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Hairless rats, sometimes referred to as Sphynx rats or dumbo rats, can be difficult to breed. Female hairless rats tend to lack a maternal nature and do not lactate sufficiently to support the healthy growth of young. They are most safely bred from a haired Rex female that carries the hairless gene, and a hairless male, or two haired parents who carry the hairless gene. This will render a mixture of haired and hairless babies, but will insure a healthier litter with a higher survival rate.
From birth to maturity, mice can come in a variety of colors and styles, and have playful, curious personalities which will charm any visitor. While pregnancy and birth is very difficult for mice, they make effective parents and do not require much human intervention. However, it is essential to remove the male mouse from the female and her pups. This must be done in an efficient way if you wish the mice to live as a group again.
Hairless mice originated in research laboratories. Due to genetic mutations, they are missing the thymus, which is part of the immune system. This makes them more prone to diseases, and gives them a shorter lifespan than furred mice. A furred female that carries a hairless gene must be used because hairless females often do not lactate well enough to feed a litter. A hairless female is likely to abandon or eat her offspring. Hairless mice have become popular as pets, and can make great pets if carefully bred. You will need the female's pedigree to help determine if she carries…
Social and entertaining, domesticated mice are easy to care for making them an excellent choice as small pets. Mice are best kept in pairs or small groups of females, as males will fight if placed together in the same cage. As mice are prolific breeders, with a gestation period of around 18 days, plan to keep males and females separated when making a habitat for your mice. Otherwise you will quickly end up with many baby mice.
Many snakes and other reptiles feed almost exclusively off feeder mice, which are standard white laboratory mice that come in various sizes. If you keep several reptiles that need to eat frequently, purchasing feeder mice can be costly. If you're a serious keeper, you may wish to breed your own feeder mice. Breeding laboratory mice for use as feeders is not difficult, but it does require patience and care.
The African pygmy mouse is the smallest known mouse species. Not widely available in North America, this miniature mouse species can be found at some pet stores and reptile expos. These mice are typically bred for one of two reasons, either for the pet trade or as feeder mice for very small reptiles that are unable to consume white mice. African pygmies reach sexual maturity at approximately 4 months of age with an average lifespan of two to three years. Typically, three babies are born per litter, with babies having no hair and closed eyes at birth.
Feeder mice can be used as an inexpensive source of food for your pet reptiles. If you want to keep your own supply of mice for your reptile friends, you must properly care for the mice as you would any pet to ensure that they remain healthy. While properly keeping feeder mice isn't challenging, it does require a basic knowledge of rodent care as well as the proper supplies.
Breeding and keeping mice for food for a reptile takes time and work and may not be for everyone. Breeding mice can easily get out of hand if not carefully controlled, since they breed quickly. Overcrowded breeding cages cause mice to fight and wound or kill each other. Parasites in the mice must be controlled or they can harm the reptile. Mice need to be fed consistently in clean cages. It is a challenge worthy of a solid try.
Mice have short gestation periods of 18 to 21 days. Mice also have large litters. This makes them the perfect laboratory animal for genetic research. The growth of the mouse embryo is a model for study of the growth of mammal embryos.
Raising mice is an interesting and enjoyable hobby. Rodent enthusiasts choose to breed mice for a variety of purposes: to produce show-quality pets, to create a population of feeder mice, to sell to pet stores, or for scientific experimentation. Regardless of your reason for raising mice, you'll need to follow the same basic protocols to maximize the success of any breeding program.
Mice are bred for several different purposes. Some mice are bred as lab mice for medical purposes. Other mice are bred to sell as pets in stores across America. Some mice are even bred by people in their homes to feed pet snakes. There are several factors that contribute to the successful breeding of white mice, including the ratio of female mice to male mice, the temperature of the cage and allowing enough time for the mice to mate.
An important aspect of keeping your pet mouse healthy and content is providing a safe and comfortable habitat for it. There are many different options--while aquariums are versatile and vary in size and shape, metal cages made specially for mice work perfectly and are often more cost effective. Setting up a cage your mouse can call home is relatively simple.
Although some people enjoy keeping mice as pets, the rodents also can be raised to serve another purpose: food for carnivorous animals, especially reptiles. If you plan to raise mice to feed to your pet lizard or snake, you need to invest just as much care in the mice as you do your reptile.
Owners of exotic animals, such as snakes, often raise and breed mice to supplement their pets' diets. Feeder mice are mice raised for such purposes. Unlike pet mice, feeder mice are typically mixed breeds, and no attention is paid to their breeding lineage or aesthetic beauty (fur color, hair length, etc.). Breeding feeder mice requires knowledge of the general care and raising of mice.
