Caring a family of mice is a very huge responsibility.Breeding mice is not so difficult but it is  very simple if you are well aware of the basics of breeding mice. What ever may be the purpose of breeding mice, if you are breding for the sake of snake food you need many females but for the sake of selling the babies you do not need many females. Mice have larger litters like five to ten babies at a time and they need less time to grow up. Males have the capacity of breeding many females. This is the reason why you need only few males if you are of the idea of maintaining a large breed. Males are likely to have a musky smell. It is better to maintain the mice in a ventilated loft or a garage. Mice cages also prove to be the best for breeding.

Mice take lot of care about their babies and they maintain a special bond between mother and baby. If the abdomen of the mice is large it means that the female is pregnant. Mice should be fed with a healthy diet that is rich in protein. Block food is the best food that can be given to mice which is nutritious than seed diet. Human foods such as bananas, apples,carrots, non fat yogurt or chicken can be fed to the mice but moderately. Water can be served to the mice in a water bottle instead of a dish as they can not get drowned. Mice prove to be very good climbers. The male should not be allowed to stay along with the female once the female is pregnant to avoid breeding. The mother needs privacy for a minimum of one week. The pregnant female needs rest for a minimum of five weeks from the time of pregnancy till feeding the babies before breeding again. Temperature matters a lot for breeding mice. Mice are prone to die at a temperature above 40 degrees.

Mice breeding starts off at six weeks of age for both males and females and lasts till twelve months old. It is advised to maintain only one male per cage as more males tend to fight and kill each other. The cage should be well ventilated and airy with sufficient day light. Dried grass, paper towels or soft small pieces of cloth can be the suitable bedding for breeding mice. Breeding mice need proper food and shelter to deliver healthy young ones. The cage should be kept completely clean to avoid stress and make the mice happy.

The life span of a pet mouse is one to two and half years.The baby mice are often named as pups. A little thought and effort brings out a better young ones.