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Good breeding stock is very important...I handle all of my mice rats on a regular basis, and only the most docile, interactive ones go on to be breeders. As far as diets go, rodent blocks and fruit/veggies are all I find necessary. I try to stay away from anything containing too much seeds(bird food, hamster food) as they are very high in fat/oils and can be problematic both in breeding and temperament. I think mixing a high quality dog food(no less than 2 of the top 3 ingredients should be meat) is ok, but cheap stuff is so loaded with preservatives(BHT/BHA) and dyes. I'd rather not have any of that in the animals I'm raising to feed my snakes. Bread works on occasion, as well as cooked rice, cooked pasta. Leftover proteins are good from time to time as well...chicken, fish, pork. Some of the best stuff I've ever used for my rodents are cow blocks(very similar make up as rodent blocks) and scratch grain...both very cheap, minimal(if any) preservative, high protein/lowfat, and can be picked up at any feed retailer.
Cannibalism can be attributed to many things. I find rodents that start breeding too early or are kept breeding past their peak are more prone to cannibalism. Though they can start breeding as early as 4-5 weeks, I usually wait a minimum of 10 weeks. Also, rodents need to be active, and if aren't supplied with diversion, they may just eat babies out of boredom. Running wheels, chew logs, hides, etc...just keep them busy. Constantly breeding down the same blood line is another reason. I usually buy a few new females every 6 months or so to make sure any inbreeding is very limited. It helps to keep records of your breeders...that way you can follow their breeding arcs and replace them before #'s start to dwindle too much. I'll give my female mice/rats 1 pass if they eat babies...if they do it a 2nd time, into the freezer they go!
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