some of my mice
Like 1 Dislike 0 Published on 28 Sep 2013
I always video/photograph my reptiles, insects and amphibians. this time I thought I should do one of my mice.
my groups are:
cream/gold
brown with grey/white bellies
black with ginger bellies
black and white
brown and white
cream and white
and the oddballs (I had a baldy a while back and occasionally when breeding the silkys I get a half baldy pop up)
Please read the whole of this before asking questions:
I started with 4 mice, 3 female and 1 male and each year get 4 more babies for fresh genes. I now have seven tanks each containing a male and 2 females. I cull the litters down to 5 or 6 and grow those until weaning where I cull down to 3 or 4 and then grow those until adulthood whereby they are culled or organised by colour and switched for the breeding group. I cull my mice by Co2 as I personally find this the most humane method of dispatch. I know others use other methods but this way they 'go to the great snake god in the sky' quickly and quietly and usually whilst eating so at least they're not too freaked out. they are then rolled in a sheet of kitchen roll and frozen right away. this ensures that my snakes are fed good food that is fresh and I know how long it has been frozen for and has never been previously thawed. I have found shop bought mice can look a little less than fresh when you defrost them. it also means I know that the mice have lived well with things to play on and space to move, a good varied diet and a quick painless death. I also know they were healthy and clean and parasite/disease free. snakes as cats and dogs need to eat meat, and rather than get them food from a pet shop that you have no control over the production of I prefer to do this. I think if you are feeding an animal it is your responsibility to ensure they are fed the best that you can provide given your circumstances and their dietary requirements (I'm not saying stuff them till they're fat) by this I mean if you feed a tarantula a fat juicy locust fed on lots of tasty greens then the nutritional benefit is much greater than feeding them a locust that is half dead and starved. I'll admit it does cost more and it takes a lot of time to clean and feed them every day but it's just better for them and the snakes and I enjoy watching them playing.