# I can't believe they just did that :(



## miss.understood (Apr 20, 2010)

I have, as lots of you know already, several lovely mice that i breed from for pet quality mice.

My fiance just came racing downstairs, grabbed a spare tank and shot upstairs. I followed, and what i saw has really upset me.

My white girls (Poppy - Himi, and Daisy - PEW) both had litters. Poppys litter is around 2 weeks (eyes open, and weaning) Daisy's litter still small, under 1 week old. Both adult mice had singled out ALL of Daisys babies, eaten loads of them...and we caught them devouring a little one. It was still alive when we got to it, so we had to freeze it - to end it's suffering.

The adult girls had, for some reason gone on a murder rampage. I am really upset and annoyed.

I have taken the remaining 4 babies from Daisy's litter (who were a bit stunned, subdued but unharmed) and carefully introduced them to Millie - who has a litter of 2 week old mice. She picked them up one by one and took them to her nest, so i think she will surrogate them quite well.

I have moved Poppy's babies (2 weeks old) in with Ollie. She is immediately acting as a surrogate. She had her own litter which has just been taken from her and moved to boys and girls, but she had remained in the tank with Bruiser helping her with her babies. Bruisers babies are weaning now. Ollie took to these babies straight away and i feel confident that all of these babies will be ok in the care of their new surrogate mothers, who by the way are such sweeties and fabulous mothers. I love these two girls to bits!

Since Poppy and Daisy's behaviour changed so drastically to aggression, violence and cannibalism... I felt i had no choice but to Co2 them both. I know there will be some people who will disagree with this, BUT i feel i have done the right thing. They didn't make good pets at the best of times and have proven that they cannot be good mothers either. My decision was hard, but i strongly feel i have done the right thing by saving the young, surrogating them to two of my other Does. So if people aren't happy with what i have done, then i will take whatever criticism people throw at me. I have done the right thing.

Sorry if this seems like a rant, i am just genuinely upset right now.

They must've eaten loads during the day, as there was 14 in the litter. 4 remain alive and unharmed, and we found the 5th half eaten - but alive. 

I cannot understand what provoked them. They have fresh food and water daily as do all my mice.
 seriously needs a hug right now.


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## miss.understood (Apr 20, 2010)

and before anyone says it, yes, i now know that these two mice should not have been bred from, but this is something that i couldn't foresee. xx


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

Sometimes babies get eaten, it's just a fact of life. It's never pleasant for us to see but it has nothing to do with violence. The mothers may have felt that they had enough to cope with as they already had older babies, they may have been upset for some reason or there may have been a problem with the younger litter.

Sarah xxx


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## miss.understood (Apr 20, 2010)

I guess. They had been rather nasty towards people at times. Just not good mice all in all i guess.

Thanks Sarah xx


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## The secret garden (May 13, 2010)

As Sarah said, this is something you have to face when breeding mice. You will not go your hole breeding life with out litter savaging its a fact of life that if thay can't cope they wll get rid of them. Don't stress out about it its just a learning curve for you.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Sometimes these things just happen, and you will never really know why. It sounds like things turned out relatively well, as I know one cannot always count on a doe adopting strange babies. As far as putting the two munchers down, I might have done the same thing myself.


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## miss.understood (Apr 20, 2010)

I have had one mother munch one of her babies before (that was Lily, and it was her first litter). I have just finished work after a 9 hour shift, went to check the babies and their new mothers and i'm pleased to say that they're all feeding from their surrogates. I've been very lucky that Millie and Ollie have accepted these strangers.

xx


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## ccoryjohnn (Jul 2, 2010)

That's sad. I'm so sorry to hear!


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## miss.understood (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks hunni.
Update on the babies with their surrogate mothers: They're all doing fine, their new mothers are feeding them on a regular basis and i'm really pleased with them  xxx


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