Breeding Your Own Mice for Reptile Food

Dec 20, 2011
Evan Eloe

All mice should have a wheel available at all times - andresmoschini

When breeding mice for reptile food it is very important to consider the health and well being of the mice not only out of respect but for your pet's safety

Keeping reptiles is an enjoyable hobby to many men and women. When keeping one or two reptiles going to the pet store weekly for frozen mice doesn’t seem like such a hassle, but once you’re buying five or more mice a week most snake owners begin to consider breeding their own mice. Depending on how many reptiles you have you should be able to start with one male and one or two females, requiring more females depending on how many reptiles you own. Many reptiles will readily eat mice, for example: most snakes, bearded dragons, tegus, monitors, crocodilians and alligators.

Housing

Mice will happily breed in a 10 gallon tank or larger provided they are given some basic housing needs. This tank should have a secure lid with clips. Your breeding mice will need bedding a couple of inches deep, I prefer to use care fresh paper bedding to avoid toxins and respiratory problems associated with some wooden shavings. A safe chewable wooden shelter should be provided as multi-use décor for shelter and to satisfy a mouse’s natural desire to chew. An exercise wheel should also be provided for the mice, some people try to avoid them because of the squeaking so for this reason I don’t suggest keeping mice in your room (not that you shouldn’t give them a wheel).

Tank Placement

You should never keep your mice and snakes near each other as this may cause both animals to become stressed out. Your mice may not readily breed with the sight of snakes across the room or in the tank next door. The reptiles will become increasingly active and often become food aggressive at the smell of mice nearby. For these reasons both types of animals should be kept in separate well ventilated and temperature controlled rooms.

Food and Water

A water bottle low enough for the mice to reach and refilled at least every other day. A high fat rodent food should be constantly available to your pregnant females. The juvenile and adult mice will readily eat the same food while the babies will be fed by the mother’s milk.

Selection for Feeding

Once your mice have begun breeding and raising babies you can start feeding your mice to the reptiles. When selecting the mice for your pet it is important to consider the size mouse you need. If you are feeding adult mice to your snake(s) you should try and feed mostly males making sure to keep at least one and trying to keep between two and four females as well. If you have snakes eating pink mice it’s best to freeze the pinkies and save them for when they’re needed because mice will grow very quickly and wont be pink for long. The same freezing method works for all the sizes, in order, pinkies, fuzzies, hoppers, small adult, medium adult and large adult. Having such a wide variety of sizes is very beneficial when raising or breeding different reptiles.

Health Hazards

As with all animals it’s necessary to keep the enclosure as clean as possible. Keeping the enclosures clean will prevent disease for not only the animals but for you as the keeper also. The main health risks involved with raising your own mice or rats for feeders are dust inhalation and toxins from urine and feces, all of which can be avoided with routine feedings. It is important to never let your breeding mice or reptile collection to be more than you can routinely feed, clean and manage. Keeping extra mice frozen will help prevent overpopulation and separating males and females that aren’t actively being used for breeding as well.

When considering health hazards you must also remember the health of your animal. If your mice are not in top health condition not only will they not readily breed for you, but the food you are giving your pets will not be the best it can be. You should never feed a sick mouse to your reptile and should always avoid allowing your mice any contact with food or objects from outside as they may carry parasites which will ultimately harm your reptile.

Is Breeding Mice Worth It?

If you are committed to your pets and can commit the same amount of time and effort into raising food for them, then yes you could benefit from breeding your own mice. On the same thought if you are struggling to keep up with cleaning your various reptile enclosures because of time restraints, you will not have the amount of time or energy required to maintain a proper and healthy mouse breeding group.