# New Babies



## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

I must admit, I do feel like a bit of an idiot and I do require A LOT of advice on this one.
As some of you know, I put Xia in with Basil a long while ago, Xia gained wait for a week then didn't gain anything for a week. That continued for about a month until I just ruled it down to the fact that I was altering the food a bit over that time. For some silly reason I didn't check on Basil and Xia for around 5 days now, they slipped my mind totally. Today, I get Xia out and weigh her as I do every week. Last week she was 42g and today she was a shocking 32g! I checked their nest and I swear I screamed. I ran around the house for a little bit saying "oh sh**" repeatedly. 4 not so pink pinkies. They have pigment and dandruff, weigh between 3.9g and 4.1g. They look very much like my other litter when they were 5 days old and since I last checked on her 5 days ago, the oldest they can be is 5 days old which makes sense..

Anyway, Their tab things aren't huge so either I'm lucky to have no boys, or they are all boys and I can't do a comparison - they all look the same. I'm going away on the 9th and won't be back til the 14th so I'm wondering if I should just take them with me to my grandmas or if that would be to stressful and I should just put off the trip.

I transferred the nest and Xia into their own cage and I will leave her for the rest of the night other than to give her some chicken. 
I do understand that she may be pregnant again and she probably is. Basil takes his time getting girls pregnant so maybe I'll be lucky?

Pictures for you guys


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

So Wendy was nice enough to offer to keep an eye on them while I am away for 5 days. She has had babies before and I trust to look after them.


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

I _think_ it looks like boy, boy, girl (no second pic of the last baby?), but I'm no good at sexing babies that age yet.
Anyway, congrats on them! They're lovely looking.


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

I couldn't get a decent picture of the last one. They all look the same and in all honesty, in person they all look like girls - their tabs aren't huge. I'll take picture pictures tomorrow, my camera has a passionate hate for taking pictures at night with just the lights on..
The first one is my favorite, it has a peanut marking


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

The distance is more important than the protrusion. 
The first one the pic is decieving..its hard to tell where the "protrusion" is at. the second one is definitely a boy, and the 3rd one is definitely a girl.
The easiest way to tell for sure male/female is to wait till they start getting a decent coat on their bellies and look for nipples...females will have them, males won't!


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Thank you Stina. At first look before taking photos it was 2 boys, 1 definite girl and one maybe girl. If it is 3 boys and 1 girl, should I cull a boy so the girl has a chance?
Usually I cull all boys except one and leave 4 or so girls. Obviously I can't do that in this case.

My other dilemma is that I'm going away for 5 days on the 9th but if I'm lucky, Wendy will see the nipples if there are any and mark the babies for me while I'm away. Once I get back, their eyes should be open or starting too.


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

With only 4 babies, I wouldn't worry about culling more (unleess of course, if you want to have less boys).


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

I have yet to cull anyone in this litter, she had 4 or the dad ate some but there was no blood or anything anywhere so who knows. 
I'm not fussed on genders, they'll all be up for adoption unless one turns out like their mum - big ears, good eyes, long tail.


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

So I took some more photos today - all 4 babies are still alive even after the nest move yesterday. I still see milk bellies but they don't seem to be gaining the weight like my last litter did. Today the weights range from 4.21g to 4.47g while last time the smallest was 4.4g and the biggest was 4.6g.

Right, pictures.





















































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To me, it looks like I may have 2 boys and 2 girls. I could be wrong though.


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Ok, nope. Looks like its 3 boys, 1 girl.


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## GibblyGiblets (Oct 2, 2011)

boy,boy,boy,girl is what it looks like to me, in order of pictures.

very cute little babies too, I love how the last one has a completely white head except for the patch of black over the eye


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Yes, I was pretty sure the last one was a little girl - she is actually the biggest thank god.
She is like her mother in that way, I'll find some pictures of Mumma and post them 

Unless one takes after the mums type, I'll find them all new homes once they are old enough


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Pictures of mum... I love her ears


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

...the 2nd one looks like it could be a girl to me....could you get a pic from a different angle?


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Sorry I couldn't get many at different angles, my camera really doesn't like focusing while its dark with only the lights.


