3mina
Well-known member
Ladysown I always wore gloves and I still hated those nasty things
russian dwarf hamsters?
- Thread starter ohiogoatgirl
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3mina
Well-known member
Fine hardware cloth quarter inch mesh
We had the most wonderful dwarf hamsters once. They were all friendly and never bit. They'd pile on the door of the wire cage and all fall out to run across the table and beg for treats. I've tried dwarf hamsters a few times since and always ended up giving up on them because no amount of bribery or discipline would get them to stop biting. I think it's just the breeding anymore. I might go to the yearly national rodent show and get some hamsters or gerbils sometime in the near future and then I can have sane, tame animals that are enjoyable pets rather than good for nothing but watching and cat food.
MamaSheepdog
Well-known member
Demamma":19m485q9 said:
Too true! Ain't it great?
When I raised my mice, I bedded the aquariums with about 6" of straw, and they made tunnels in it. It was really neat- and I think the constant friction of the straw groomed their coats. They looked like show horses, they were so shiny!
The hardware cloth is a great idea, though- that sounds super easy to maintain.
I used to kill small rodents by putting them in a paper lunch bag and whacking them against the wall. Instant death.
ohiogoatgirl
Well-known member
thats a great idea about the bag killing MSD.
ya i'm starting to look into prices now. someone in the next town over from me just posted on facebook group a kids pool/sand thing. looks like it would be about a foot deep at least and probably 4 by 5 or 5 by 6. there is a pic of it... hope this works so you can see the pic https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... t=1&ref=nf
thinkin that would hold a few of em. maybe have it divided in the middle and have one set of females and male on one side and another set of females and male on the other side. then i could switch the young ones around every once in a while to keep em from becoming inbred.
and have the top covered. though i am wondering how high they can get like jumping or whatnot? cant seem to find anything about that though.
ya i'm starting to look into prices now. someone in the next town over from me just posted on facebook group a kids pool/sand thing. looks like it would be about a foot deep at least and probably 4 by 5 or 5 by 6. there is a pic of it... hope this works so you can see the pic https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... t=1&ref=nf
thinkin that would hold a few of em. maybe have it divided in the middle and have one set of females and male on one side and another set of females and male on the other side. then i could switch the young ones around every once in a while to keep em from becoming inbred.
and have the top covered. though i am wondering how high they can get like jumping or whatnot? cant seem to find anything about that though.
MamaSheepdog
Well-known member
I couldn't see it. Is it plastic? Remember that rodents like to chew.
ohiogoatgirl
Well-known member
ya it is hard plastic. i was thinking that as long as there wasnt an edge for them to start chewing at then hardplastic would be ok..?
would it work for the bottom at least? i could use the pool/sandbox and then put wire inside for walls and make it into 2 or 4 areas. so it would be all wire sides and top and the pool would just be the bottom.
and i was thinking i could convert a big plastic tote into a grow-out so i could keep a group in it as young and then once they are breeding age replace the older ones in the cage with the younger ones.
wire mesh 1/4 by 1/4 inch. for walls/lids http://www.tractorsupply.com/hardware-c ... t--3627063
open to any suggestions
showed dads girlfriend pics and talked about em and she likes em (insert evil laughing)<br /><br />__________ Mon Sep 17, 2012 3:28 pm __________<br /><br />so i just got a message back from the lady who is selling them... she raises hers in totes! woot! i have 2 totes :mrgreen: and started on cleaning the basement out so can start working on it to be my room... and i find a ten gallon fishtank! :mrgreen: oh yes.
so i will have almost no initial cost. as long as i dont run into nutritional problems with my natural feeding then i will be spending almost nothing.
and dads girlfriend asked me what i thought dad would do if me and her went on the first after she gets paid and pick some up :mrgreen: now she's thinkin like me hahahha i guess we can keep er round
would it work for the bottom at least? i could use the pool/sandbox and then put wire inside for walls and make it into 2 or 4 areas. so it would be all wire sides and top and the pool would just be the bottom.
and i was thinking i could convert a big plastic tote into a grow-out so i could keep a group in it as young and then once they are breeding age replace the older ones in the cage with the younger ones.
wire mesh 1/4 by 1/4 inch. for walls/lids http://www.tractorsupply.com/hardware-c ... t--3627063
open to any suggestions
showed dads girlfriend pics and talked about em and she likes em (insert evil laughing)
<br /><br />__________ Mon Sep 17, 2012 3:28 pm __________<br /><br />so i just got a message back from the lady who is selling them... she raises hers in totes! woot! i have 2 totes :mrgreen: and started on cleaning the basement out so can start working on it to be my room... and i find a ten gallon fishtank! :mrgreen: oh yes.so i will have almost no initial cost. as long as i dont run into nutritional problems with my natural feeding then i will be spending almost nothing.
