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Tui
New Member
Finland
76 Posts |
 Posted - 13/04/2011 : 10:56:45
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And here I am again, hoping to get a few points of view ;)
Hopefully in the right place, too...
I'm thinking of starting this mice breeding business, because my collection of snakes is growing as we speak.
I'm aware of gas, in use of terminating the mice but I understood that pinkies can't be killed this way..?
I was thinking of 2-3 females with one male, for start. So nothing huge, for now.
BUT (there's always a but ;))
I'm not sure if i can kill mice. Even though it would be humane with the gas and all... I already feel like a murderer thinking about it. But soon i will have no choice, food here costs a lot, and some sizes i cant even get.
Did anyone had second thoughts about this before starting? Especially with the killing thing?
Do people get used to that or is it always the same feeling killing something?
Maybe when the babies come, i cant kill them and ill end up having housefull of mice :D
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http://finlegion.webs.com
1.0.1 Pantherophis guttatus, CB FIN
0.0.1 Morelia viridis "Sorong"/Poss HY, CB SWE
0.1.0 Epicrates c. cenchria, CB FIN
0.0.1 Acanthoscurria geniculata CB FIN
0.0.2 Hymenopus coronatus CB FIN
0.0.1 Grammostola pulchra CB HUN
0.0.1 Ephebopus cyanognathus CB SWE
0.0.2 Avicularia versicolor CB SWE&GBR
0.0.1 Avicularia geroldi CB GBR
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 13/04/2011 : 18:26:14
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| I would consider carefully before you head down that route. There are other ways to cut costs than raising and killing your own. Do they have frozen rodent vendors where you live? That's the way I do it: every quarter, I place a large (over 250) rodent order with a major supplier, and the box is shipped to my door. It may not be as cheap in the long run as breeding your own, but it involves less regulatory risk. It also saves you space you could use for snakes. And, best of all, it saves you the one thing we all run out of in the end: time. |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
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Mez
New Member
United Kingdom
52 Posts |
Posted - 14/04/2011 : 00:50:34
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We breed our own rats, not to save money as it certainly doesn't do that.
We felt uncomfortable buying rats which had been breed from animals kept in cramped conditions & bred from continuously throughout their lives.
At the moment we have 6 adult females & 4 adult males, we also have 5 juvenile females, 2 of which will be kept for breeding the remainder will be culled for our Royal Python once they are a suitable size.
We put a male in a cage with 2 females (usually sisters) for a period of 2 weeks to ensure mating has taken place with both females, we then remove the male & allow the females to remain in the cage to give birth.
Males are always the first to be culled as soon as they reach suitable size.
Our plan is to have 3 litters from each female after which the females will be rehomed or culled.
Our rats used for breeding are treated as pets, they have large cages with many levels, toys, wheels, hides, climbing ropes, cargo nets etc, they are also handled on a daily basis.
They are fed a complete nugget type food with a variety of fruit, vegetables & nuts as an occasional treat.
They actually take more looking after than our snakes do.
As for gassing mouse pinkies, I understand that it can take a long time to kill them using this method due to their shallow breathing & ability to store oxygen, I have never tried it but a lot of people say freezing them is the most humane method resulting in unconsciousness in 10-20seconds and death in less than 1 minute.
Other people suggest flicking them with your finger on the back of the head. |
1.0.0 PH Anery BRB
1.0.0 Ultramel Lavender Corn (now back from his holidays behind the skirting boards)
1.0.0 Normal Royal Python
0.1.0 Bolivian "Silverback" Amarali BCA
0.0.5 Crested Geckos
3.1.0 Working cocker spaniels
1.1.0 Cats
4.11.0 Rats
3.0.0 Guinea pigs
0.3.0 Sabelpoot bantams |
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Tui
New Member
Finland
76 Posts |
Posted - 14/04/2011 : 10:53:50
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Thank you for the answers :)
We have one petstore here that sells mice/rats, but that is extremely expensive. I found one breeder from Sweden, not far from me, and i just bought some mice from him, and those are a lot less expensive :)
Sounds good, right? But he is moving further south, and sending will be an issue in the future. I havent found any breeders from my area, i almost live in Lappland :D All breeders are too far and this swedish guy is the only one who has agreed to send food for my snakes. Others decline, since im too far away, and the rodents would melt on their way here.
But i am worried about killing, so im not sure im going to be able to breed them myself...
I'll just have to see how this goes, im not in that much of a hurry right now. Later this year im going to have a problem though, if i dont find a breeder somewhere near me...
