# hello strangers



## Veritai (Jan 26, 2013)

Hi there

I'm Bianca, I'm from New Zealand, I've been lurking for a few days and thought I'd join in case there was anything extra you could see as a member and in case I eventually think of some questions for you all.

Sorry to say I'm not a mouse breeder, though I've had them as pets before and hope to again someday - I'm actually a rat breeder. I'm interested in genetics and selective breeding and having spent years learning about my own animals I think there's still a lot more that can be found out from breeders of other species that get ignored cause we have different purposes. (After reading about breeding for exhibition a lot of articles I've previously read seem to have popped into focus as being quite clearly aimed at that, even though they were tiptoeing around culling etc or else had been repurposed for different ethics ... )

Anyhow, good to greet you all and I hope my mouselessness doesn't prevent me from joining in - I've really liked reading about things in such straightforward ways as is discussed here. I think I shouted with joy when I saw a thread on starting from pet shop mice - even with selecting for different things it is so cool to see things like that talked about instead of bluntly shut down (as usually happens when trying to learn from more informed rat people - sure, they will reluctantly accept that in NZ we can't import from their better lines and must start from scratch, but does anyone ever talk about how to do it? No... I can understand WHY they don't encourage it, having spent six years trying to, but I don't see why that should make it taboo. Sorry, venting... will stop now.)

Now, back to avidly reading posts and gobbling up your knowledge.


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## DomLangowski (Oct 2, 2008)

Hi, welcome to our forum


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Vent away as much as you like. 
Hello fellow New Zealander!!  feel free to PM me if you wish.


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

hello and welcome.


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## bonsai (Oct 14, 2012)

Hello Bianca.
Welcome.
Hope you enjoy spending time at the forum.


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## andypandy29us (Aug 10, 2012)

hello and welcome


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## DaisyTailsMousery (Nov 8, 2012)

hello and welcome  I'm in the process of starting from scratch. Show quality mice are impossible to come by so I decided to start from a petshop girl and a feeder bin albino male and the results have been successful. Everyone here is extremely kind and helpful and non-judgemental (unless you're harming the mice somehow). Feel free to join in


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## pro-petz (Nov 14, 2012)

Hello and welcome to the forum


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

Welcome to the forum, Bianca. 

I understand what you mean about rat forums, having been there looking for information that could pertain to mice. There are mice forums like that too. I suspect because they are focused on breeding only for pets, and hoping someone decent will adopt their animals. Combine that with the hatred from the anti-pet groups, and frequently a goal of never culling, maybe makes them a bit off balance. Or extremely defensive. Or both.

The pet trade is really insane. I can't imagine what it's like trying to convince many many people over long years to both adopt or pay money for, all the mice I bred, and then care for it/them properly, while loving them their WHOLE life. Or any other animal, for that matter. They often keep ALL the mal-formed, sick, and otherwise compromised rats/mice too, because of their beliefs. That many 'extras' could require an amount of care they are not really capable of handling. So they have to go into denial, because they don't know how to solve the problem. Or worse, trying to find really good homes for those too. Makes my head hurt just thinking about it.

To a normal person, logic would say if the import laws don't let them in, you must start from what is there; if they are your desire. Good luck in your efforts!

-Zanne


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## Veritai (Jan 26, 2013)

Well thanks for the warm welcome folks.

I have to say it's a bit of a culture shock to see there are people out there that are perfectly self contained and not relying on adoptions at all - nice to see, even though I am used to the pet scene you describe. With contracts and tracking every baby and keeping the best and the worst (providing they have quality of life) for myself and usually having something between 60 and 90 rats of my own (yes, all named), of whom the potential breeders are ... oh, maybe 30? Then again I am hugely obsessed with health and longevity (as well as working with long hair and a black/conformation line that has been failing the black since the family had some misfortune and had to carry on from a less than perfect outcross) so the huge numbers do give me a lot of info on health as they age etc(although adopters report back all sorts of stuff I don't see, I presume on account of different food/air/fatness/random things) and um ... I do my own necropsies when they pass on. Don't look in my freezer, I take a bit of time to grieve first.

Cool there's another NZ'er here Cordane... *waves madly* I shall be sure to talk with you when I'm less tongue tied hehe. Was interesting to read your chat thread though, made me suspicious of my coveting of certain colored mice in hamilton. Which I am constantly telling myself I don't need, since my partner agreed to take on some person's group of mice whenever they move and can't keep them anyhow ... >.< What's a few more very tiny mouths I suppose?


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Tongue tied or not, we shall PM or email - one or the other but do expect a fair few questions in regards to rats and i must admit.. necropsies. Somewhat fascinated yet could never bring myself to do that myself.. 
*waves madly in return* Hiiiii 
Not all breeders in Hamilton area are bad - promise! I know of one in cambridge who has mice from me and another in Hamilton who is moving so needs to rehome everything. She's a lovely person though clueless on the genetics.

Few more tiny mouths? Nothing but a few extra dollars


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