Pet Show - Rodent Breeding and Lucy Update!

[punkprincessviv]

It looked like Lucy had a chunk of mulch in her eye poor baby at least she has a great owner

[chuckie902]

do they ever chew their way out ?

[miguelanjos1]

wow, good job man. Your pets seem very healthy, and not scared of u at all.

[earthling1984]

@miguelanjos1 thanks! :)

[TheGoldfox9111]

ok i live in Edmonton, Alberta can i have a short tailed opossum as a pet? please respond

[2degucitas]

This is a genius way to keep rodents!

[10truman]

my rats are trained as dogs haha i have a 1 female and mail i let them breed then feed the babys to my reptiles

[earthling1984]

@Drummer92Knot yeah, she was a great STO! She is no longer with us, but she had a great life and will be missed!

[hunterb89]

do u inbreed?

[earthling1984]

@hunterb89 of course not.

[hunterb89]

@earthling1984 good thanks 4 reply

[MrRenato982]

@hunterb89 wtf is inbreed? or do you mean inbred?

[hunterb89]

@MrRenato982 inbreeding is where mice (and other things) mate with there own family.example: brother to sister

[safiajanu]

U feed opossums mice.......

[earthling1984]

@safiajanu yes, from time to time, it isn't a daily food source, but every once in a while they very much enjoy it.

[yryi]

how old is lucy? is she still alive? D:

[BlCHIFY]

@yryi no she is not anymore QQ but she got 5 i believe.

[yryi]

lucky your mice don't jump out as soon as you open their cages..my grandfather had a mouse...and it could jump really high..that was lost it

[gr8animae]

You need more ventilation in those tubs! Buy some mesh at Home Depot and cut a hole in each tub and cover it with the mesh. They need more air!

[MrLaxdude89]

I don't think that Lucy's deff and blind, she was just an old possum

[19kiesha19]

what is lucy

[earthling1984]

@19kiesha19 Brazilian Short Tailed Opossum

[RRBPs24]

i just got a pair of mice but im worried they mite chew through the plastic tub like is that poss. if so is there anything i can do to prevent that

[earthling1984]

@RRBPs24 hasn't happened yet with my mice, but it is always a possibility with plastic cages.

[22Infamouse]

@RRBPs24 yea it can happen i had it happen but they started chewing and it took monthes to get the hole big enoff to get through so you shouldent have a problem

[earthling1984]

@ATSavaria it could be, start with 2, and if you need more, you can always add a 3rd female.

[Abven9]

How many cool pets do you have total?

[earthling1984]

@Abven9 a lot ;p

[alanmacleod50]

I know that you are trying to keep costs low, but the welfare of the animals really suffers if they are kept in tubs like that. Poking a few air holes in the top does not create a sufficient ventilation system, the ammonia level in the air inside the tubs must be extremely high.

Also, why do you pick them up by the tail? Scientists in labs may do so, but they have absolutely no regards for the animals whatsoever. if a rodent tries to run the tale can easily be skinned exposing the bone.

[earthling1984]

@alanmacleod50 There is plenty of ventilation, not just a couple holes as you say. The whole lid isn't solid on, and provides plenty of ventiliation on the mouse tubs. As for picking up by the tail. It is a complete myth that it will hurt the mouse. Don't you know that mice squeel when in pain and start to bite if in pain or scared... Did you notice the ones I picked up the the tail didn't squeel or screem, and didn't try to bite me, hmm, yeah, I'd assume they weren't to bothered by it.

[alanmacleod50]

@earthling1984

If the mouse does not struggle then picking them up by the base of the tail then your right, it probably will not hurt them, but if they try and struggle, run or grab hold of something it is very possible that the tail will be 'degloved' (It is more common in rats due to their body weight, but still possible in mice).

I unfortunately have first hand experience on a pet mouse when i was a child. There is a large amount of info online on the subject. Google 'degloved tail'.

[earthling1984]

@alanmacleod50 I wouldn't argue that if the mouse or rat is fighting and trying to get away it could possible happen. I'm not the type of pet owner that would keep pulling a mouse or rats tail if it was struggling. As you can see in this video, when picked up, they all just held their calmly, without even any reaction. I would pick them up differently if they struggled.

[thewr0ngchild]

Can two female rats be left together while the babies are born? I'm going to breed my two male dumbos next year and that's the bit I'm still unsure about, if I get another cage for the two females, (starting with two), then will I still need to seperate those two females before the young are born?

[earthling1984]

@thewr0ngchild they might be ok together but recommended to separate.

[Herikayn]

Hello ... I've been trying to breed mice for about a month now. The adults keep eating each other. I bought 1 male and 2 female weenlings. The females ate the male. I have them in a big tub with plenty of food and water. I use a combo of Katy's complete rodent food and dog food. They still ate the male.

