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Small Scale Mouse Breeding: The cure to running out of rodents

In my opinion, it will be extremely difficult to become a successful breeder of rare snakes without securing a steady supply of live mice. It is just the case that many snakes start off feeding on live prey and generally transition to frozen thawed after a few meals. There are many different methods of breeding mice depending on the quantities you need. If you have a reliable rodent breeder nearby with reasonable prices, that is also an avenue well worth considering.

Supply List:
Lab cages
Water Bottles
Pine bedding
Rodent Chow or Doggy Bag Dog Food

If you search out any information, you will find stories of missing baby mice. Sadly, I have found this is a very real threat. If you cannot identify the offender, you must put down the most likely suspects. As an alternative, I have had good results keeping mice in pairs. Kept in pairs, I have found this is relatively rare. Keeping the mice well fed and hydrated will also help,

I use lab cages for raising mice. As I only feed pinkie through hoppers and in relatively small numbers, these cages have worked well for me. I do recommend not using a very small water bottle as it will quickly become a pain to refill even in small numbers. The lab cages are of solid design and will last a long time. Some of the smaller designs will allow hoppers to escape so choose your cages carefully. The wire allows airflow and makes feeding easy.

You will find many debates about feed. If one were doing this on a large scale, this would be very relevant, but at the small scale we are talking, you need a feed that is obtainable. Mouse feeds are available from Mazuri, Kent, etc. Your first choice should be those foods geared specifically for mice if a local feed shop can get them for you. The next choice is a red dye free dog food made up of mostly grains. Doggy bag dog food from TSC has proven reliable and is widely used. I use this brand myself with good results and it is very affordable.

One place you don't want to skimp is bedding. Pine bedding is usually a good value and works well. TSC or other farm and feed stores are good sources.  Be sure to empty the cages out weekly as the bottom of the cages tend to trap moisture and smells and even flies will build up if the substrate is not changed often.

One final tip is to always have new mice coming up to replace the current breeders. They wear our quite quickly.

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