# Took in a doe and five babies



## Awaiting_Abyss

Yesterday I went by this pet store to compare prices on cat food and I noticed they still had the blue fancy mice that they've had for a while. They have had a female in there with two males. (This pet store usually only gets female mice in.. I guess they got the males in by mistake) Several weeks ago I noticed that she had a single baby (I assume the others were sold as feeders). Yesterday when I went in there she had five babies, so I asked if I was able to purchase her and they let me buy her and take all of her babies for free.

The males that were with the mother were both blue with yellow bellies. The mother is blue with a self belly.
The little ones are all blue. Three girls and two boys.

I now have the mother settling in a 10 gallon tank to herself. I would take pictures of her and the little ones but I want her to settle in more before I disturb her.


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## Miceandmore64

Thank you for giving them a good home. Pet shops breed mice like a factory. I hope you rehome them well.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

I plan on keeping most of them... depending on how many are in the next litter since she is most certainly pregnant again.


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## Trixie's Mice

Oh thank you for rescuing her!


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## Miceandmore64

Oh that is such a shame. Poor her! She will be very tired  wow good luck! Please post some pictures of course!


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## Awaiting_Abyss

I will 

I was worried about her leaving her babies since she became pretty stressed out after the ride home in a cardboard box, but shortly after she explored her new tank she settled back down with them.


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## Miceandmore64

That is wonderful news. Remember to update us


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## Awaiting_Abyss

I certainly will.  I'll take some pictures tonight.

Right now the babies don't have their eyes open yet but they have fur. I would guess just a few more days before their eyes open.


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## Miceandmore64

That's wonderful! Im at a bit of a stage at the moment if working out which of the mice I am keeping I also have to put my first (of 2) mice down soon as I can because she is showing signs of pain. This is going to be difficult  I would do it now and I might but I just have ya done it before so its hard. I have 9 mice at the mo but am going down to 4 or 5 pernament and of course sti breeding. Only problem is 3 mice I HAVE TO KEEP that I can't breed so thats a problem unless I rehome them well. Going to make my mind up today and sell the un needed mice and cages. It's hard but I need to so I can also care for my rabbit enough


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## Awaiting_Abyss

I know the feeling. I'm debating if I should find a new home for my two rats or not. I haven't been able to spend the proper about of time with them since I moved because of various reasons. I think I've found a good home for them, but its hard to let go. I'm not sure if I'm actually going to be able to let them go or not.


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## Miceandmore64

Yeah  well I am sitting here with my mouse going in my sleeve and eating my pj's


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## Awaiting_Abyss

I went in the critter room last night to take some pictures and I had little eyes peeping at me.  At least they never opened their eyes to the pet store.
I also noticed that the mother has a rip in her right ear, but it appears to be an old wound.


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## Miceandmore64

OMG CUTE


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## Frizzle

Congrats on how nice & fat your babies look!


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## Awaiting_Abyss

Thank you 

I'm not familiar with mouse genetics, but I know gerbil genetics. 
Why do some of them have self colored bellies and some have cream/white colored bellies yet they are all blue?


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## Frizzle

So, from what it sounds like, one of the bucks in the tank was a tan.

http://www.fancymicebreeders.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=673

Blue is hard to get the tan to show well on (from my understanding) so that paired without the selective breeding means you probably have some poor tans.


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## Trixie's Mice

I love your blues! Hhaha those pictures actually change my mind... my next litter will be self blues, I was just going to do broken blue. But these guys are so cute!


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## Mionemouse

Really sweet babies and such a pretty mum; well done for rescuing her - goodness knows how many litters she would have ended up having in succession otherwise


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## Awaiting_Abyss

All the babies are doing great. The doe with the cream colored belly has become my favorite because she loves attention so much. One of the bucks is a satin (all others are standard fur). I now have the bucks separated from the does.

Is it okay to leave the three girls in with mom while mom has the next litter? Would they help her in raising the next litter?

