# Howdy from Texas



## Rain4stgem (Jan 3, 2010)

Hi all, 
My name is Amethyst, I'm an animal enthusiast, and as my fiance is learning and so graciously accepting, I can and will have just about any animal that wanders up, or needs rescuing at anyone time (including wildlife) And I add critters occasionally do to interest in the species. He wanted the cats  but dogs, poultry, gamebirds, fish, rabbits and herps fill my menagerie and most recently mice.

I found this site while looking for genetic info. My interest in breeding mice actually started because of taxidermy (Yeah, loving taxidermy that adds the whole deceased animal to the collective menagerie as well, nothing is wasted if I can help it). Bats in the US are protected and endangered most places and while not exactly the same anatomically, I had thought mice were similar enough I could make a decent looking artificial bat for schools or museums. Living with my parents at the time I never had a chance to test my theory (they let me keep just about anything but for some reason drew the line at mice breeding?)

Next I obtained my snakes, first an unwanted ball python, later a couple of native species of colubrids to use for education programs. After reading a couple snake books, high school genetics took on a whole new fun meaning, lol! Now I was buying feeder and/or frozen mice. With the frozen I could only hope that the mice have some form of healthy living whilst in there mass produced existence some place. The living ones... well more than once I was not allowed to choose the mouse at the pet store, to return home with a sneezing, ruffled furred, emaciated on the verge of death mouse and it just made me sick, Pet store didn't care. Plus the cost in my area has gone from $1.50 ish for a white feeder to $2.75 for a white "fancy mouse" in the past few years of my snake owning, and the quality of mice remain the same. Not to mention the python who refuses to upgrade to rats can eat 3-4 mice every 10 days, so its really getting costly.

Now I'm trying to eat better and healthier myself, I even have a tortoise that eats better than me, he get all organic, I get it when I can :lol: So why shouldn't my snake food get better taken care of? (Plus, I moved out of my parents) I got a couple of does and a buck over the past couple months and started down this new path. I was reading on the web and have realized reptile genetics are a walk in the park compared to mice, I love challenges so I'm reading and trying to understand all this new information I have found.

When I have a chance I was going to post pictures to confirm but I believe I have a self-beige buck, 2 wild-type brown, a self black, and a self lavender in does. I got them before I realized or have decided what genetics I'd like to isolate. I'd like to stick with selfs for sure to start with. But my first litter between the buck and a brown doe produced a self black, 2 self blues (way to light) 3 spotted ones (I don't understand all the markings yet, excuse my terminology) and a satin? blue doe that is just a bit on the mealy side that I want to keep. I look forward to learning more about this and talking with some of you and hearing some of your input. Sorry this was long winded, and thank you in advance for putting up with me as a newbie.

Regards,
Amethyst


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## julieszoo (May 27, 2009)

Hi Amethyst and welcome to you and your menagerie. There are lots of knowledgable people on here who will help you with the genetics. Pet shop mice often carry a wealth of recessives which can lead to some interesting rainbow litters.


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## jo65 (Sep 22, 2009)

Hi Amethyst, as a crystal therapist and enthusiast may I firstly say you have a darn fine name. Welcome to the forum and I can't wait see photos of your meeces and other animals of course. You are not the first one on here to say that their animals eat better than they do and I am sure that you won't be the last, but do try to eat healthily yourself too. Apart from my daughter's lizard, my other animals (dogs and mice) have no particular pedigree and are pets. My husband always says that they are "better fed than bred" - I tell him that he is too! lol.


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## Kallan (Aug 16, 2009)

Hi Amythest - you have a real zoo!!! :lol:


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## Lime Green Mouse (Nov 13, 2009)

Hi! I'm in Texas too! 

