PET RABBITS, CAVIES, AND MICE. 83 



and then select what you think are likely to be the best 

 coloured or the best marked ones. Weed out and 

 destroy the weaklings and the wastrels, leaving the doe 

 to rear say three, but certainly not more than four. It 

 is impossible for a doe to do justice by a litter of 9 or 

 10 (sometimes a dozen) so well as she can three. If you 

 want size in your mice you must never let a doe rear 

 more than three or four. Always bear in mind that you 

 want to breed for quality, not quantity. Keep only the 

 very best. Inferior ones are of no use to anyone, and 

 yet they cost just as much to keep as first-class speci- 

 mens. The period of gestation in mice is from 18 to 

 21 days. It is astonishing at what an early age mice 

 will begin to breed. They have been known to breed 

 at eight weeks old, and the young bucks will sire young 

 at 5 or 6 weeks old. Small wonder that mice multiply 

 so quickly. Does, when at mature age can be kept 

 together, but bucks usually fight each other to the death. 

 Weed out the bucks, and keep only the cream of them. 

 Fourteen weeks old is about the time to begin to breed 

 from mice. 



EXHIBITING. 



In this matter do not be afraid to send to a show 

 with an extensive classification. The more limited this 

 is the less chance you stand of getting in the prize list. 

 Mixed classes are always harder to win in than those for 

 a specified variety. The first thing to do is to obtain 

 schedules of the shows in various centres. Select your 

 show, and make your entry on the form usually sent 

 for the purpose with the schedule. Be watchful in this 

 matter, and mind you enter as per schedule. Let your 

 entries go off in time. It helps the secretary, and sets 

 your mind at rest. Be sure, if you don't want to sell 

 your specimen, to put a really prohibitive price on it. 

 It is doubly incumbent on an exhibitor to be careful how 

 he fills up his entry paper, as, whatever mistakes he may 

 make cannot be set right afterwards. Put sawdust, or 

 some prefer bran, in the show cages, and a nice supply 

 of soft, sweet and good hay. It is as well to cut this 

 up before putting it in the cages, so that it will not be 

 so bulky and curly. Don't stint the supply. Also see 

 that enough food is sent in the cage to last until the 

 mouse gets home again, as it frequently happens that 



