[Onyx]

So! You've all met (at least, seen pictures and seen me post) Pickle, Scottie and Ralf. Well, Scottie took a turn for the worst and we sadly lost her, leaving us with Pickle and Ralf. Having all three (and now two) together since we got them, we've had no babies from the girls (good thing in Scotties case) and so I am thinking of rehoming them as pets only and starting afresh.

Pickle still intrigues me but I have a happily breeding mice from the same lines as her, so losing her herself, although sad because she is lovely, isn't going to mean I lose that.

I'll keep the mice from the same lines and my feeder breeders but this has set me back in the sense that although I do breed for feeders, my only worries there are health (all aspects). And the reason I got new mice was so that I broadened my knowledge of genetics in colours and varieties and enjoyed them as pets too.

So! Not to be discouraged.. I will be getting new mice. I just don't know what I want. At the moment I have the options of several varieties. Blues, Pearls, Chocolates, various markings and the like. I just can't choose between them. They are all absolutely gorgeous and I'd take several of each if I could lol but I need to be sensible so having the advice from you guys would be useful. I need a sensible, mentorish voice instead of my "You have room for them all, go for it!" voice.

What would you all suggest I do? I know technically, I should get the ones I like the most and see where I can start improving. But they really are all gorgeous and I really would take them all, I don't think I could choose which are my "favorites", which I know some of you could understand.

I can sort out a full list of what I could have later this evening. But from a sensible point of view, what would you all suggest? As a project to learn and really experience the colour and variety breeding side (and not just freeders), where should I start with totally new mice?

Sorry, it's a bit long and might be in the wrong place but you know what it is like, if a question isn't really explained, it gets questions asked about it instead of answers hehe, so there we go.

Look forward to hearing from all you lovelies x

 

[SarahY]

I would advise choosing one variety and sticking with it, but then I'm a show breeder and biased If you want to work on something, improve it and see results you need to focus on one variety to start with. It's not possible to improve anything if you're flitting from one variety to the next without focus. But then if what you want from your mice are pretty, interesting pets and the excitement of what you'll get in each litter that's cool.

So, it depends what you want from them. Would you like to start showing? Then a self or tan might be the way forward. As a feeder breeder, marked might be a good way for you to go. They aren't usually recommended for beginners at showing as they produce hundreds of undesirables to every good mouse, so you could breed towards the standard, show any that turn out well if you felt like it, and you'd still have plenty of poorly marked mice with which to feed your carnivores. Also, with marked varieties, you have a range of different looking mice but you're still sticking with only one variety!

You may also be limited with what you can find and how far you're prepared to travel. Are you an NMC member? If not, join and have a look through the yearbook - this contains a lot of different breeder adverts and such, as well as points tables which tell you who's producing the best in whatever variety.

ETA: I would also very much recommend going to shows and actually seeing as many different varieties of mice as you can. I speak from personal experience, when I was deciding what I should breed I trawled the internet and mouse books, and I thought that chocolate tan, champagne and black eyed cream were just the prettiest mice. Then I actually saw them in the fur, and I found them all really disappointing! Conversely, I never looked twice at dove and black until I actually saw them, and I now think they are the most beautiful mice (which they are by the way ).

Sarah xxx

 

[Onyx]

Heya and thank you for that!

I'm quite lucky in the I know a few locals who breed mice, I live in Scotland so getting around to shows and the like isn't really do-able but as I said to my other half last night, I'd still like to breed show quality mice. I like the idea of working towards a goal. Even if it took years.. I'm one of those types lol. My partner has fallen in love with some, so I think he is getting them, which leaves me to get what I like. I can dabble in his lot (as he just wants them to play with) and put the extra effort into my own.. I just dunno!

I'm visiting a breeder on Sunday, so maybe I will just take lots of pictures, post them up and ask opinions and make a decision then. They aren't far away so I can go back for mice any time

 

[windyhill]

I breed several varieties, but if your planning on showing, then I would limit it to only a few.
Its so hard to choose, so Im not much help sorry,lol.

 

[Onyx]

Lol windy.. thank you for that x

Kallan has just secured one side of breeding, I'll be getting some Siamese on Tuesday - Oh yeah!!! I am SOOOOOOO excited as I've wanted Siamese for like... ever.

I'll still be visiting the other breeder on Sunday though.. so I guess I'll keep you all posted heh...