# Here Come The 20 Questions :-)



## jammin32 (Jun 14, 2012)

Hi,

i've not kept mice for a good 10 years or so now and want to get back into keeping them again with the possibility of showing them once i have done my research and have learned exactly what is what.
So in order to prevent mistakes i was wondering if any of you would be kind enough to help with the following questions, Don't worry there is not really 20 of them 

1. Can i keep males living together if they are from the same litter ?
2. If not would i need to house each male on its own in its own seperate cage ?
3. Won't it get bored and lonely on its own if this is applicable ?
4. How many females will happily live together based on having a very large cage for them
5. Do all females live together in harmony ?
6. As a starter i would like to breed 2 stunning mice i have found that are approx 3 months old who are both from seperate litters, how do i go about introducing them to each other ?
7. Can they just be left to get on with it ? would it take long for them to mate ?
8. When would i need to seperate them ? Before the babies are born or after ?

Please be aware though that this is not going to be done immediatley i just wanna ask all the basics so im ready in advance before i plan on doing anything as the health and happiness of my pets is the most important thing.

Any general tips or advice would be great.

Thanks


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## Gracegarden (May 30, 2012)

http://www.afrma.org/rmindex.htm This is an awesome website. You will likely get lost on there for days (or weeks.)
People here are so helpful and informative, but for general information I recommend you browse this site as well.

I am still quite new but I wanted to wish you good luck!


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## jammin32 (Jun 14, 2012)

Thats great thanks, that will keep me very busy, so much info to get through


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

jammin32 said:


> 1. Can i keep males living together if they are from the same litter ?


Not for very long. After five or six weeks of age, males will fight. It's not a matter of "if," but rather of "when." Some fight earlier, some fight later. This is stressful on both mice and can potentially lead to death through infection of bite wounds.



> 2. If not would i need to house each male on its own in its own seperate[sic] cage ?


Yes. That's what most people do.



> 3. Won't it get bored and lonely on its own if this is applicable ?


"Lonely" and "bored" are human emotions.



> 4. How many females will happily live together based on having a very large cage for them


As many as you can fit, generally.



> 5. Do all females live together in harmony ?


Almost all do. There are some females who are persnickety, but they're not very common.


> 6. As a starter i would like to breed 2 stunning mice i have found that are approx 3 months old who are both from seperate litters, how do i go about introducing them to each other ?


You always introduce the doe to the buck, and not the other way around. Where did the mice come from?



> 7. Can they just be left to get on with it ? would it take long for them to mate ?


Does come into heat every 3-4 days, so a two-week period with the buck is usually a sufficient enough amount of time for pregnancy to occur. Remove her before 21 days, regardless, to prevent back-to-back litters.



> 8. When would i need to seperate them ? Before the babies are born or after ?


Before 21 days from the time that you put them together.



> Thanks


You're welcome.


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## jammin32 (Jun 14, 2012)

Thank you very much, very helpful indeed.

The 2 mice im looking at are from a retired breeder on the south coast. Im looking at getting some splashed mice, which apparently are reasonably rare in the UK but im wouldent know any different to be honest.

I still have a lot to learn and plenty of reading up to do


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## Loganberry (Oct 24, 2008)

Hi - where are you based, and are you looking at breeding to show, joining the nmc etc?


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## MojoMouse (Apr 20, 2012)

Jack Garcia said:


> > 3. Won't it get bored and lonely on its own if this is applicable ?
> 
> 
> "Lonely" and "bored" are human emotions.


I agree with your comment that the words "lonely" and "bored" are certainly human emotions, strictly speaking. However, females kept on their own _can_ certainly develop behavioural problems, and certainly health issues. In the worse case situation they can fail to thrive.


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## morning-star (Apr 9, 2011)

jammin32 said:


> Hi,
> 
> i've not kept mice for a good 10 years or so now and want to get back into keeping them again with the possibility of showing them once i have done my research and have learned exactly what is what.
> So in order to prevent mistakes i was wondering if any of you would be kind enough to help with the following questions, Don't worry there is not really 20 of them
> ...


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## jammin32 (Jun 14, 2012)

Thanks to everyone who has answered, i appreciate your help.

Im going to start by buying to attractive males then i will try to find out exactly what type of mouse they are then choose a nice female and let nature take its course, im actually going to buy a few females so they have company but just out of interest can i put a male in with them all or do they need to mate etc one on one so to speak ?

and i just want to be clear that i add the female/s to the male not the other way around ?

What type of mouse in your opinion is the most popular in the way of showing mice ? im keen to do this and am going to attempt breeding a quality litter in the attempt to show them, also is there a rare type in the uk that i can attempt to breed ?

Im based down in Hampshire near Reading so does anyone know of any breeders in this neck of the woods that may be willing to sell a quality female ?

Thanks again


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## jammin32 (Jun 14, 2012)

Loganberry said:


> Hi - where are you based, and are you looking at breeding to show, joining the nmc etc?


Im down near Reading, Hampshire and yes im definitley looking at breeding to show and am in the process of joining the NMC.

Im still new to mice so need some advice and tips on showing mice but as soon as i have all the information i need i will be putting the wheels into motion to get started.

Im collecting my first lot of mice tonight, splashed males with amazing colour so i just need to find a nice female now


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## morning-star (Apr 9, 2011)

jammin32 said:


> Thanks to everyone who has answered, i appreciate your help.
> 
> Im going to start by buying to attractive males then i will try to find out exactly what type of mouse they are then choose a nice female and let nature take its course, im actually going to buy a few females so they have company but just out of interest can i put a male in with them all or do they need to mate etc one on one so to speak ?  You can put a buck in with a few does and then have the does raise the litters together but if you want to show its best to stick to mice of one kind when breeding to start (I.E dove x dove etc) remember litters will need to be culled to sensible numbers, are you happy to 'put down' pinks?
> 
> ...


 Remember to pick a colour/type you like don't just start on one because its the first one offered to you. I also recommend trying to hunt down the book 'A fancy for mice; a guide for beginners by David Montgomery -it'll answer most of the questions you have (the secretary of the NMC has some I believe)


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