# How long do you wait before declaring a female "infertile"?



## willa2602 (Mar 18, 2011)

My female Cinnamon, along with her two girlfriends, was left with the male Russell for a week. Ginger and Nutmeg got pregnant but Cinnamon didn't. So two weeks ago I put her into the males enclosure and they're getting on fine, very few squabbles or anything. However, she isn't showing any signs of being pregnant yet and i'm just wondering, at what point should I give up with her? It's not important that she breeds at the moment, but I wanted to breed her while she was young incase I wanted to breed from her later. I'm probably just being impatient, but I thought I'd ask anyway...
Cheers for any help! 
Annie xx


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

Usually people leave females with males for ten days, if not until they show. Mouse heats are once every five days, so ten days will catch at least two heats.


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

LOL, some female mice only produce their very first litter after being with the buck for over a year! If she's been in for two weeks, she would only just start showing now if she'd been caught on the very first day - and you only have a 20% chance that she was in heat that day 

Sarah xxx


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## willa2602 (Mar 18, 2011)

Lol, I know, I'm impatient  ... Ok, I'm feeling a bit more positive now, thanks guys!!
Annie xx


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

When I first started keeping mousies, I had an adult doe, who after being with me for about a year, was thought to be too old, say around 19 to 20 months. So, one day I picked up nice little buck, was short on space, and decided that she would be good company for him and he for her, assuming she was too old to get caught.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I found a nest of pinkies; very nearly at the fuzzy stage, during weekly cleanout! I had been having trouble getting my other pairs to produce...there are a multitude of reasons for that starting, I guess with the two not liking each other.

I have a pair of tris that have been together for six weeks now...no sign of anything at all except their having bonded nicely. I like to see that and maybe they'll surprise me one of these weeks.


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

I also have had a few males that perhaps did not have much of a sex-drive...they seemed rather genteel and no female with them ever got pregnant. Then again, I had a boy who preferred one sister over the other...after trying him with a gal for like two months, i put her sister in there and she immediately became pregnant.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

I have a pair, a male and a female, who absolutely refuse to breed. Not with eachother, not with any of my other mice. After several months of leaving each of them with a member of the opposite sex for two weeks at a go, I gave up. They live happily together, and while a litter from the pair of them isn't really in my plans (they're from different projects), I'll be happily surprised to see that they aren't simply refusing altogether. Personally, after trying for a reasonable amount of time (ten days to two weeks) with each of several partners, I've given up. All my other mice breed as they're told. Or, given the chance, with any other mouse available.


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## willa2602 (Mar 18, 2011)

Yeah I wont be leaving the two together much longer, I want her to be back with her sisters really, and if I get a litter that's great, if I don't it's ok too... I only keep them for pets anyway, and tbh I have enough for now because I got more females than I thought I would in Ginger and Nutmegs litters.
I'll let you know! Thanks for all the useful comments, it's great to know other people's experiences who have been into mouse breeding for longer than me 
Annie xx


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## ccoryjohnn (Jul 2, 2010)

I had a trio of girls together for 6 months before I realized that one was a boy and finally after 6 months he got them preggo within days apart. You can imagine how surprised I was when I saw pinkies in a nest one morning!


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## willa2602 (Mar 18, 2011)

> finally after 6 months he got them preggo within days apart


That's so strange?!


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## ccoryjohnn (Jul 2, 2010)

willa2602 said:


> > finally after 6 months he got them preggo within days apart
> 
> 
> That's so strange?!


It was definitely surprisng... he hid his bits quite well! But now there will never be any gender confusion haha. Learned from that mistake!


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

it took my Ebony 5 months of living with my male to get pregnant. She was just playing hard to get lol. Sadly she wasnt a good mum which is a shame as is a loverly mouse otherwise.


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## willa2602 (Mar 18, 2011)

Yeah, I'm thinking Cinnamon is also just playing hard to get, but I do think she'd make a good mum due to her reaction when she met Ginger and Nutmeg's litters... But you never know until they have their own... Anyway, she's still as skinny as ever, not pregnant yet!


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## willa2602 (Mar 18, 2011)

Hurray! My impatience was proved, Cinnamon is pregnant! Although I'll be culling the litter down as I don't need her babies so just a few are going to friends for pets


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