Mez sounds just like the breeder i would very much appreciate :) Mice needing more care than snakes is a valid point. Also space for my snakes and time like Snakesitter mentioned :)
Im guessing this shouldnt be this hard if i knew what i was doing, so maybe i need to put this on hold for a while and see if i can find someone..
This wouldnt be an issue if i lived in Helsinki.. But im not moving ;)
Thanks for the help! :) |
http://finlegion.webs.com
1.0.1 Pantherophis guttatus, CB FIN
0.0.1 Morelia viridis "Sorong"/Poss HY, CB SWE
0.1.0 Epicrates c. cenchria, CB FIN
0.0.1 Acanthoscurria geniculata CB FIN
0.0.2 Hymenopus coronatus CB FIN
0.0.1 Grammostola pulchra CB HUN
0.0.1 Ephebopus cyanognathus CB SWE
0.0.2 Avicularia versicolor CB SWE&GBR
0.0.1 Avicularia geroldi CB GBR
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 14/04/2011 : 19:27:46
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| Good luck Tui, and please keep us posted! |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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Invalid User
account deleted on request
277 Posts |
Posted - 14/04/2011 : 20:31:02
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I breed my own mice for snake food.
I do not use any gas chambers. I simply kill each mouse by hitting it's head/neck against a hard surface at speed. Sounds awful but it's an instant death and no suffering.
NEVER freeze a live mouse. It is not humane but a very slow painful death. Pinkies can be killed by a hard flick to the back of the head.
I started off just a few weeks ago with 5 females and 1 male. I now already have 16 babies and 2 heavily pregnant females. I will be keeping back some females and male to start 3 more breeding groups as this should give me lots of babies.
The males do smell but I clean the mice out just once a week and I use megazorb (horese bedding) and this really keeps the smell at bay.
I had to kill my first couple of mice a few days ago and it really wasn't a big deal. I knew I could do it before I started breeding them but if you do have doubts, get someone to show you how it's done (as I did). Baby mice are very cute and if you don't see them as food and are not sure about killing them you will be over run in no time! The last female to drop had 9 babies lol
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Tui
New Member
Finland
76 Posts |
Posted - 15/04/2011 : 09:54:01
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I'm completely sure, i cant kill mice violently. I know i would think about that too much.
Or just watch long enough to understand that its too cute to be killed :)
I would probably cry for a month even if i used gas to do that. I just cant get over the fact that i would be a murderer.
This cant be for me to do, im starting to realize this..
Few years ago, there was a chiquita-banana commercial on tv, that said "with every banana comes a frog", where the frogs were jumping around bananas as the music played...
When the music stopped every frog jumped on one of the bananas but there was one too many frogs and he didnt get his own banana, so he looked really sad. I cried for him. An animated frog.
Maybe i had a bad day :D
And i dont really know why i told you this, its embarrasing :D
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http://finlegion.webs.com
1.0.1 Pantherophis guttatus, CB FIN
0.0.1 Morelia viridis "Sorong"/Poss HY, CB SWE
0.1.0 Epicrates c. cenchria, CB FIN
0.0.1 Acanthoscurria geniculata CB FIN
0.0.2 Hymenopus coronatus CB FIN
0.0.1 Grammostola pulchra CB HUN
0.0.1 Ephebopus cyanognathus CB SWE
0.0.2 Avicularia versicolor CB SWE&GBR
0.0.1 Avicularia geroldi CB GBR
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 15/04/2011 : 22:58:22
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| It shows you have a heart. The world needs more of those! |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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Tui
New Member
Finland
76 Posts |
Posted - 17/04/2011 : 08:45:20
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Yeah, i have decided! Im not going to breed mice myself. I can keep them as pets but i just cant kill them :)
Hopefully i will find someone who can sell me large quantities in the future.
And now forthe time being, i dont have to worry about killing anything :)
Although i do have an exam about lobotomy tomorrow.....:D |
http://finlegion.webs.com
1.0.1 Pantherophis guttatus, CB FIN
0.0.1 Morelia viridis "Sorong"/Poss HY, CB SWE
0.1.0 Epicrates c. cenchria, CB FIN
0.0.1 Acanthoscurria geniculata CB FIN
0.0.2 Hymenopus coronatus CB FIN
0.0.1 Grammostola pulchra CB HUN
0.0.1 Ephebopus cyanognathus CB SWE
0.0.2 Avicularia versicolor CB SWE&GBR
0.0.1 Avicularia geroldi CB GBR
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Breeding mice
