# How much do mice eat per day?



## fuzzymom (Nov 28, 2009)

I probably have asked this before, maybe not here, or maybe I did, but I was just wondering (this is what happens when I have the day off and I dedicate it to learning about mice more) how much, on average, does a single mouse eat in a day? Lets say we use weight in grams. I've heard its somewhere around 5-7g but I could be wrong. Basically I'm trying to figure out monthly costs of keeping the mice. Since I've had fluctuating numbers of mice and rats over the course of a few months, I have no idea how long my bags of rodent blocks really lasts. So I'm trying to figure out how long the bag would last me for a given number of mice. I also supplement their diet with fresh fruits and veggies (mostly veggies), seeds, pasta, oats, etc.


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

A pair of mice can eat about 1/8 a cup of my mix every day.
So that's. . . 1/16 a cup per mouse every day?

I have no idea, I just scoop in piles. :lol:


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## fuzzymom (Nov 28, 2009)

I do too but I'm being OCD today. I need to convince my husband that breeding these mice on a bit larger scale will help us save money with the snakes. And I like breeding mice, so it'll be fun for me.


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

It depends on the individual mouse, its metabolism, how active it is, and the "climate" its kept in. A larger animal will tend to eat more b/c it will need more energy to power its body, an animal with a higher metabolism will eat more b/c it utlizes its energy more quickly, an animal that's active will utilize more energy, and an animal that's cold will utilize more energy to keep its body temperature stable.

The only way to know how much feed your specific line/group of animals will go through is to feed them and keep track.

When I first started with mice it was to feed reptiles...but I quickly learned that with a small number of reptiles it was more expensive to breed mice on my own (partially because I didn't want to just leave males and females together all the time and feed them the cheapest stuff I could find) than to buy feeders. Now I breed my mice as pets first and foremost...though I do utilize culls as food for my reptiles.


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## fuzzymom (Nov 28, 2009)

Well I figured out a plan that would allow me to feed the majority of my reptiles (save for three snakes which need rats) by breeding 16 females on a schedule. It would give them a break between litters and I would supplement their diet with plenty of fresh foods. I feed Harland Teklan blocks. Its a brand new bag, so we'll see how long it lasts me for the mice I have. (plus two gerbils)


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