and dads girlfriend asked me what i thought dad would do if me and her went on the first after she gets paid and pick some up :mrgreen: now she's thinkin like me
hahahha i guess we can keep er roundI raise mice =)
Best way to house them is to build yourself a rodent rack. A small amount of lumber, 1/4" hardware cloth and some small hard plastic tubs built like a shelving unit is a pretty cost effective way of keeping them. Mine do well outside so smell is not and issue, it's the bucks really that smell. All my bucks are exiled to the outdoors, but I do have a couple aquariums of does in the house because they are fun to watch.
Bucks must be housed alone. Once they mature sexually they do get extremely territorial and will kill one another, even litter mates raised together. Does can be housed colony style without issue as long as there is enough space.
I don't handle mine too much - they are strictly for breeding purposes, but no one has ever offered to bite. If one did it would be culled. I use a simple homemade CO2 chamber to cull older juveniles and adults, using a baking soda and vinegar reaction to produce the co2, it's easy and about as hands off as it gets. Day old culls are culled by freezing, as the lungs tend to not be developed enough to use CO2 humanely.
They are pretty cheap to feed, mine keep very well on a homemade mix of rolled oats, split peas, brown rice, pearled barley, and a small amount of cheap birdseed added, and a couple kibbles of decent dry puppy kibble. Only costs me a few dollars a month.
I have am working on a tricolor breeding project with splashed and siamese mice, and black tans - They are quite attractive little mice. They are very efficient breeders, normal litter size for me is around 10-15 but it's not entirely unusual for litters of 20 or more to happen every now and then. I cull my litters down to a manageable 6-8 pups, to spare my does the stress and encourage more vigorous, lifelong health in my keepers. It's a fun little hobby and I donate my culls to a local reptile rescue.
Best way to house them is to build yourself a rodent rack. A small amount of lumber, 1/4" hardware cloth and some small hard plastic tubs built like a shelving unit is a pretty cost effective way of keeping them. Mine do well outside so smell is not and issue, it's the bucks really that smell. All my bucks are exiled to the outdoors, but I do have a couple aquariums of does in the house because they are fun to watch.
Bucks must be housed alone. Once they mature sexually they do get extremely territorial and will kill one another, even litter mates raised together. Does can be housed colony style without issue as long as there is enough space.
I don't handle mine too much - they are strictly for breeding purposes, but no one has ever offered to bite. If one did it would be culled. I use a simple homemade CO2 chamber to cull older juveniles and adults, using a baking soda and vinegar reaction to produce the co2, it's easy and about as hands off as it gets. Day old culls are culled by freezing, as the lungs tend to not be developed enough to use CO2 humanely.
They are pretty cheap to feed, mine keep very well on a homemade mix of rolled oats, split peas, brown rice, pearled barley, and a small amount of cheap birdseed added, and a couple kibbles of decent dry puppy kibble. Only costs me a few dollars a month.
I have am working on a tricolor breeding project with splashed and siamese mice, and black tans - They are quite attractive little mice. They are very efficient breeders, normal litter size for me is around 10-15 but it's not entirely unusual for litters of 20 or more to happen every now and then. I cull my litters down to a manageable 6-8 pups, to spare my does the stress and encourage more vigorous, lifelong health in my keepers. It's a fun little hobby and I donate my culls to a local reptile rescue.
I just use extra grains, breads, cereal, rabbit pellets, horse feed, etc... with a little cat food. A 50lb bag of "animal feed" will last 100 gerbils more than 6months with leftovers and cat food thrown in.
do you have pics of your rodent rack?
ohiogoatgirl
Well-known member
opcorn: pics pics pics please!i promise if i start a setup i will post lots of pics!
hahaha__________ Mon Sep 17, 2012 8:56 pm __________
so far i am finding info that i think i can feed them: wild bird seed (milo, millet, wheat, some oats and cracked corn), oats, sunflower seed, hay, apples (not alot), tomatoes, carrots, corn, berries, pumpkin (no seeds), lettuce (not alot).
i am thinking about grasses, corn plant (homegrown so no chemicals on them or anything), melon rinds, etc. but i cant find any info on these things. i am thinking i will have to do test feedings with them once i get them because there isnt too much about natural feeding hamsters.<br /><br />__________ Mon Sep 17, 2012 9:59 pm __________<br /><br />ok finally found a little list of toxic hamster foods... onion, avocado, parsely, chocolate, kidney beans, potatoes, rhubarb, red meat, celery, cabbage, lettuce, grapes, raisins.