I totally understand about the feeder mouse bit, it's part of why I started breeding mice at all.  Frozen feeders are rarely well cared for, in my experience, so I wanted to ensure that if a mouse had to be food, it was happy and healthy while it was alive. I'm also trying to improve their health, temperament, and parenting while I'm at it, as it seems really lacking in albino "feeder" mice here. It's great to meet someone else with so many critters, and who is anywhere near me! What kind of colubrids did you keep? I'm a rat snake fanatic, myself.


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## WoodWitch (Oct 18, 2009)

Hi, pleased to meet you Amethyst
:welcomeany


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## Rain4stgem (Jan 3, 2010)

Hello all.

Lime Green Mouse - My colubrids include a TX rat snake, 2 Nelson's milksnake (albino F, and het albino M) and a desert kingsnake at the moment. I'm looking to add a Tran-pecos rat snake, a western hognose and a good old fashion corn snake to the mix this year. I have been a volunteer at reptile presentation for years and finally want to do something myself so I'm collecting mostly Texas native species, and raising them to be docile when handled. Nothing like giving a show and getting out an aggressive snake that ends up biting you in front of a room full of kids. :shock:


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Welcome! You have a fascinating array of critters, especially considering the taxidermy. Some folks think it's morbid that I have talked about wishing I could stuff some of my more beautiful meeces and using them for Christmas ornaments, especially the satins in bright yellow, orange, or champagne.

I'm looking forward to seeing pix of your menagerie.


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## Lime Green Mouse (Nov 13, 2009)

I've seen a couple TX and trans-pecos rats at the Austin Reptile Expo that happens a few times a year, you could probably find some nice CB individuals there.


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## Rain4stgem (Jan 3, 2010)

Just got some photos of my mice and then my reptiles posted. Hope ya'll enjoy, I'll get some more later when I have a chance. I have enjoyed reading through the older post and looking at all of the photos from other members.

Lime, I haven't gone to the Austin show yet, but I do go to the big ones in Dallas. Saving my pennies for a huge show in March, the North American Breeders Conference. Can you tell me, or do you know why they sell African soft furred mice at the shows, is softer fur more palatable to the reptiles?

Moustress, I think little mounted mice would be cute on a Christmas tree, they have all the faux collectible mice with Santa hats, why not some real ones? As for morbid, it depends on the person I guess... Some women hate there husbands hunting trophy, and at the same time, some people out there will mount there pets. I did a rat for one girl, had him posed curled up asleep, peacefully forever, and a lady's cat too. On the same note, I may have joked about stuffing my dog, but I could never do it and nobody else could do it for me, so he'll get cremated like my other canine pets. Then again, I have saved a few of my roosters for future projects too, lol, I want to make a cockatrice out of one.

Its funny, I will list off all of my critters, and someone always says, "And a partridge in a pear tree..." I can honestly come back with, "Nope, he's in the freezer, waiting for a rainy day project." :lol:


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## Lime Green Mouse (Nov 13, 2009)

Rain4stgem said:


> Lime, I haven't gone to the Austin show yet, but I do go to the big ones in Dallas. Saving my pennies for a huge show in March, the North American Breeders Conference. Can you tell me, or do you know why they sell African soft furred mice at the shows, is softer fur more palatable to the reptiles?


My understanding was that they provide a size range in between mice and rats, but I've never worked with them or had to feed them, so I'm not totally sure. They'll also have a different smell/taste to the snakes, so perhaps some picky eaters prefer them? :roll: I'm still debating the NARBC - it's a pretty long drive and a pretty pricey ticket, so we'll see heh.


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## MiceGalaxyDK (May 26, 2009)

Welcome to a fantastic forum..!!  :mrgreen:


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

We call them multis here (multimammate mice). I think they are used for food because they can raise bigger litters (they have a large number of nipples compared to fancy mice).


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## Lime Green Mouse (Nov 13, 2009)

MouseBreeder said:


> We call them multis here (multimammate mice). I think they are used for food because they can raise bigger litters (they have a large number of nipples compared to fancy mice).


That makes sense, too. I didn't make the connection that they were the same thing until just recently, heh! :lol:


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