# Crazy mouse. Will a mother mice move their litters?



## NikiP (May 7, 2013)

The good thing about litter #1? It lessens the jitters of litter #2, which I just needed :roll:

Came home from work to see little pink things through the tub with both my preggo girls. Great! Decided to give her a while before I took a peek since I didn't know when she started. So I just got done checking & found 5 little things where I had initially seen babies. I, thankfully, decided to check under the tub. Found 3 more pups on the other side of the tub :roll: Moved them to litter spot #1. Peeked under again & found a single one somewhere in the middle of mom's tunnels between the two spots.

Is it possible that I interrupted her while moving the litter? Is it possible that she's just having babies all over? If she is just having babies all over, only been about 3hrs since I got home so there could be more, will she move them herself to a single litter? I'll check under the tub before bed later. Everyone had milk so that's a good sign.

Mom is a 1st timer & a bit of a nervous mouse. She's living with another doe who is calmer & experienced, due about a week later. Thought it might be beneficial.

Not to say that Big Mama isn't stealing the litter, but I made their bedding extra fluffy with birthing soon. All the tunneling was underneath & it didn't appear that anyone had tunneled down recently.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

It's not totally weird for Mom to move her litter if she feels disturbed, or to try and keep multiple nest sites. The multiple nests allow her to nurse them separately, which means none of them get pushed away by the bigger pups.


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

Does will move litters if they feel uncomfortable about the original location, or something kicks in to tell them the original location is awful. (Such as a tiny food bowl, with a first timer.) I've read of does having a litter, not in one spot, but all over the place. Everything I've read also said they, or another doe, retrieve them all to one place eventually. Sometimes hours later.

The fact that there usually is another doe in those scenarios tells me two possible reasons. First time mom's might not like trying to give birth with an audience, so keep trying to be out of eyesight to the nanny. Or, alternately, they know the other doe will pick up after them, so they move around to give birth, and don't bother trying to be careful about location. Could be wrong on both counts, and it's just the way that litter wanted to come, 'an active birth' so to speak.

I've not really had this happen at birth, to my knowledge, even those litters having nannies attending, but it seems to be common. I didn't do nannies with first time mom's though, I came at it from a different angle. I also tend to exit the room, turn off any lights, or stay super quiet, and far away; if I have any idea a birth is happening. (Mostly this involved going to sleep. lol) So, might miss the whole baby scattering.

I hope all that was as reassuring as I meant it to be. LOL Basically, yeah, think it's normal, haven't had it happen myself, to my knowledge.

*edit* That too, especially with a large litter.


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## NikiP (May 7, 2013)

Thanks! That did help, both of ya'll! I think I completely didn't ask my question, but it sounds like ya'll answered it  I was mostly wondering if I actually needed to move them, sounds like I would be best to let them work it out, especially since it was obvious that they are being cared for. Good to know!


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## NikiP (May 7, 2013)

ThatCertainGlow, that would make sense with a large litter & lowering competition! 9 babies so far & could potentially be more. The doe with her from the same lines had 13 her first time.


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

sometimes the doe without young will have a strong maternal drive and steal some of the babies .I always reunite split litters because often one lot are forgotten and get cold and hungry.


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## NikiP (May 7, 2013)

I skipped checking last night & checked this morning. Both females appear to be taking care of the pups, all have full bellies  Still at 9, that's a nice number. Will pull weaklings tomorrow.


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## NikiP (May 7, 2013)

Well I waited until day three to pull them back out. Apparently the moms have settled on the food dish, buried under the bedding :roll: At least it's easy to pull them out!


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## mousefan (Nov 3, 2012)

I know mice split up the litters to feed them in smaller groups, so they all get an even amount of milk, but I am no help cause that's what everyone else said


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## NikiP (May 7, 2013)

Well I ended up separating them. She kept moving them while Big Mama was in there. The princess mouse moves her litter every time I hold them, but they don't appear to be constantly moved now.

Think this will be her first & last litter. I hate it when she moves them under the water bottle & her stressing stresses me.

Big Mama had another large litter & is being a wonderful mum. Here's to hoping her good mommy genes have passed on to her daughters!


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