3mina
Well-known member
They eat mostly seeds in their natural environment, grasses and hay would be ok, the veggies not so much-too much moisture content. These guys come from a dry place, they have a lower tolerance for 'wet' greens and veg.
ohiogoatgirl
Well-known member
wild bird seed (milo, millet, wheat, some oats and cracked corn)
oats
sunflower seed
hay
apples (not alot)
tomatoes
carrots
corn
berries
pumpkin (no seeds)
green beans
zucchini
cucumber
peas
turnips
good point 3mina. i am hoping to be able to grow any veggies to feed them. and i have food dehydrators (3 actually heehee) and could dehydrate most all the foods. easy storage that way as well and i wont have to worry about changing their diet for the winter when there arent any fresh to give them. though i could give a little fresh stuff as the occasional treat.
oats
sunflower seed
hay
apples (not alot)
tomatoes
carrots
corn
berries
pumpkin (no seeds)
green beans
zucchini
cucumber
peas
turnips
good point 3mina. i am hoping to be able to grow any veggies to feed them. and i have food dehydrators (3 actually heehee) and could dehydrate most all the foods. easy storage that way as well and i wont have to worry about changing their diet for the winter when there arent any fresh to give them. though i could give a little fresh stuff as the occasional treat.
Like the many who have gone before me, I am currently housing everything in tanks and hating every minute of it!! They are bulky and heavy, a chore to clean, and I'm a total clutz so moving them around is an accident waiting to happen. I'm making the switch to the racks very soon. I am picking this one up off a fellow breeder:
It has 20 tubs and will be used to house my bucks.
We are going to build two of these in the next couple weeks, to house the doe colonies:
http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/rat_rack/ratrack.shtml
I don't think I will do the water system though, I'd rather fill water bottles daily than deal with flooding.
Here are some pics of my mice
One of my favorite siamese does, she's huge for a mouse.
Blue Splashed doe
Pink Eyed Siamese doe baby with a Satin coat
Splashed Satin weanling doe
Big bulky Splashed Buck
A juvenile Black and Tan buck that doesn't like to sit still for a second, hence the awful pic of him.. The tans are what got me into breeding mice in the first. An exhibition quality black tan is gorgeous, but they are not in good supply in the US, so I'm using my siams who have much better type to put some better type on the tans quickly. But, the color aspect I will have to work on for a long time, ideally the tan belly should be a deep rust color just like the Tan rabbit breed.
Your list of feeds looks alright, I would caution you on the corn though. Just like rabbit breeders, there is a split in mouse fanciers who believe corn is to be avoided at all costs, and those who think it's okay in moderation. Some swear up and down that corn causes a shocking increase in tumors and skin problems in their mice, along with wheat and soy. YMMV, I don't feed it because I tend to err on the side of caution and there's really no need to feed it.
It has 20 tubs and will be used to house my bucks.
We are going to build two of these in the next couple weeks, to house the doe colonies:
http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/rat_rack/ratrack.shtml
I don't think I will do the water system though, I'd rather fill water bottles daily than deal with flooding.
Here are some pics of my mice
One of my favorite siamese does, she's huge for a mouse.
Blue Splashed doe
Pink Eyed Siamese doe baby with a Satin coat
Splashed Satin weanling doe
Big bulky Splashed Buck
A juvenile Black and Tan buck that doesn't like to sit still for a second, hence the awful pic of him.. The tans are what got me into breeding mice in the first. An exhibition quality black tan is gorgeous, but they are not in good supply in the US, so I'm using my siams who have much better type to put some better type on the tans quickly. But, the color aspect I will have to work on for a long time, ideally the tan belly should be a deep rust color just like the Tan rabbit breed.
Your list of feeds looks alright, I would caution you on the corn though. Just like rabbit breeders, there is a split in mouse fanciers who believe corn is to be avoided at all costs, and those who think it's okay in moderation. Some swear up and down that corn causes a shocking increase in tumors and skin problems in their mice, along with wheat and soy. YMMV, I don't feed it because I tend to err on the side of caution and there's really no need to feed it.
ohiogoatgirl
Well-known member
oooh very nice rack.<br /><br />__________ Tue Sep 18, 2012 3:20 pm __________<br /><br />:shock: :x
nice rat rack! nice rack for rats! :roll: you guys know what i mean....
nice rat rack! nice rack for rats!
:roll: you guys know what i mean....
