There are several reasons for raising mice ranging from wanting to raise them as pets, to producing snake food. Whatever the reason for doing this, there is a specific process for achieving more humane, safe and effective farming. Read the following article to learn how to successfully breed baby mice in your home.
Steps
Step 1. Place the mouse cages in a well-ventilated area
Male mice excrete a musky odor to mark territory, and multiple male mice in the same cage can give off an unpleasant odor
Step 2. Place the cages in an area that remains at a constant temperature of 22-30 degrees Celsius
Keeping animals at an inappropriate temperature can inhibit the mice's ability to reproduce or make them sick
Step 3. Put wood chips on the bottom of your cages
- If you want to save money in the long run, buy these wood shavings in bulk, rather than in frequent small quantities from pet stores.
- Having clean cages that are tailored to the mice's preferences will improve the likelihood of being able to breed them.
Step 4. Purchase food for mice or rodent pellets and a bottle of water for each cage
Fresh water should also be given every day.
The right food and plenty of water will help ensure healthy mice, and this will also improve the likelihood of breeding them
Step 5. Start breeding mice at a relatively early age
- Females can be bred after about 6 weeks of life. Males can be bred from around 8 weeks of age. If time is not an issue, however, it is best to wait until females are 12 weeks old, as this generally produces stronger litters.
- Males will generally be weaned around 1 year of age. Females after about 8 months. After this period, the likelihood of death increases when raising offspring.
Step 6. Determine the gender of each mouse
After about 2 weeks, the nipples of the female mice should be visible. These will not be visible on male mice. In addition, the external genitalia are further away from the anus in males
Step 7. Place a male mouse in a cage with several female mice
- Generally 2-4 females for 1 male are fine.
- Do not put male mice in a cage with females anymore. Males will fight each other, and will often kill each other. Males can also harm females in the mating period or newborn offspring.
Step 8. Introduce males and females to a clean "neutral" cage at the same time to prevent any territorial control problems
Although rare, some males and females could fight each other if one is introduced into the other's territory
Step 9. Remove the male from the female cage no later than 16 days after placing him in the cage
Step 10. Wait at least 3-4 weeks after weaning a litter before breeding a female mouse again
Advice
- When raising mice at home, make sure you have multiple cages. In this way, it is possible to separate males, females, adults and juveniles as needed.
- Excessive breeding can cause small litters, unhealthy litters, shortened lifespan of the mother and shortened lifespan of the litter.
- If you buy cages from a pet store, make sure the cages are specifically designed for mice and not other rodents such as gerbils or rats. The bars in the cages of the mice are very close together and this will prevent even the newborn mice from escaping.
- If a mother has a slender appearance, try feeding her fresh fruit etc. To help you gain weight in a healthy way.
- Never touch infants until they can walk on their own, or the mother may instinctively kill them.
- Put newspapers in the cage so she can use them to make a nest.
