New bins & future plans, etc.
I went to Target the other day and bought a huge, gorgeous new clear bin which I am going to convert into an even bigger mousie play-land. In addition, I found these 4 wheels (much like wheels that can go in any direction, such as the ones on most desk chairs) under my bed that I had purchased from an art shop awhile back (no idea why I bought them in the first place). They are absolutely perfect for gluing to this large new bin! My project for tomorrow will be assembling it, although the hardest part will be cutting out the top part for the wire mesh (stupid fingers!). Also, I will be able to make a few separations inside this bin so that I can keep the breeding females separate from the almost-due females, etc. This will be perfect for when I move into my new apartment. I'll be able to wheel it around and it won't take up as much space as multiple smaller bins which have taken over my lovely bedroom.
I also bought an under-the-bed clear bin thing (It looks just like this, but with purple wheels!). I'm not quite sure if I'm going to somehow convert it into another bin cage since there isn't really much height going on there, as you can see. I might just keep it as my mousie supply box so that I won't have bags of all different things all over my room. It would probably be far better to organize the food, hay, supplements, etc. into smaller containers which I shall put inside this 'under-the-bed' bin for space-saving and to keep everything fresher.
Even though I mentioned in a past entry that I am downsizing my mousery, note that this is only temporary! Once I am all moved into my amazing gorgeous 1800s apartment ( !!!!), I'll be able to slightly expand my mousery again. The issue is just that moving in with a ton of mice would not be an easy task, and I do not think the landlords would appreciate it..
Anyway, I had also mentioned the idea of catching wild house mice and interbreeding them with my own for the sake of longevity, vitality, and all that. I've decided against this after some thought and research; I've read that the 'wild' instincts and behaviors of house mice are incredibly hard to breed out of breeding stock once they are introduced, and since my mousery is based (of course) on breeding the friendliest, healthiest, and loving mice ever, I've realized it would just be unnecessary and cost too much money and take up far too much time and energy. Plus, what if one of these 'wild-type' mice escaped? Just not a good idea. I do, however, need to expand my stock.
As I've mentioned before, I am looking specifically for long-haired mice and hairless mice (an odd-eyed mouse would be wonderful, too, even though they don't appear to breed true). It seems as if no one on fancymicebreeders.com can even locate any breeders of the hairless mousies, which is really disappointing to me. I am willing to pay top dollar for even just one healthy little one. In all seriousness, I will travel across the country to get one, if I can. There is always Rodentfest in PA on October 2nd of this year, though (I think) and I do wonder if there might be any there. I asked someone who had gone before and she said that she hadn't seen a single one. Hrmph!
Anyway, I now have 4 confirmed pregnant females. These babies are going to vary much more in coloration, but I'm tempted to keep my predictions a surprise. I have learned most of my mouse genetics here, in case you are looking for a very straightforward, yet comprehensive description of mousie colorations: click here to view it. I just want to make sure that you know I'm not 'random breeding' for coloration, even though mouse personality comes first here.
---Note to the lovely family I met today: I sure hope that you fall in love with little Star and Tinkerbelle (if that does end up becoming her name, hehe)! I bet Pepper will be thrilled to have new friends, and before you know it, I'm sure you'll start seeing little piles of sleeping mousies (I love seeing my mice pile on top of each other, it is just too cute). I can't wait for updates!
I also bought an under-the-bed clear bin thing (It looks just like this, but with purple wheels!). I'm not quite sure if I'm going to somehow convert it into another bin cage since there isn't really much height going on there, as you can see. I might just keep it as my mousie supply box so that I won't have bags of all different things all over my room. It would probably be far better to organize the food, hay, supplements, etc. into smaller containers which I shall put inside this 'under-the-bed' bin for space-saving and to keep everything fresher.
Even though I mentioned in a past entry that I am downsizing my mousery, note that this is only temporary! Once I am all moved into my amazing gorgeous 1800s apartment ( !!!!), I'll be able to slightly expand my mousery again. The issue is just that moving in with a ton of mice would not be an easy task, and I do not think the landlords would appreciate it..
Anyway, I had also mentioned the idea of catching wild house mice and interbreeding them with my own for the sake of longevity, vitality, and all that. I've decided against this after some thought and research; I've read that the 'wild' instincts and behaviors of house mice are incredibly hard to breed out of breeding stock once they are introduced, and since my mousery is based (of course) on breeding the friendliest, healthiest, and loving mice ever, I've realized it would just be unnecessary and cost too much money and take up far too much time and energy. Plus, what if one of these 'wild-type' mice escaped? Just not a good idea. I do, however, need to expand my stock.
As I've mentioned before, I am looking specifically for long-haired mice and hairless mice (an odd-eyed mouse would be wonderful, too, even though they don't appear to breed true). It seems as if no one on fancymicebreeders.com can even locate any breeders of the hairless mousies, which is really disappointing to me. I am willing to pay top dollar for even just one healthy little one. In all seriousness, I will travel across the country to get one, if I can. There is always Rodentfest in PA on October 2nd of this year, though (I think) and I do wonder if there might be any there. I asked someone who had gone before and she said that she hadn't seen a single one. Hrmph!
Anyway, I now have 4 confirmed pregnant females. These babies are going to vary much more in coloration, but I'm tempted to keep my predictions a surprise. I have learned most of my mouse genetics here, in case you are looking for a very straightforward, yet comprehensive description of mousie colorations: click here to view it. I just want to make sure that you know I'm not 'random breeding' for coloration, even though mouse personality comes first here.
---Note to the lovely family I met today: I sure hope that you fall in love with little Star and Tinkerbelle (if that does end up becoming her name, hehe)! I bet Pepper will be thrilled to have new friends, and before you know it, I'm sure you'll start seeing little piles of sleeping mousies (I love seeing my mice pile on top of each other, it is just too cute). I can't wait for updates!