# newbie from nw Florida



## jadeguppy (Jun 4, 2011)

Hi everyone. I originally bought two female mice and two female gerbils for a psychology unit in my classroom. One of the mice turned out to be male, so I started doing a lot of research. I've been rather impressed by them and really like some of the colors I see online. I really like the satins, black fox, and darker tricolors. However, the only breeders within 200 miles of here that I have found don't know about breeding for colors or other selective breeding reasons. The pet stores have very poor stock and rarely have any multicolored ones. I'm looking for help on what to look for in order to breed foxes or tricolors. I have managed to find one satin locally. 
Thanks.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Jade: First, :welcome1 
Second, I completely understand about feeling like you're in a vacuum! If you're interested in breeding pets, or breeding feeders, I'd suggest driving around to the local pet stores, not just in your town, but in the towns all around you. What I've found is a few pet stores that order from breeders who've taken an interest in some of the same things as you. You're not likely to find tricolors, sad to say. Those are extremely rare outside of show lines, and a very new development. Foxes and satins, however, seem fairly common in petstores, at least where I am. I've had an interest in the paler tans, satin, and longhair. Working with the whole mess together has been terribly fun! :lol: 
If, however, you're interested in breeding show-type mice, you'll have to find a show you don't mind driving to, and then find breeders who don't mind meeting you there. My understanding is that there are more shows on the East coast, so it might not be that bad. There are more folks here who can chat with you about that. I'm more helpful when it comes to feeders.


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## jadeguppy (Jun 4, 2011)

Thanks. I'm not looking to breed for show. There is no activity within over 200 miles of my place. I'll be breeding for the sheer challenge of it. I have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. My last big project was breeding seahorses. I'll be trying to find pet homes for the extras, but knowing my area some will end up as feeders. I do have a local store willing to take them in. In fact, they gave me the only satin I've seen in the three counties around me. I wish we had more mom and pop shops around here. They seem to get the better stock in.


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## The Boggit keeper (Mar 5, 2010)

Hi and Welcome!


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## bethmccallister (Mar 5, 2010)

Mom and pop shops are good sources for obtaining new varieties of genetics. I also have advertised my mice on Hoobly, Petfinder, Adpost, and Craigslist. There is only one breeder I know in Florida, she is in the Key West though and is just starting out. You can also try mouselovers.com forum where many of the east coast breeders participate. Happy hunting!


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