the best pair and best way to buy

Question
Dear Tamarah,
I am thinking about buying 2 mice, and i want a male and a female. If i put them in the same cage will they fight or breed? I want the two to breed but will the male eat the babies if i dont seperate them? I want to buy mice the best way possible, so is it better to get them from breeders or a pet shop.

Answer
Hi Charla,

Breeding is a really, really big topic, and I usually recommend that those interested in it check out a couple of great resources first, before getting started:

http://www.hiiret.fi/eng/breeding/index.html
http://fancymice.info/breedfrontpage.htm

There is also a terrific forum of breeders here that can give you tons of advice:  http://mouselovers.com/

Breeding is never pleasant for the female, and is quite stressful.  Since the female will go into estrous every five days or so, two weeks is more than enough time for a successful breeding (provided the male is interested - some are great breeders, some are more of romantics!).  At this point you should separate the male from the female (let the female keep the original cage - make sure it has wires close enough to not allow escaped babies when they grow up), giving her a week to calm down and not be bothered before the babies come.  Another reason to separate them before pups is that females can go into estrous at the time of birth or the day after, and back-to-back litters are not advisable.  Letting her get pregnant immediately after birth would mean new pups before the last litter had weaned, in addition to potentially causing serious health problems in the mother.

A good breeding plan is to get three females and one male in separate cages.  The three females is so you can pull one and the others will not get lonely, and so when the doe has weaned her litter and is ready to rest, she will have a community to return to.  Females usually need other females to be happy, but it's not always necessary during nursing, when some females can become defensive.  Do not breed or move any of the mice between cages for THREE weeks, allowing you plenty of time to be sure they are healthy.  Even mice from breeders that seem perfectly healthy can become sick when you move them - it's a stressful experience, and ill mice do not breed well.  After three weeks, select the doe you want to breed and place her in the male's cage.  Some males do not want to breed when placed in with the doe, so this will allow him to feel at home and in his own territory.  Leave them for two weeks UNLESS you see fighting - as I mentioned, breeding is never pleasant, but real fighting will involve biting or drawing blood or "boxing" (standing on the back legs and striking out with the front paws).  If you notice any of these behaviors or injuries, separate them immediately.  You'll have to watch for pregnancy no matter how long they've actually been together, but it isn't worth it to risk real injuries.  You may have to go through several bucks before you find one who will successfully breed the doe, but remember to quarantine for three weeks every time you bring in a new mouse.

As far as buying mice - a breeder can be the best way to go if one is available, and if that breeder can prove they are responsible.  Ask for breeding and medical records (most breeders keep track of what if any mice need medication or veterinary attention), what they breed, if they encounter any genetic problems you should know about, what their goals are, and ask to see their cages.  They should be able to tell you the backgrounds of all of their mice, have clear, accessible records, and clean, separated cages.  You won't find any of this at a pet store, usually, but there are rare exceptions and pet store mice are not any worse (you just need to watch them closely for health and genetics!).  The rules for picking out what mice you want to mate are the same, however, no matter where you get them from:

-First decide what you want to breed for - are you looking for a certain color or pattern?  What are you trying to improve?  Are you looking for body type, head shape, ear size - what are your goals and what are the mice closest to them?
-Look for overall body condition.  Fur should be clean and sleek, not greasy, messy, or dull.  Eyes should be clear and open, the face should not be missing any fur, whiskers, or have crusties or scabs.  When the fur is blown back you shouldn't see any fur missing that might indicate an injury that needs treated.  The tail should be straight and thick, without kinks, scabs, sores, and without the bones showing.  The mouse should be investigative, with the ears perked up, and shouldn't be overactive or lethargic (even when sleepy, a healthy mouse can be woken up and become curious and active).  It should be a healthy weight - thin mice may have an illness and obese mice do not breed as well (and obesity is frequently hereditary!).
-Look for interactions with other mice, unless that mouse is a lone male.  They shouldn't be too skittish or meek, nor should they be overly bossy and chasing others.
-When buying from a breeder, they should be able to give you some insight to their personality, both with handling and with other mice.  When buying from a petstore they usually can't tell you much, but you can observe quite a bit by watching them for a little while in the cage.

If you need anymore advice, just let me know!
-Tam