# Mother Murder



## FeralWolf (Dec 28, 2010)

As some of you know, Suki had one pinky, and then she culled it. I then bred Twix, and she is looking huge and healthy, and due next Saturday. Since Suki killed her baby, does that mean she has a tendency to kill? I would love for the sisters to be back together when the pinkies arrive, but I don't want Suki to eat them. Suggestions?


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## ccoryjohnn (Jul 2, 2010)

I'm not very experienced, I've had a couple litters but from my knowledge it doesn't necessarily mean she will kill them. I've read that sometimes nanies who have had previous litters may try to 'steal' babies and move them to their nests. It may be a good idea to just play it safe and not have her in there!


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## Pumpkinsmousery (Apr 14, 2011)

It doesn't mean that she will cull any others or any other litters she has. It could be for a number of reasons why she did cull the pinky, such as she felt threatened, she might not have known what to do etc. For all you know she could be an excellent nanny. The mum will recover faster with the help of a nanny. But if you are not sure what she is like raising a litter then safest bet is to not have a nanny.


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## wildrose (Apr 27, 2011)

I agree with ccoryjohnn. Nanny stealing is another issue to worry about as well as cannibalism. I wouldn't use her as a nanny, especially if you really care a lot about this litter- if its really important to your breeding goals. 
It could have been a lot of different things that caused her to eat em. Too much noise or environmental stress, her or the babies could have been ill, she may not have known what to do with them etc, etc. If you do decide to use her as a nanny, make sure you leave the newborn mice alone for extra long (3-5 days maybe) and make sure they have plenty of food.
Unfortunately there's not a whole lot else you can do to assure that she won't eat them, besides keeping her out. If I were you I would try breeding her once more and put her with an experienced doe as a nanny. If she eats the second litter, you might be out of luck.


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