# Schematic feedback model for mice nesting behaviour



## willa2602 (Mar 18, 2011)

Hello all,
I'm in the third year of my degree, just got an assignment which is to produce a schematic feedback model for any behaviour performed by a specific animal of my choice. For those of you who don't know, a schematic feedback model is similar to a flow chart, showing the stages and decisions involved before (and whilst) a behaviour is carried out.
So for mice nesting, it would sort of involve:
1. Decide to build nest*
2. Decide where to build
3. Decide what to build with
Etc.
And for each of those points i'll need factors which might affect that decision eg. *weather, pregnancy etc.
Well, if any of you can think of any decisions/stages in the est building process, or factors affecting any of those decisions/stages etc. please comment! Any help would be much appreciated, and all comments, on any part will help me to cover everything which i should cover  Lots of heads are better than one I thought!!
Thanks everyone!
Annie x


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## Gill (Sep 16, 2011)

Annie,
I'd be happy to help - let me know exactly what info you need. It's many years since I graduated, but I remember the help I needed with my final year disertation.
Gill


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## willa2602 (Mar 18, 2011)

Hi Gill,
Just any suggestions at all, as to why, when, how, etc. mice build nests, basically I may or may not have thought of any of these suggestions before, but they'll be helpful anyway.
Anyone is welcome to comment! 
Thanks
Annie x


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## Gill (Sep 16, 2011)

Meena, the largest of my three Siamese satins, is always building nests, even though she has never mated [She's the one I am hoping will mate with the buck I got from Barry]. It is especially noticeable when I have just cleaned the cage. Then she drags everything which she thinks is suitable material into the nesting/sleeping area (plus unsuitable things like fancy wooden chews). I use newspaper as a base for the substrate, and I frequently hear her tearing pieces off for additional nesting material. Recently this activity has taken place every night. Her sisters seem content with the bedding I put down for them, though are not adverse to sleeping in the nests Meena makes. They are now just over three months old.
Hope this is of use.


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## willa2602 (Mar 18, 2011)

Thanks Gill  That's cute haha.
Annie x


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

I'm not quite sure what you're looking for but I'd like to help - so I'll just write everything I can think of!

1) My does rarely build nests unless they are just about to kindle. The does that aren't with bucks or kindling/nursing live in large groups. I think they spend most of their playing and therefore wrecking any nesting materials. These does tend to sleep on top of their bedding, but all smooshed together in one corner of their cages. My bucks actually build better nests. I think this is because most of my bucks live alone unless they have a wife, so they need a nest to stay warm, or maybe it's just something for them to do. The exception to this "bucks build better nests" rule is that when I have a group of recently weaned bucks, they exhibit the same non-nesting behaviour as the does. So, in short, single mice are a lot more likely to construct and weave nests than mice in groups - but I can't say whether it's through a need for warmth or because of boredom.

2) My does will usually build a fabulous big nest the night before they kindle. I always know when their offspring has arrived; the cage goes from looking like disaster zone to a properly weaved nest. The weaving itself is very interesting; they are carefully constructed and the strands of hay are woven together very tightly. It can make it very difficult to get in for a look without disturbing too much!

3) My mice have hay and woodshavings. A bucks nest is usually a simple affair; a ball of woven hay on top of the shavings. Typically a nursing doe's nest will be woven from the hay and covered with woodshavings. There won't be any woodshavings inside the structure, where the kittens sleep. Some does will heap ALL of the shavings around the nest, leaving bare plastic around the rest of the cage floor. When they do this, I just put in more shavings and hay; I think they obviously don't feel they have enough.

4) When presented with a variety of nesting materials (in the case of my mice, hay and shredded paper) without fail the does will choose the hay to line the inside of the nest. They seem to prefer the feel of it to the shredded paper. Then the middle of the structure is made with woven shredded paper, and usually this will be covered by more hay and shavings.

5) The floor underneath the nest is usually bare - but I don't know if the does make it this way on purpose or if the nest building activity displaced the shavings?

6) I have found that the better nest crafters are the better mothers. There is a higher chance of carnage in a sloppy nest than in a tight, well made one. I don't know if the mothers' due diligence is expressed in the care of the kittens AND nest, or whether a mother who knows she can't properly care for her litter just won't bother with a proper nest.

7) Once the kittens reach about three weeks old, the mothers' attitude towards nesting relaxes and the family tend to sleep under the hay without bothering to weave it in any way.

8) I have had a lot of litters, but only twice has the nest been built at the front of the cage, where it's lightest. All of the others have built their nest in the left hand corner, at the back of the cage. Because my cages are on a bench, the backs of them don't get much light. The nice seem to feel more secure at the back in the darkest area. Also, in the back left hand corner of all my cages is the water bottle - I wonder if this factors in the does' decision to build there? My bucks follow this same pattern, building nests in the darkest part of the cage.

9) All of my mice are indoors so don't experience a change in temperature from one season to the next.

This is everything I can think of, I hope it helps in some way


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

My mice also build their nests under water bottles, regardless of where the bottle is. Some of my does do not cover their nest if the water bottle is close enough to their heads. 
I do have some female mice who are housed alone, and they do not nest any more than to make a divot in the bedding. 
Groups of weaned bucks nest a little more than my groups of does (regardless of age), though not with the elaborate nests built by single bucks and nursing does. 
Given cardboard, a nesting mum will rip shreds and sheets of paper off the cardboard box or tube. This is preferable to either the paper bedding or shavings. 
Does in plastic cages seem to have bare-bottomed nests, while my glass-tanked does have paper bedding, paper shreds, or soft shavings on the bottom of their nests.
If there is a "house" (igloo, box, tube, any enclosed structure) in the cage, they will use that as the basis of their nest. Otherwise, the darkest and/or most-enclosed space is used. If there are levels, under one of those. If there is furniture of any kind, under that. And so on.

For more anecdotes, try the search feature and type "nesting". Or look through the litter forum and check out the pictures.


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## Frizzle (Oct 6, 2011)

To sum it up, what about hereditary's factor? Like how some mice are simply more prone/responsive to making nests?
I can also think of gender, my buck likes to drag in stuff.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

I currently have mice from a shop in FL, bred by another breeder, bred here, and from a petshop here. They seem all about the same, nest-building-wise.


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## willa2602 (Mar 18, 2011)

Thanks everyone, your posts are exactly the kind of info I needed.  
Thanks
Annie x


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## willa2602 (Mar 18, 2011)

Handed in and presented today, thanks again to those who helped 
Annie


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