# Interesting Situation



## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

Hello!

I'm not a "breeder," just a mouse enthusiast in college. A friend of mine had two does in his apartment on campus, and the other day called me to say that one, Jackal, was really fat! I went to take a look and sure enough, her tummy was very round and she was getting really aggressive when we tried to get her from the cage. I didn't want her to have the pups in the wire cage he had, plus his apartment was a pretty stressful place to be giving birth, so I took her to my dorm and set her up with a tank of her own and some nesting materials.

I gave her an oatmeal box to build her nest in, and I hear quite a bit of squeaking this morning, so I'm not sure is he's just getting ready, or if she's started already. I'm so excited! My boyfriend is like a big kid right now; he cannot wait!

We're pretty sure that the other mouse in with her is also a female, and the apartments on campus are notoriously filled with wild mice. We're pretty sure these pups are going to be mutts!

I can't wait!!!!!


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## countrygall721 (Oct 26, 2010)

Congrats! Baby mice are always fun


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

I've been trying to find pictures of what a field mouse and a pet mouse cross would look like. No luck.


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

A field mouse x pet mouse hybrid is not possible....however wild house mice with pet mice is. Wild house mice are the same species as domestic pet mice (mus musculus) and thus look very similar. If the sire is a wild house mouse, the offspring will probably just be plain agouti mice and may be difficult to tame. What color is the mother?


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

She's white, and very beautiful!


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

pink eyed white? If so, you should definitely expect all agouti as the offspring if the father is indeed a wild mouse....unless the doe is hiding some dominant trait, which probably isn't likely.


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

That's fine by me! I figured they'd be wilder than most, but I think agouti is pretty. I'm just happy she's safe in my room now. I hear a lot of squeaking going on, but I think she's just really talkative. I'm not used to that. Dante, my buck, is very quiet.


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

Have you seen her since the squeaking started?...usually squeaking is not the mom...its the babies


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

The squeaking is the babies saying "Feed me!" "No, me!" "No, _me_!"


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

I took a little peek, and there are definitely little pink wrigley things in there! Also, she took a good chomp at my finger! Haha! I'm happy! I'm going to leave her alone until tomorrow and just let her do her thing. They're so chatty!


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Did she bring blood, or was it more of a "Get away from my babies!" sort of thing?


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## Roland (Aug 17, 2009)

Give her some food with a lot of animal protein, she needs it to build milk: eg scrambelled eggs, dried cat food / dog food. In the wild she would eat some insects now.

Good luck and have fun!


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

No blood. Just a nip. I gave her some snacks!


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## JustMouse (Jul 23, 2010)

That is so cool that you're having mixed babies. I've found that girls like boiled egg yolks a lot when they're nursing. In a few days, the babies will start to get fur, and then you'll know for sure if their dad is a wild mouse! Do you know how many there are?


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## Kage Davies (Dec 21, 2008)

Organic baby food, which I found cheap, went down well with mine. Just avoid anything dairy . Hard dog biscuits, especially ones for puppies are a favourite for mine .


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## countrygall721 (Oct 26, 2010)

Aww, when mom mouse and her babies settled down for a few days try to take pictures , i'd love to see them.


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

I took a look about an hour ago, and there's a small pile in there, looks to be about six or seven. I don't know for sure yet. The box I gave her for nesting is kind of deep, so I can't really get in without wrecking the nest. I'm not sure if I should remove the box in the next few days? I want to touch them soon so they're friendly.

We'll take tons of pictures, promise! Just as soon as she stops attacking every time we look in the box lol. She's still a little nervous.


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

I'm just so nervous about doing something wrong. BAH! I can't sit still at work right now. All I want to do is sit and listen to the squeaks!


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

Here they are! All seven sweet little babies. The one on the far left is a lot smaller and pinker, so I'll keep an eye on it, but the others look great! I think they all have black eyes, and I love them...so pink!


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## salemouse (Oct 9, 2010)

Awwww! How does mommy feel about you handleing them now?


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## JustMouse (Jul 23, 2010)

Awww! They definitely look like agoutis.


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

Momma wasn't thrilled, but she got a little peanut butter so she calmed down. Then, after I was done, she picked each one up in her mouth and carried it back into the depths of the box.

They're my favorite. I'm just as nervous as the doe, and it takes all my strength not to look in there every two seconds. I love them.


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## salemouse (Oct 9, 2010)

lol, I know what you mean. Momma should be giveing birth tonight for me. She will have my first litter ever.  Mommas gunna hate me because I will be one obnoxous sub-parent. lol.


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

Ooooh! Congrats! This is my first one as well. I'm the ultimate helicopter parent. I told my boyfriend that these babies are my soul. He wasn't amused, but I'm totally serious.


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## salemouse (Oct 9, 2010)

hahaha xD I know! My girl is called Anielka. Shes a little timid but would never bite so im not afraid of her biteing me. However, Im just thinking of all the things that could go wrong. Im just so excited to hear little squeeks tomorow.


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

We just discovered that mama loves my boyfriend. She's licking peanut butter off of his fingers. Her name is Jackal, and she doesn't even belong to me, but I'm pretty sure I'll end up with her anyway. I always do. ;-)


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

Here's Jackal, taken a few minutes ago. She was friendly once we got her out of there!


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## salemouse (Oct 9, 2010)

aww shes cute.


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Some of my friends call me Jackal. I like that name. She's very cute!


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

When you want to handle the babies, give her a treat at the far end of the tank to distract her. It'll save your fingers. then you can scoop up the babies and give them your scent at your face, breathe on them and let them smell your hair as well. Put them back and cover them again as they were. they probably already have your scent a bit from you handling Jackal.

Have fun!


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

We've been doing that! She licks peanut butter off of our fingertips and it makes my day. I want to look at the babes alllll day long. Going to class is hell because I'm so excited to sit in my warm room and listen to them squeak.

I really owe you, Moustress, ans Jack Garcia too! You've both been so helpful and supportive. I'm loving every minute of this!


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

I know if you've seen one pinkie, you've seen them all, but I just wanted to share anyway, like a proud mama.










Should I be worried about the teeny one? He's bitty and pink while the others are much larger and have dark skin.


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## countrygall721 (Oct 26, 2010)

Keep a eye on him, make sure mama is taking care of him as well with nursing etc..


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

She seems to care for him well, so we'll probably be okay.  Thanks!

I got to see her carry them all around earlier. I died laughing. They get so mad!


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

They carry them around when they are stressed and feel like their nest has been threatened...it is amusing to watch, but I would be a little bit concerned. Try taking Jackal out when you handle the babies and put her where she cannot see you handling them, and try not to make the babies smell too much like you (wash your hands before you handle them). If she hasn't culled them yet, she probably won't, but if she is moving them around she is stressed, and there is no good reason to stress her further  They are a cute little bunch!


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

It was after we fixed her nest, so she was just taking them back in and rebuilding. I'm super careful otherwise. I worry so much. But thanks for the advice!


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

Ok, I wouldn't play too much with the nest personally. I always try to leave the nest as undisturbed as I can and put the babies back into it when I've finished handling them.


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