# What age for saucers & how do you house young bucks?



## NikiP (May 7, 2013)

I'm planning out a large tub (it's roughly about the size of a 40gal breeder) to house multiple females (with the ability to house nonsocial does separately as needed) that aren't being bred or don't currently have young litters. Would like to put about 2-3 saucers in there as there would be plenty of room.

At what age could I allow youngsters access to saucers? I understand about 4wks for introducing youngsters to older mice. If they need to be older for saucers, I could simply remove the saucers until the youngest hit the right age.

Next question, if you have more then one buck to wean, do ya'll try keep them with other young bucks for longer? Do ya'll make it a point to give lone young bucks stuff for enrichment if they are alone?

I've got one lone weaned male that I feel badly for. I get him out daily, but I know his sisters & the other similarly aged females are always playing when not piled up sleeping. My older bucks are kept simply & don't seem to care, of course it probably helps that they aren't as friendly as him either. To bad my next set of bucks won't be ready to wean for another two weeks.


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

Any age for saucers.  I let nursing does back with their group when the babies are around 2 weeks, and some of the cages have saucers.

When I wean, I house bucks from the same litter together. I let them stay together until they start fighting (though I haven't had that problem with any yet). I have yet to try housing young bucks from different litters together, but it might soon be put to the test.
Lone bucks get the same enrichment as my groups: tubes, saucers, things to crawl on etc.


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

Anywhere from about 3-4 weeks I can usually put a saucer back in. Saucers tend to have less places to get injured on, and they are very agile at that age.

With single weaned bucks (which I try to avoid having) I do offer anything I think might help distract him, plus attention. Also I transfer him with some of the nest from the doe's cage. How I tended to avoid a single weaned buck in the past, was to shift babies around to make an all buck litter, when I wanted bucks. That only works with some planning, and known maternal does.


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## NikiP (May 7, 2013)

Yeah, ill try to plan this better with future litters. Didn't intend to keep any from that litter, it was a feeder litter. Kept back a trio when the c-dilute popped up. May still try housing him with my two up coming bucks are weaned. Going to upgrade him to a bigger tub with a saucer tomorrow.


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

They tend to adjust pretty well to being alone, just like adult bucks, in a few weeks.


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