# Black Tan disappointments



## Kitei (Feb 4, 2013)

After having nothing in the last litter from my second tan doe worth keeping, I put my better doe back to the buck again and had a litter due this week. She's definitely a better mouse than the other doe, so I was hoping to get some good results from this litter. 
She had her litter last night, and when I checked on her I found she'd partially eaten 3, 3 other were just dead with no milk bands, and one was left alive but still with no milk band. I've placed it with my blue tri doe and her litter, who are only a few days older, and am hoping that she'll take it, but I'm very disappointed. This is her second litter, with her failing to feed the first.

I'm completely failing at getting my tan line started, it seems. Bah.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

It's all ways the way, my foxes use to breed like rabbits untill I dropped my numbers down being extra fussy on who I kept back then they started having 2-3 pups and some like yours not bothering to feed them!


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## blackbirdmice (Oct 27, 2012)

Kitei said:


> After having nothing in the last litter from my second tan doe worth keeping, I put my better doe back to the buck again and had a litter due this week. She's definitely a better mouse than the other doe, so I was hoping to get some good results from this litter.
> She had her litter last night, and when I checked on her I found she'd partially eaten 3, 3 other were just dead with no milk bands, and one was left alive but still with no milk band. I've placed it with my blue tri doe and her litter, who are only a few days older, and am hoping that she'll take it, but I'm very disappointed. This is her second litter, with her failing to feed the first.
> 
> I'm completely failing at getting my tan line started, it seems. Bah.


What awful luck. Here is my suggestion; Try breeding a few does around the same time and keep one of the tan girls with them, hopefully the tan will give birth a day or two after the others and if she doesn't care for the babies the others will. If she starts munching remove her. I always breed in pairs for this reason and I have never had a problem. Maybe seeing another mother do it right will help your tans catch on.


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## WoodWitch (Oct 18, 2009)

Don't worry Kitei; so often is the way with new fanciers. I don't think I've heard of a single new member to the NMC that didn't go through their own problems with their starter stock or when they started breeding. I struggled for well over a year with terrible luck, one thing after another, then a year plodding on without much luck and now I'm getting some better luck (interspersed with continued bad luck  ). 
If those mice aren't working out, get some more, people will always help you and it's pointless struggling alone. PM me if you need a chat about anything and if I'm unable to help I'll be able to recommend someone that can x


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## pauly (Feb 21, 2013)

It is very difficult to get a stud up & running, as I know only too well. Bringing my mice over to Ireland was a long journey, so I expected problems & was warned .
Sometimes it must look like something out of Monty Python when I hear a sneeze. "Come on who did that ? Was it you ? Well, who was it ?" Dashing from box to box.
I've had my share of losses, that sometimes are totally unexpected.
The only good thing is the help & advice that is never far away from experienced fanciers.


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## Kitei (Feb 4, 2013)

Thank you for the encouragement; I'm not feeling quite as glum about it now, but it really was a big disappointment. The little black tan pinkie I fostered over didn't make it, but I wasn't holding high hopes for it as it was very skinny, and a few days younger than the others than I would have preferred. I definitely need to locate some more foundation stock; I'm afraid my current doe doesn't compliment the buck as well as I'd like. Suggestions on who to approach for those would be most welcome.

Hopefully with some new mice, I'll be able to turn things around and be able to start showing tans next year, unless by some miracle I manage to get some within the next month, in which case it might be the next Sale show, aha. I'm making some progress on my secondary project, but I think it'll be quite a while before I have anything from that line to show, too, as it's a slow moving one. Very much looking forward to continuing, though, and definitely not giving up!


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