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

oh that's def a boy....lol


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Oh I can live with that. Doesn't bother me to much, just hope i can find homes for them. 
Thank you Stina


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

This type of angle is best for determining gender, just for future reference  the tail being "pulled" up stretches the area and the angle of the camera gives the best view of the area to determine the distance between of the genetalia


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

I generally never do that because I'm always so worried that the tail skin is going to pull off or something. Also, when I put them up like that, the head positioning looks awfully uncomfortable though I must admit, it is far easier to take pictures that way than to have them squirming under my thumb the other way.
Thank you again


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

As long as you are not pulling them really hard they should be fine...they'll get pretty loud if you are actually hurting them in any way


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Yes I figure that would be the case, I just hold the base of the tail and keep the rest of their body as close to the hand as possible. I seem to be having luck with calm mothers. I have yet to know of any babies being eaten or moved away from the nest and they don't mind to much me handling the babies early. Hopefully I'll avoid the popcorn stage with this bunch too though I doubt I'll be so lucky since I haven't handled them since day 1 and I'll be away for 5 days. Oh the timing..


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Is it just me or is this a boy? God damn it. I do hope its not - all boys if it is.

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A few group photos as well..


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Ummmmm SURPRISE! 
These are the last photos for the next week since I'll be away in Hamilton. Its day 8 and I have no idea what colour they are or will be..


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

i olike the one with the least white soo pritty. To me they all look like agouti pied.


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## besty74 (May 26, 2012)

i agree, all looking agouti pied to me too, very sweet


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

PPVallhunds said:


> i olike the one with the least white soo pritty. To me they all look like agouti pied.


That's what I thought, nothing to exciting. That would mean the mum doesn't carry any dilutes right? Dads the dilute agouti something and mums a pied black.
In all honesty, I didn't even think I would get agoutis, maybe 1 or 2 but not all of them. They're quite pretty.
(the first photo had the contrast and light auto edited so you could actually see them.)


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

if dads c diluted then yep its a good chance mum isnt carrying anything then, or you could just be unlucky and they all get her one C gene. lol that would be my luck.
It could be that dad is A/A then they would all be agouti, or if he is A/a you were just unlucky that no one got the a fomr him. Has he sired anyother litters?


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## GibblyGiblets (Oct 2, 2011)

I'm not a big fan of agouti, but stick some white on it, and by glob I'm in love xD

I remember when I got my first banded agouti, and I was like "o3o" because you can't find pied/banded agouti anywhere around here unless you get REALLY lucky

they're all so cute, it makes me wanna come squeeze em xD


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## Seafolly (Mar 13, 2012)

I was going to guess one boy, three girls, haha.


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Dad is definitely an A/a same with his mum. His Dad was a fawn (I think, orangey with pink eyes). The Dads last litter had 2 agoutis in it as well as some pied blacks, a dilute agouti and I think what was a mock chocolate. When their pigments were coming through I was thinking they were going to be all pied blacks. Bit shocked to see agouti. 
Gibbly, I totally agree, ad a bit of white and they are so cute!


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

ah so so it was just luck that all the pups got his A then.


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Yeup! All Agouti babies! And yes... all boys. Oh well, there is only 4 and I didn't get as many mice as planned on my Hamilton trip, I have PLENTY of empty cages.
So, as you might have guessed, I'm home! Thank god. Here are updated pictures - I'm absolutely loving the high agouti one with the peanut on his head.


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## Seafolly (Mar 13, 2012)

This thread is gold. I need to bookmark this for reference.

I was beating myself up because three of my pinkies looked like your first and last shots. I'm thrilled my first instinct was right (I didn't want to have to cull so heavily but I've no room for boys).


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

I believe all of my litter threads have bum pictures up until day 3, sometimes after. 
Don't worry, I look at their bums so much my head hurts from trying to figure out which gender they are. With my current litter I looked at their bums quickly "boy boy boy boy" and so on. Bad idea to look quickly, there was 5 girls and 4 boys.. Ha!

Well I'm glad my thread helped


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## Seafolly (Mar 13, 2012)

They do?! I need to explore more of the forum, not just use search terms. Few people photograph on day one or two it seems. I wish I saw this before the cull, I would have known for sure, haha. I'm glad I just culled bucks. That nugget of doubt needed to be squashed!


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

I believe I do take pictures sometimes of day one and two. Its nice to be able to get rid of the doubt. I always worry that I'm going to cull the wrong ones, get them muddled or something and cull all the girls. Hasn't happened yet. 
But yes, much easier to sex on day 3.


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## Seafolly (Mar 13, 2012)

I totally agree. I just checked in on the four girls and they look huge in comparison to last night. Well, one does. One is a BEAST. And I say that lovingly. But yeah, it wasn't so much the cull (though that's always awful) but the doubt of culling what you're intending to cull. Oh, and this litter had so much potential with variety it kills me I won't know what they were. I think I'll stick to Day 2 though. The livelier they get the harder it is on me.


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