern?

Well, so far I have not had a problem. I have two aquaria full of breeding mice. The 55 gal. colony is going great. The 20 high colony keeps getting tumors... but this is a different color strain, and I already know that they are prone to fertility problems, etc... so the tumors showing up does not really surprise me.

So I don't think the tumors are due to chemicals in the food... since the 55 colony does not have these problems and eats the same thing.