Your Reptile and Amphibian Resource and Information Site

Back to Rodents-Keeping and Breeding Forum   Forums   Home   Members Area  

Rodents-Keeping and Breeding Forum

Buckeye223girl   Rebecca Wright   Buckeye223girl   Rebecca Wright   Cinderellawkids   Rebecca Wright   Dodoe  
 Member  Message

 #1782896


Buckeye223girl
View Profile

 Babies are here. WOW

My mice are having babies. Blonco ( cream color)had 6 , but only have 2 left and Oreo ( black & white) has 13 so far . Both are first time Mothers. I’am just so happy my mice are starting to have babies. I have 8 females and 2 males.
I have them split up 4-1 to a cage.I took the new mother out and put then in a smaller cage to have their babies.
How long will it be before I can put the new mothers & babies back into the main cage. thank You for your help

Bucky



07/04/08  03:51pm

 #1782989


Rebecca Wright
View Profile



   Message To: Buckeye223girl   In reference to Message Id: 1782896


 Babies are here. WOW

I would wait til the babies have all their fur but I dont know cause I have never taken my moms out O.o... lol :D good luck!
07/04/08  06:05pm

 #1784564


Buckeye223girl
View Profile



   Message To: Rebecca Wright   In reference to Message Id: 1782989


 Babies are here. WOW

So you leave all the female’s & male mice together even when they have their babies. Won’t the other mice kill the new babies.

Bucky.



07/06/08  02:47pm

 #1786471


Rebecca Wright
View Profile



   Message To: Buckeye223girl   In reference to Message Id: 1784564


 Babies are here. WOW

lol I wouldnt know... I always had things to feed the babies too by the time I knew they were there... but I have heard people having so/so results with it.... I do have a colony set up right now with 1m and 3f and I know one is prego... so I can let you know in a few weeks how that goes :D I dont currently have anything that eats anything smaller than full grown so these litters will survive lol... GL!
07/07/08  11:35pm

 #1786996


Cinderellawkids
View Profile



   Message To: Rebecca Wright   In reference to Message Id: 1786471


 Babies are here. WOW

My females just ate their babies, while a alone female did not and actually adopted the ones I took from the cage where they were being eaten. Im trying to decide now if Ill seperate them next time or try one more time
07/08/08  12:24pm

 #1787127


Rebecca Wright
View Profile



   Message To: Cinderellawkids   In reference to Message Id: 1786996


 Babies are here. WOW

yeah its hard to decide what to do when you can’t ask the mice why they are doing it lol... cause some problems cannot be fixed like birth defects...while others can... over crowding or that sorta thing.... GL!
07/08/08  02:26pm

 #1804888


Dodoe
View Profile



   Message To: Rebecca Wright   In reference to Message Id: 1787127


 Babies are here. WOW

It is generally recommended that you take a pregnant female out of the cage with other mice so she can have her babies in peace. You can put her with a female that she is familiar with that is not pregnant to act as a Nannie. This does sometimes cause problems with the Nannie steeling the litter and the babies dieing because the Nannie does not have any milk.

That being said:

Some people leave their females, including me, in with the colony to have their litter and let everyone help with the raising of the new litter. This will not help you if you like to keep genetic records for your mice because all litters will probably be put into one nest and all babies will get mixed together. Sometimes they will have several nests going on at the same time and the females with rotate from nest to nest. Mine do this. This method will generally ensure that your females will have back to back litters unless you take the male out of the cage but that means you have to be careful how you reintroduce the male at a latter date to breed again. This method is good if you have a problem with a female and need to take her out or if she dies because the other females will take care of the litters.

Now, sometimes you will get a female or a male mouse that will kill the babies no matter what kind of precautions you take. Most will not breed that mouse again whether it is a male or female because the aggression will also be inherited into any children you they may have. For the females I use a 2 litter policy. I give them two chances to be a good mother and if they cannibalize both litters I stop breeding them. The males I would use a one litter policy but in my experience it has usually been the female that eats the babies.

As for when to separate the mice: Females can stay with mother as long as you like but I would separate them from father at 3-4 weeks. 4 weeks being better but they could theoretically survive at 3 by themselves. Males must must must be separated from mom and sisters no later then 4 weeks or they will try to get mom or sisters pregnant and having them be in the same cage with females will usually bring on aggression in males.

Hope this answers your questions.



07/22/08  09:54am


Back to Rodents-Keeping and Breeding Forum   Forums   Home   Members Area