# can different foods affect number of babies born?



## mousery_girl (Nov 13, 2011)

I've been giving my pregnant females dog biscuits 2nd time round and both new mums had 9 and 10 pups! I hope they'll be able to look after them all :?


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

I would definitely keep an eye on your new mums. There's nothing unusual about 9 or 10 pups, and some mums do fine with that many, but that can be too many for others. Watch their condition, and how quickly the pups are growing. There are several sites with photos of mouse pups as they grow, with day-by-day photos. If they're falling behind in the first week, you know there's not enough to go around. Past the first week or so, culling pups won't make much difference. It's really too late.

How you feed your momma mouse won't change how many babies are conceived (unless you're starving her!), but it can change how many survive to be born, and then how many survive as pups. Dog biscuits, scrambled egg, milk-sopped bread, mealworms, these are all good things, and can help the mums get by, but they're no replacement for culling pups, as much as I wish they were.


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