[earthling1984]

@Herikayn the female and male should only be together during the time that mating takes place.  At all other times, the female should have her own cage.

[adeeboy]

You shouldnt handle mice by the end of their tales it hurts them.

[beastwitinn]

hey bro imma start to breed mice.. and uh does it stink man? i mean i have a male mice rice now and it smells like kettle popcorn? u think it will smell pretty bad if i get 3 females? for it... ill seperate when they are pregnant but yeah man?

[myanimalchannel2812]

im geting some rats for my animal room and going to breed them there going to be my pets do u know where i can get color rats ?

[earthling1984]

@myanimalchannel2812 most local pet shops have rats, just check a few pet shops out till you find the rats you want.

[xXDubbleChic]

I have one pregnate female and one that's not pregnate. Is it ok if I keep them together wen the babies come?

[earthling1984]

@xXDubbleChic best to separate. Might be ok together, but they might end up eating the babies.

[tmhteacher]

Whatever works for you is fine. Over 40 years, I have always kept 1 male with several females with rarely a problem. The male rats and mice are protective of the babies, in my experience. Hamsters are soitary and the male should be removed. As long as the colony doesn't change members, the babies have remained safe. A new member may kill or cause parents to kill newborns. Overcrowding, poor diets, and nervous animals cause canibalism. Sometimes an adult just has to be culled.

[CelloThe15th]

Do you know if mice/rat breeding can be profitable? im just curious...

[MrSpike0808]

Hey i'm gonna start breeding mice for my snake and this and a few other videos helped alot. If you can make another video on rodents that would be awsome. Thanks dood.

[piewackit444]

hey i was thinking of getting some mice as pets. Is it okay if i just put them in those containers since they are going to be pets. i have so many of those containers. Also do you have to have air holes?

[earthling1984]

@piewackit444 as long as the container is large enough, yes. ANd you do need airholes.

[fallenrogue]

Is that a little rubber ducky I see in the bottom water bottle? :P

[earthling1984]

yea heh, tells how much water is left :) sometimes they get stuck in the bottom tho.

[xtubejr]

Lucy is so cute. Never seen a pet Opossum. Maybe i'll get one one day. How long have you had her?

[earthling1984]

had her since she was born Dec. 20, 2005.

[lavila22]

do u no how to breed hamsters (for snakes)

[earthling1984]

just put a male and female together, once pregnant separate the male and female(male might eat babies), and let the babies be born and raised in a seperate cate with just the mom. Pretty simple, they do all the work, it is just like rodent(mouse/rat) breeding, there are lots of videos about that on youtube :)

[austinm741]

hey where do u get ur STOs (like what website)

[earthling1984]

no website I know of. It took me a couple years to find more STO's actually. I happened to find some in Texas and has them shipped to me on an airlines, but that person doesn't sell them anymore :(

[standhd]

Cool! I come on here to get informed and I learned someting new. I always learn something when I visit your forum. I woulda figured smaller dogs would live less than larger dogs..but I stand corrected ;)

[standhd]

Basically, the smaller the animal the shorter the lifespan.....Lucy is 4 years old and I guess you are saying she is aging....

She is a cutie BTW!

[earthling1984]

You know. That isn't always true. Smaller dogs live longer than larger dogs. hamsters live 3 years, sto's live 6 years... etc :) Sorry I just had to correct that ;p

Yea, lucy is over 4 years old now. She is still doing well, but is obviously getting old.

[emostars71]

Aww Lucy!!!

[davidsspace]

Lucy is so cute. can you find those at any pet store where you live or is it a specific exotic pet store??

[earthling1984]

I can't find them anywhere locally. I ordered mine and had them shipped to me on airlines.

[davidsspace]

oh i see... i found a store in Las Vegas that i want to go check out. they have all sorts of exotic animals. everything from reptiles up to small monkeys, ground squirrels, short tail opossums.

[damonmbk]

lucy is just the cutest thing ever!

[LTFrostbite]

The only problem I've had with mice eating the bred babies is when the male left in is NOT the father. I usually take the male out anyway to let her recooperate.

[BallPythonLuver]

Cool idea for the water bottles. Really helpful video! Sorry about Lucy.

[masterjo111]

can i just put a water bowl and the rodents can drink it?

[earthling1984]

Well... you could... however, they will spill it and/or fill it with bedding within hours. You really just need to have a water bottle for them.

[howto2020]

sorry to here about lucy :(

[earthling1984]

It's ok. That happens quite often(deaf / blind) with dogs. And often times they can still life a couple years as long as they are otherwise healthy. Lucy is still active and eats well, I think she's got a little time left in her. I give her soft food now because I want to make sure she eats enough. I don't know if she can eat the hard food anymore that easily.

[Aubietiger43]

yea, apple sticker.

[Mrnewyork29]

thanks man this helped alot