1. Mouse Husbandry
Animal husbandry is the applied science of providing an optimal environment for a population of animals.

2. The practice of mouse husbandry encompasses all of the activities necessary to produce mice of high quality, including care and feeding, cleaning of the equipment and physical surroundings, and constant concern for the health of each animal.
The implementation of good mouse husbandry begins with the design and construction of the physical facilities and continues through maintenance of an environment conducive to good health, growth, reproduction, and survival of the animals.

3. Room environment
Rodents do not have sweat glands and are unable to pant.  This makes them prone to heat stress if the cage or room temperature is improperly regulated.   
The acceptable temperature range mice is
 F. 
Humidity should be maintained between %. 
12 to 14 hours light per day (use automatic timers)
14 hours light for breeding

4. Racks and shelving
Racks for cages may be either mobile of fixed. Fixed racks can be attached to the floor, the walls, or the ceiling.
The bottom shelf of a rack should be no less than 6 in. off the floor; the top shelf no higher than the reach of a person of average height.
Shelves may be made of metal pipe or rods, or they may be solid sheet metal like book shelves

5. Cages
Materials for construction of cages include galvanized and stainless steel, plastic, wood, glass, and paper. The most common type of mouse cage for a breeding pair is a plastic box approximately 12 x 6 x 6 in. deep.
Cages are available commercially with many dimensional variations of this basic design.

6. Desirable features of cage design are the following
The cages should be seamless and designed for easy cleaning
They should confine the mice adequately without restricting movement; there should be about 8 sq in. of floor space per adult mouse
They should be stackable without binding
They should be light in weight, yet sufficiently sturdy to withstand repeated washing and rough handling
They should be resistant to the corrosive effects of mouse urine

7. Covers
Covers for mouse cages are usually made of metal, either of punched sheets, hardware cloth, rods, or expanding metal. The material can be stainless steel, aluminum, or metal.

8. Water
Water may best be supplied from bottles resting on top of the cages. Each bottle is fitted with a rubber stopper and a tube of stainless steel. The tube must be constricted at the end so that the water does not flow out unless the mouse licks the end of the spout. The diameter of the tube should be ¼ to 3/8 in.
If the water bottle rests on top of the cover, the tube must be bent at an angle of about 105° The tip of the tube should reach a point about 2 in. above the floor of the cage

9. Bedding and nesting material
Bedding material serves three purposes: to provide material from which the mice can make nests, to absorb the fecal and urine wastes, and to provide insulation.
Among the materials in common use wood shavings, ground-up corn cobs, chopped straw, hay, shredded paper, paper strands.

10. Bedding
The bedding should be about ¾ in. deep in the case of shavings and other fluffy material. In any case, it should be sufficient to absorb all of the urine, wet fecal matter, and water which may drip from the water bottle .
The frequency of cage changing depends on several factors. If wood shavings or similar material is used as bedding, the cages should be changed at least once a week and in some cases twice a week.

11. Feed and feeding
Mouse food is commercially available in the form of pellets. Some manufacturers can supply several varieties for specific purposes, e.g., a special formulation for breeding mice, pasteurized feed for mice maintained under pathogen-free conditions, sterilized diets for germ-free mice, diets fortified with extra amounts of heat-labile vitamins (for installations where the feed is autoclaved before it is brought into a mouse room), and diets with specified levels of fat or protein

12. Breeding colony

13. Overview Factors affecting breeding performance
Data collection and good colony management
Breeding schemes
Cryopreservation

14. Mouse Reproductive Milestones
Litter size: 1 to 20 pups/liter (6-12 av.)
Weaning age: days
Sexual maturity: 6 to 8 weeks
Productive breeding life: 7-9 months
Gestation: 19 to 21 days

15. Influence of Genetic Background on Breeding Performance
Behavior
Hybrid vigor
Birth defects

16. Mutation/transgenic-associated breeding problems
Infertility (either gender)
Mammary function
Embryonic lethality
Abnormal behavior
poor mothering instinct
aggression
Shortened breeding life span
tumor development
neurodegeneration
Severity may be affected by genetic background

17. Non-genetic Factors that Influence Breeding Performance
Environment
Temperature
Light intensity and light cycle
Noise and vibrations (construction, equipment)
Air pressure
Odors (toxic fumes, perfumes)
Handling consistency
Over handling-leave pregnant mothers alone
Caretaker changes
Nutrition
Health status

18. Data Collection and Record Keeping
Critical for successful colony management

19. Data Collection and Record Keeping
Collect breeding statistics
-birth dates for every liter
-interval between litters
-litter size
-number of mice that wean (wean:born ratio)
Monitor genotype and gender frequencies for each breeding unit
Pedigree records

20. Non-productive Breeder Criteria
No litter produced
- 40 days from date of first mating
No new liters
- 40 days from last born date
No weaned pups
- 2-3 litters with no wean

21. Tips for colony management
Mate mice early, between 7-12 weeks of age
Establish/collect breeding statistics
Replace breeders on a rotation (weekly, monthly)
- breeding life span typically 7-8 months
- have young breeders available
Keep good records, evaluate data regularly
Remove non-productive breeders ASAP

22. Setting up a breeding cage
The ideal way is to put 1 male and 2-6 females together.
Once females get pregnant, move one pregnant female with a male to a new cage.
Move two pregnant females to one cage.
Separate the pups from the mother when they are one month old.

23. Setting up cages Tail clipping can be done after 18 days of age.
When separating the pups from the mother, isolate males and females in different cages
When the mice are 7 weeks of age, put them together for breeding.

24. Labeling the cage P.I.: Dr. Ira Tabas Investigator: Protocol No.:
Account No.:
Lab: PH9-405/406
Tel.: (713) /3133
                                                

25. Cage cards

26. Cage cards

27. Mouse numbering system