# A size difference :)



## Frizzle (Oct 6, 2011)

So a nearby breeder and I swapped baby mice recently. (pet for a friend, needed a color I didn't have) I was looking at the mice the other day, and realized what progress I've made in size. These two mice were both the biggest doe from their respective litters, born a day apart, however the size difference made me feel all warm & fuzzy inside. While I may not have great ears, tail sets, or features, I have significantly improved on size (vs. the mouse 1 generation out of petco) besides my initial pigment goal.

Taken at 5 weeks.


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## TwitchingWhiskers (Feb 2, 2013)

Pretty drastic, congratulations!


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## Lyra (Mar 1, 2013)

Wow, nice, congratulations 
I hope I can increase my mice's size as well as you - for now, comparing them with their older petshop relatives, I have seen a small difference with their type only... What's your secret?


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## Seafolly (Mar 13, 2012)

Nice! How long did that take?

I'm baffled because my second generation is huge. Bigger than the first and all the ones after. And not in the obese way.


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## Frizzle (Oct 6, 2011)

Seafolly said:


> Nice! How long did that take?
> 
> I'm baffled because my second generation is huge. Bigger than the first and all the ones after. And not in the obese way.


So while I've technically been working a year and a half with the bandeds, its probably been 3-6 generations from my starter mouse, depending on if you include full steps or breeding back to sires. Being honest, I got kinda hoardery with them, and lost my focus on quality & size, which is why I took a break from breeding. So they are definitely not where they could be if I hadn't gotten out of focus, but I learned a valuable lesson early on. 

I imagine that a lot of the size difference isn't necessarily due to the selective breeding, but because we're selecting how many mice in a litter, as well as letting the adults mature, and feeding them a better diet. Eventually it will be, but for now a lot of it is just giving them a better start to life then their petco/petsmart/petstore beginnings (in my case).


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## Seafolly (Mar 13, 2012)

My numbers are increasing faster than I'd like too. :/ I'm at 11 now and none are babies which is making me very antsy (I'd like adults to stay in the single digits!). I think I culled too heavily to get much selection but that said I could never get great personality, good type, and good colour/coat in one mouse, heh. Always sacrificing one important ingredient. I'd say you're doing great for 3-6 generations in!


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