# Why do mother mice eat their sometimes eat their pups?



## FeralWolf (Dec 28, 2010)

Why do mother mice sometimes eat their pups? My friend was asking me, and now I am curious too. Is it to help make enough energy to keep the other pups alive? Just because?


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Well, I figure those things must be dang tasty.

There are any of a number of reasons why does eat babies. Too many to nurse; health of doe not good enough to nurse;doe being eaten by mites; doe doesn't feel the litter is safe; started grooming and got carried away....so many reasons, and one never knows, in most cases, just why it happens.

Except for the first thing I mentioned.


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

Moustress has outlined some of the causes , the bottom line is to prevent predators benefiting and therefore thriving from her.If for one of many reasons she eats some then she will be utilising all that she has put into the pinkie so that she can go on to produce again and further her own species not a species that is a threat.


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## FeralWolf (Dec 28, 2010)

Thank you all! I think I get it now


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## Seawatch Stud (Feb 8, 2009)

One cause of litter savaging that can be avoided by the fancier is the PERCEIVED lack of food. Often, when a doe has a litter the fancier tends to leave her alone more. This is understandable but she should still be fed every day if thats what she's used to. This was discovered by fanciers way back in the early days of the fancy. The doe associates being fed with there being food. Even if you feed her two or three days worth, she will expect to be fed the next day, and if she's not she will think she has no food, and become stressed.


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