Mom looks like she will have the next litter any day now. -I haven't decided what to name her yet. Any ideas?


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## Awaiting_Abyss

I've decided to name the mom Aeira. Still deciding on names for the little ones.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

The second litter was born yesterday sometime. I found them when I got home from work last night. There are 7 in the litter.

I'm debating if I should remove the three girls from the previous litter. I found them sitting on two pinkies this morning off by themselves. I moved the two pinkies back with mom and she started feeding them again.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

All seven of the new litter is now dead. Last night when I came home from work I found them all killed by the mother. I'm not sure why though. I haven't touched them since they were born and I haven't changed the bedding or disturbed her except to give her food and water. It was really sad. They were all so fat and healthy. :/ I guess she may have gotten too stressed from having litter after litter of babies.

All five of the older litter are doing great though, and the mother is fine.


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## Trixie's Mice

I'm so sorry to hear that happen... so harsh. I hope all your other meeces will be great!


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## BlizzardMice

That's so sad to hear about the new litter. At least you were able to save the mom and her older babies and you should feel proud of that. I love blue meecies but have never been able to find any in my area. I hope they are all well and you continue to take such good care of her :3


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## Awaiting_Abyss

I wanted to update this thread.

All five babies are doing great. They've grown into lovely young mice. I've placed one boy into a home, and I still have the other boy and the three girls. 
The mom, however, has just gotten a large tumor on her cheek. :/ She doesn't seem slowed down by it though. Poor girl has been through a lot.


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## Demonic Hope

Awaiting_Abyss said:


> I wanted to update this thread.
> 
> All five babies are doing great. They've grown into lovely young mice. I've placed one boy into a home, and I still have the other boy and the three girls.
> The mom, however, has just gotten a large tumor on her cheek. :/ She doesn't seem slowed down by it though. Poor girl has been through a lot.


Can we have some pics? I'm in love with Blues.

Poor Momma. At least if she does have to be culled she had a good bit of time with you.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

I will post pictures soon. 

I have unfortunately been slack lately with picture taking of my animals.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

Here are pictures! 
The doe with the white belly is my favorite. The other two does are identical.. I haven't yet been able to tell them apart. They also have similar personalities, so that doesn't help.
The mother looks very rough... :/ I also couldn't get a very clear picture of her because she's still very untame and won't be still for a second.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

Here are the pictures of the does.. Couldn't fit them on the last post.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

Last picture.


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## Demonic Hope

They are so cute! I love blues. 

For the identical I take it the old marker on fur thing wont work because they are dark? Maybe try snipping some fur on their back or something?


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## mich

In Australia if you sold mice for feeding to reptiles you could get arrested for animal cruelty. In this country we only have frozen mice for reptiles. I'm sorry but when I read that it made me feel quite queasy. 
Who in their right mind would buy a gorgeous little mouse from a pet store and feed it to a snake. No I'm sorry but I think that I really had to say something about that.


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## Awaiting_Abyss

Oh, she wasn't in with the feeder mice. She was a "fancy mouse" that they sell as pets. She was just in with two males. Usually that pet store only gets in females, but for some reason they had males that time. I'm not sure if the other babies that she had went for feeders or not... they could have been sold for pets. I'm just assuming that they might have been since I believe they sold before being weaned.

I purchased her when I saw she had a complete litter and I realized it was the same mouse as the previous time I went in.


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## SarahC

mich said:


> In Australia if you sold mice for feeding to reptiles you could get arrested for animal cruelty. In this country we only have frozen mice for reptiles. I'm sorry but when I read that it made me feel quite queasy.
> Who in their right mind would buy a gorgeous little mouse from a pet store and feed it to a snake. No I'm sorry but I think that I really had to say something about that.


just a reminder that this forum is feeder breeder friendly.There are few forums where reptile keepers can share their enjoyment of mouse keeping. This is one of them.


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