# Record keeping



## DomLangowski

Does anyone else keep records of there mice? i know alot of breeders dont but since we have started breding we have kept a strict record in the form of a database.

Just wondering what you use if anything?


----------



## Angelmouse

Yeh, got the idea from you guy's, its a good way to keep track of every mouse who stays and who goes, who's had babies, how many etc etc etc. Ours is on Microsoft Office Excel and its really cool as it updates its self so I know how old my litters are and how old my mice are in weeks, it means I dont have to go to the calender everyday to count weeks :roll:


----------



## DomLangowski

Thats pretty cool, id love to see a screen shot of it.

Mine is on Microsoft Access, i done a small bit of database programming a few years back.


----------



## Angelmouse

Yours looks much better than mine, mine is very simple looking!
Will get a screen shot.


----------



## violet1991

I do, but its very simplistic.... dom, how did you do that!?

vi x


----------



## DomLangowski

Lol Vi it would take me ages to explain it, when i worked in sales i used to watch the database programmers and i just picked bits up, just before i left the job i was designing my own databases for the company. So i just went from there


----------



## Apple Eyes

I use Kintraks. http://www.kintraks.com/


----------



## violet1991

DomLangowski said:


> Lol Vi it would take me ages to explain it, when i worked in sales i used to watch the database programmers and i just picked bits up, just before i left the job i was designing my own databases for the company. So i just went from there


is it transferable? Wouldn't mind a version, it looks really good.... how long did it take you?!

vi x


----------



## DomLangowski

A long time...

On the same kind of subject, does anyone know of a good way of marking mice, I have been telling them apart by the way they look or slightly different shades in color, now its getting quite hard to tell apart a group of chinchilla does... any ideas would be brill.


----------



## ian

Ive not heard of any ways to mark mice unfortunately, certainly none that are humane anyway.
I am beginning to breed unmarked mice and I plan to keep the does in sibling groups or possibly groups of does from the same lines atleast so I can keep track of genetic trends if not individual details.

Angelmouse-How do you get excel to update the ages automatically, that would be really useful as it does my head in to keep checking the calendar.


----------



## Angelmouse

my hubby set it up for me, i shall get him to explain it later when he is home


----------



## Apple Eyes

I've temporarily marked mice with a permanent marker on their tails. Obviously a problem if you plan on showing them, but not too bad if you're just trying to tell them apart.


----------



## DomLangowski

I have tried this but the marker seems to disappear... i guess they are cleaning it off.

I have also read somewhere that laps ear clip... Make small holes in the ears. I don't think this is very nice, it must hurt the mouse...!


----------



## Apple Eyes

I used coloured markers, so even if they clean it off, there's still a faint line of colour (I do a stripe down the whole tail) and I just re-do it again when I notice it wearing off.

I haven't needed to do it for a while though, it was just one litter of fawn mice that all looked exactly the same!


----------



## SarahY

I've never needed to do it myself, but I've known rat breeders that dip the tails in food colouring. It stays visible for a few weeks and if they do try and lick it off it's non-toxic.

As for record keeping, obviously I haven't started with the mice, but with the rats I used a card system and a studbook, and I shall probably do that again with the mice.

Sarah xxx


----------



## SarahC

I'm curious about the reasons any one would want to mark/identify individual pinkies.I can understand record keeping although I wouldn't want to bother.I just put a sticky label on the cage with date of birth and buck used.If I want to keep clear about a specific line of breeding I just keep different coloured litters together so no mistakes can be made and again put a sticky label on the cage.


----------



## Cait

The Americans use non toxic Sharpie markers to mark the tails when possible. I've never tried it but I think they sell them here.


----------



## ian

I have been lettering my litters since I started breeding but today Litter Z was born!! I might go for Litter AA but it might get confusing, maybe Litter A1. Any ideas?
Does anyone else record litters like this?


----------



## Angelmouse

ian said:


> Angelmouse-How do you get excel to update the ages automatically, that would be really useful as it does my head in to keep checking the calendar.


Hi Ian,

Sorry it's taken so long to get back... my hubby is a busy boy 

I have a cell with the DOB in, then another cell with the age in weeks.
in the DOB column, I put the dob in DD/MM/YYYY format, then in the age column, I put the formula =IF(D1>0,(ROUNDDOWN((TODAY()-D1)/7,0)),"") where D1 is the cell with the DOB in.

If you want to know the age in Weeks & Days, add another column to hold the days with the formula, =IF(D1>0,((TODAY()-D1)-(E1*7)),"") where E1 is the calculated age in weeks.

Make sure you format the 2 new columns to Numeric format, with 0 decimal places.

You should be able to copy and paste the formula into your spreadsheet, and just update the D1 & E1 references to the relevant cells on your spreadsheet.

Hope you understand all that its way above my head......


----------



## lindberg4220

Just downloaded Kintraks the other day and i must say, that i am very pleased with that program 

It is so much easier to keep track of the breeding with some sort of database - i also use RennerPro for my gerbils, and loooove the database


----------



## Paul

I used to use Zooeasy to record breeding - but it does tend to need names/numbers for the mice. You can manage it well enough through the use of cage numbers, but you do have to be militant about keeping it up to date otherwise it gets a bit out of hand. I gave up using it in the end.


----------



## Paul

lindberg4220 said:


> Just downloaded Kintraks the other day and i must say, that i am very pleased with that program
> 
> It is so much easier to keep track of the breeding with some sort of database - i also use RennerPro for my gerbils, and loooove the database


Just installed Kintraks - very nice tool. Thanks for the tip.


----------



## Megzilla

At the moment i'm trying out 'Mousery Database' http://mouserydatabase.com/
But you need the internet to access it. It's good for showing other people your stock though.
for example mine is http://mouserydatabase.com/mousery.cfm?mousery=590
(just so you know, the pics don't compliment most of my mice and the colours look different)


----------



## windyhill

I keep records on notepad and on Breeders Assistant.
I sometimes use the 'Mousery Database' as well.


----------



## WNTMousery

I use Kintraks. The paid version is very affordable at only $17 US and it does everything the expensive Breeder's Assistant thing does. I love it especially because you can backup your database(s) online to a secure server so that if your computer ever crashes your information is not lost.


----------



## windyhill

I use the free verison and love it


----------

