# Then my joy was curbed by the discovery of an extra toe.



## Frizzle (Oct 6, 2011)

So I was examining my mice, when I noticed a fleshy bump on the side of a foot. Thinking it was interesting I never noticed that mice had those, I looked at her other front foot. No bump. I then proceed to check all my mice, and most have the same fleshy bump on the front right foot, just all smaller then this doe.









Thinking maybe it was just "extra" foot pad or something, my hopes were crushed by the very definite toenail growing out of my older doe.









What do I do? Stop breeding the mice with the extra bit now, or keep at my pigment goal and select for toes later? :/


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## TwitchingWhiskers (Feb 2, 2013)

You mean that teeny extra little thing? That is a toe? Hmm, I don't know the answer to you question, but this is interesting, thanks for sharing.

Sorry about the setback though.


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## Frizzle (Oct 6, 2011)

TwitchingWhiskers said:


> You mean that teeny extra little thing? That is a toe? Hmm, I don't know the answer to you question, but this is interesting, thanks for sharing.
> 
> Sorry about the setback though.


Maybe "finger/toe tip" would be a better description. See the yellowed bit in the second picture? Nail.


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## TwitchingWhiskers (Feb 2, 2013)

The first picture didn't display properly the first time I saw this. I now see it though.


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## Hexagram (Jul 6, 2013)

Oh, I've never seen an extra toe on a mouse before. It's kind of cute.


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## jackiee (Jul 7, 2013)

first time ive seen an extra toe on a mouse, I would of done what your doing post on the forum for someone with more knowledge to tell you about breeding her in future.


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## madmouse (May 19, 2012)

That may not even be heritable. I had a doe born a couple of years ago that had a fully formed sixth digit (a second "thumb") on one hind foot. It had bones and a full claw. I bred her into my main lines and five generations later, even in inbred pairings, have I ever seen anything like it. It may just be a quirk of embryonic development rather than something genetic.


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## Frizzle (Oct 6, 2011)

madmouse said:


> That may not even be heritable. I had a doe born a couple of years ago that had a fully formed sixth digit (a second "thumb") on one hind foot. It had bones and a full claw. I bred her into my main lines and five generations later, even in inbred pairings, have I ever seen anything like it. It may just be a quirk of embryonic development rather than something genetic.


I'd like to chalk it off as chance, but it was displayed in several of my does, all from the same line. I'll be watching for it future litters, I guess it doesn't matter much since I don't show. :3 I've had a couple people from my parts tell me they thought it was really cute, & made the mice more unique as pets, but it's still not something I want floating around in my gene pool.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Definitely not kosher for a show mouse, but nothing wrong with it in pets. It won't hurt anything. There are breeds of cats and chickens that have extra toes.


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

O.O Now I have to go home and re-check all my mice.


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