# Very scrawny runts/peanuts - can they survive?



## BubblesAndMice (Dec 15, 2021)

I recently bought 2 heavily pregnant mice from a pet store (who were supposed to be feeders) and gave birth to a total of 22 pups (9 female and 13 boys) but 2 of the females are super small and scruffy, now aged 2 weeks old today. They tend to sit around and sleep a lot but also have some lovely bursts of energy and perk up when handled. I have read a lot of controversy on keeping such small ones alive or not, and if they have a chance at living without a painful or uncomfortable life due to their size/possible health issues, I would love to give them a boost to help them. Would it be a good idea to give them a supplement of kitten milk replacer (on top of mothers milk), and if so, how often and how much? I am not a breeder and intend to keep them as pets, so I am not looking for any advice on whether they are worth keeping from a breeding perspective.


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## Amtma Mousery (Jan 29, 2015)

In my experience... runts/peanuts deriving from large litter sizes would survive and experience accelerated growth after weaning- sometimes catching up in size to their siblings. Runts/peanuts deriving from inbreeding depression (inbred mice), which causes poor milk lactation and development had varying results of survival.


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