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Snowberry · 04-20-08, 01:22 PM

By some extraordinary stroke of luck, I rode with my friends back to town while they were shopping for prom dresses, and I went back to the petshop and got female mice. I'm expecting the first litter to show up from May 5 to May 10, and I'm going to give him the fresh pinkies one at a time so he doesn't starve to death.

I do suspect that he is an import. For one thing, he is having, as you say, a bad shed. I have been bathing him for ten minutes every day in warm water. It's hard to have him in longer than that because he strikes at me, which is another reason I suspect he is an import. Last but not least, he is a hatchling(? (slightly over a foot)) of normal coloration and I paid $120 for him. Only afterward did I learn that I overpaid a little, but I could care less right now. He hates me, but I love him!

I'm not afraid of him because I was nipped the first time he struck at me. It surprised me alot, but it didn't hurt at all. I didn't even feel teeth in that mouth of his, but he does have a strong grip. I have this large hollow log with a knothole in it that I've been freezing/thawing over and over to progressively kill anything living in/on it, and it's sitting next to his cage. After he gets his bath, he likes to crawl around the log over and over and over again trying to get rid of the skin on his face. When he gets a little bigger, I'm going to slice the log in half and give it to him as a shelter.

Right now he has a red heat lamp with no "underground" heating, and I really like it. The lamp points directly onto a pile of carefully stacked flat rocks which he loves to hide under. I like this because the top rock is especially large, and it gets very warm. When I want it to be more humid in the tank, I can pour water onto the top rock and it slowly evaporates into the rest of the cage. On the other side, I have a large "slice" of moss propped up slightly by some climbing branches on the cool end of the tank. I use an unglazed clay bowl as his waterdish. I like it because it's rough on the outside and smooth on the inside, and when the ground gets too dry, it automaticly rehydrates the substrate by "leaking" water into the ground. At the same time, if the ground is damp or of perfect moisture, it somehow keeps all its water inside.

I have yet to have a fecal done on Patch, but it sounds like its an important thing to do, so I will definitely have to do it.

So, BP breeders, I need all of you to shout out your individual answers:
What is the best temperature to keep a little ball at?
Petshop told me 85-90, and they get sick at 70.
Internet printout told me 75-80, and they get sick below 65 and above 85.
I've been keeping him 80-90, and when it gets too high, I turn the fan on and open the window until it goes back to normal. When it gets too low, I turn on the baseboard heater and shut the door until it goes back to normal. Today and yesterday it has stayed the same now that I've gotten the hang of keeping it in the right spot.

And yippeee! Today I got him to uncurl and crawl on me without striking!

04-20-08, 01:22 PM	#20 (permalink)
Snowberry Registered Users Join Date: Apr 2008 Country: Posts: 25 My Mood: Thanks: 3 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	By some extraordinary stroke of luck, I rode with my friends back to town while they were shopping for prom dresses, and I went back to the petshop and got female mice. I'm expecting the first litter to show up from May 5 to May 10, and I'm going to give him the fresh pinkies one at a time so he doesn't starve to death. I do suspect that he is an import. For one thing, he is having, as you say, a bad shed. I have been bathing him for ten minutes every day in warm water. It's hard to have him in longer than that because he strikes at me, which is another reason I suspect he is an import. Last but not least, he is a hatchling(? (slightly over a foot)) of normal coloration and I paid $120 for him. Only afterward did I learn that I overpaid a little, but I could care less right now. He hates me, but I love him! I'm not afraid of him because I was nipped the first time he struck at me. It surprised me alot, but it didn't hurt at all. I didn't even feel teeth in that mouth of his, but he does have a strong grip. I have this large hollow log with a knothole in it that I've been freezing/thawing over and over to progressively kill anything living in/on it, and it's sitting next to his cage. After he gets his bath, he likes to crawl around the log over and over and over again trying to get rid of the skin on his face. When he gets a little bigger, I'm going to slice the log in half and give it to him as a shelter. Right now he has a red heat lamp with no "underground" heating, and I really like it. The lamp points directly onto a pile of carefully stacked flat rocks which he loves to hide under. I like this because the top rock is especially large, and it gets very warm. When I want it to be more humid in the tank, I can pour water onto the top rock and it slowly evaporates into the rest of the cage. On the other side, I have a large "slice" of moss propped up slightly by some climbing branches on the cool end of the tank. I use an unglazed clay bowl as his waterdish. I like it because it's rough on the outside and smooth on the inside, and when the ground gets too dry, it automaticly rehydrates the substrate by "leaking" water into the ground. At the same time, if the ground is damp or of perfect moisture, it somehow keeps all its water inside. I have yet to have a fecal done on Patch, but it sounds like its an important thing to do, so I will definitely have to do it. So, BP breeders, I need all of you to shout out your individual answers: What is the best temperature to keep a little ball at? Petshop told me 85-90, and they get sick at 70. Internet printout told me 75-80, and they get sick below 65 and above 85. I've been keeping him 80-90, and when it gets too high, I turn the fan on and open the window until it goes back to normal. When it gets too low, I turn on the baseboard heater and shut the door until it goes back to normal. Today and yesterday it has stayed the same now that I've gotten the hang of keeping it in the right spot. And yippeee! Today I got him to uncurl and crawl on me without striking!
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