How to Breed Feeder Mice

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.

Things You'll Need

  • Mouse cages
  • Mouse food
  • Pet waterers for mice
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Instructions

    • 1

      Set up housing for the feeder mice. Situate the housing away from human living areas, as the musky scent of male mice can be offensive. Typically, mice breeders use mouse cages purchased from a local pet store. Cover the bottom of the cage with wood chips or a similar substrate material. Place the housing in a ventilated area with an average temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 2

      Feed the mice regularly. Use commercially formulated mouse food, which is available at your local pet store. If raising a large number of feeder mice for breeding purposes, consider purchasing mouse food in bulk from a pet- or farm-supply store. Also, provide the mice with sufficient water. You may use waterers designed for mice, or similar devices designed for dwarf rabbits.

    • 3

      Start breeding the feeder mice. Place a single male mouse in a cage full of female feeder mice. If you purchased the mice as babies, you may start breeding them at six weeks. Feeder mice will often be past their breeding prime after a year. Once the mice start breeding, each female feeder mouse will have a new batch of baby mice about every three weeks. Remove the male mouse if you find that your mice are breeding at a faster rate than you need.

    • 4

      Rotate your feeder mice stock to prevent them from dying out when they reach maturity and no longer breed regularly. Keep track of the ages of the mice, and place all young mice in separate cages so that each cage contains only mice of the same age. As the mice mature, feed the older mice to your exotic pets and keep the young mice breeding.