# Upgrading Babies



## Cheshire Gleam (Aug 15, 2016)

I'll have to remove a little buck from the litter in a day or so. Would it be okay to move mom and her daughters into a larger space for this? I've got a hard plastic bin waiting, but could it cause the mother to kill them from stress or something? I've also read that moving untamed mice into a bigger environment might make them more flighty. They're pretty chill as it is, though I'd rather not undue everything. Any advice?


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## Lilly (Nov 21, 2015)

Mice in a bigger bin can be more flighty in general, they don't like big open areas much but a cage that is suitable for mum and babies is likely too small ones the babies hit weaning age so they are generally moved into something bigger.

If they are tame and confidant then size won't matter, so it is a bit mouse dependent what size cage will work for you in general.

I do this usually between 2 weeks and weaning and have had no issues moving mother and babies or combining litters and/or does at any point from 1 day old to weaning. Mice are very unlikely to kill


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## Cheshire Gleam (Aug 15, 2016)

I'll check it out and see how it goes in that case. If not, I've got a spare for the buck to keep him separated.


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## Torin (May 18, 2016)

When it comes to splitting the sexes in my litters, I plan to either:

upgrade mums/nannies and doe babies, and leave the bucks where they were previously all living.[/*]
keep mums/nannies and doe babies where they are, and downgrade the bucks.[/*]
I'm having mum birth in not super small tubs in the first place, so which option I pick is being based on whether I upgraded the whole litter at an earlier stage or not (which comes down to what's available, size of litter, if there's another nest of a similar age etc).

Or, well, that's what I'm currently doing. I may of course find some other method suits me better down the line.

If your mice are particularly flighty in temperament, then taking some of the old smelly substrate and bedding into the new space (and mixing it with fresh stuff) can help settle them quicker. Behaviourally this is called 'scent swapping' and just means that the new space smells that bit more familiar from the outset.


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## Cheshire Gleam (Aug 15, 2016)

I left the buck in the tank they were all sharing after a clean and upgraded mom with does, too. They explore all the time and are quickly settling into fine little mice. Thanks for the input.


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## meromar (Aug 27, 2016)

Congrats on the successful move, I'm glad everyone is doing great!


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## Cheshire Gleam (Aug 15, 2016)

Aw, thank you! They get bigger and sweeter everyday. Though one's a chronic nibbler. :?


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