# Winter, it's getting cold.



## Le Necrophagist (May 27, 2009)

Should I be increasing just fat intake, or mainly fat intake, and some extra carbs+protein to my mice diet? I have two mothers taking care of 14 3 week old babies. The smallest was found being eaten this morning. I feed them two hand-fulls of dog food, rice, flax, millet and daily scraps from meals every day. Any suggestions on what and how much to feed these mice that could get them full? They seem to eat a LOT and never stop.


----------



## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Egg yolks are the most complete source of essential amino acids and protein of any food. What I do is make scrambled eggs but instead of cow's milk (which is nutritionally inadequate for mice--or humans!) use human infant formula or breast milk. You can also mix in high-protein (~35%+) dry cat food, sunflower seeds, grains, and such with the eggs after they're cooked. I need my mice to be big for the show bench so I feed this to all pregnant and nursing females and still-growing young mice. I also cull the litters down to 5 or fewer per mother. Perhaps one of the mothers was eating a baby because they simply have too many? Fourteen (even between two mothers) may or may not be too many to handle for the individual mice. Good luck!


----------



## ian (Oct 3, 2008)

I havent been able to get anty of mine to breed since the weather has turned colder, but have increased the amount of oats I give. I generally feed my mix of food every other day apart from heavily pregnant and nursing does and under 8 weeks but I am now feeding plain oats instead of having the day without food. Mice do surprisingly well in the cold, I;ve just been out to the shed and they are all running around like loons, I thought they would be hiding in thier nests.


----------



## WillowDragon (Jan 7, 2009)

My mice are breeding very well despite the cold =o) I have an 8 day old litter and 10 more litters due tomorrow! hehe

My shed is as insulated as I can make it on my budget, plus all the cages have blankets around them and they get lots of food every day. I have added a tiny amount of sunflower seeds into thier mix but apart from that, they have thier normal food and treats.

Willow xx


----------



## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

The length and quality of the (natural) light they get is also important. It gets cold in winter, that's true--but it's also darker.


----------



## WillowDragon (Jan 7, 2009)

My mice aren't getting much light at all this time of year, because I have covered over the window with tin foil and blankets to keep the cold out, because they let a heck of a lot of cold in!

Willow xx


----------

