# when is it too late to put pregnant females together



## gyri (Nov 20, 2012)

I have two pregnant females that I expect to give birth in the next few days. Both are first time moms. I think the young would do best if they are reared together but I was wondering when its to late to put the females together. I learned the hard way the first time I had litters that putting a late-term pregnant female in with a nursing female is a recipe for disaster (pregnant one killed all the other mouse's pinkies). On the other hand, females that were put together a couple weeks before giving birth usually care for each other's young as they would their own in one big nest. If my two females are a few days away from giving birth is it too late to put them together? Would the stress of meeting a new mouse and the initial meet and greet cause the females to eat their own young? Most of you have done this far longer than I have so I'm hoping you guys can spare me from making a huge mistake putting them together now. They are sisters and were together for several months but not in the last 30 days.


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## bonsai (Oct 14, 2012)

Hello.
I wouldn't risk it to put the mice together now.
It could be possible that they didn't know each other anymore after the three weeks and that each mom would protect his own litter of foreigners.
I prefer to let the moms get their litters on their own after bad experiences in the past.

Good luck and best wishes for the litters.


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## Souris (Dec 30, 2012)

Yes I agree with Bonsai, it is risky now to put the mama's to be together now.


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## lifelongcannibal (Dec 23, 2012)

Yea I wouldn't place them together now, Though I've only ever kept them together since before they got pregnant. My mice seem to be very sensitive to the safety of their babies. What comes to my mind in your situation is the does getting territorial this late in the pregnancy, and eating eachothers babies, rather than their own.


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## gyri (Nov 20, 2012)

That's basically how I had it figured but thought I'd check with you guys. The current configuration is the result of poor planning on my part. It would have been more ideal to have the mice arranged differently but too late now. Thanks for your input.


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## pro-petz (Nov 14, 2012)

gyri, I have successfully placed both related and unrelated pregnant does together upto 2 days prior to birth with no problems. This was achieved by placing them in a sterile neutral cage. Both does raised the young as if they had been together all the time.


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## gyri (Nov 20, 2012)

Thanks. I decided to leave them be and pick up another tank to move one into along with one of her other sisters she'd been with the entire time. The issue I had run into is that every single tank I have either had a doe with young or an extremely pregnant doe and I wanted to get the pregnant girls away from the bucks before they gave birth to prevent them from being impregnated hours later. With no place to move the bucks without risking infanticide (or the buck getting his butt kicked by the nursing doe) I thought it was worth running it by you folk. Just picking up another tank solved the issue. I'll be getting a rack system some time next week which will help a lot with space issues. It is built for rabbits but I'm going to install wire mesh to make sure it will work for mice. Two other litters were also consolidated today since one has weaned and the other is pretty close and the mother of the younger litter was friendly with her weanling sisters when I did a 5-minute test run in a clean tank while changing all their bedding. I caught her nursing a couple of her mother's weanlings earlier but her litter is still getting plenty of attention so I think it'll be ok.


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## MojoMouse (Apr 20, 2012)

pro-petz said:


> gyri, I have successfully placed both related and unrelated pregnant does together upto 2 days prior to birth with no problems. This was achieved by placing them in a sterile neutral cage. Both does raised the young as if they had been together all the time.


I have had the same result when I've put two pregnant females together. In my experience, as long as the have at least 3 days together, withour being disturbed too often, they get to know each other and become cooperative.

I generally put an experienced mother with a first time mother.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

what i normaly do is aim to have a few doe birth at the same time so they can go in tougher. Ill put 2-3 does in with the buck or bucks if i dont want them in with the same boys then 2 weeks later take them out and put them all in one box so all 3 give birth tougher. The bucks never move from there boxes, just the does out of the big doe box into the bucks then pairs or trios into birthing/nursing boxes then when ready back to the doe box. I also like to have anohter box for young does who i havent checked are good enought to breed from yet.

Thought i might be healpfull for you.


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## pro-petz (Nov 14, 2012)

I use a similar system to PP with the exception of more doe holding tubs so that I know any thing that has given birth or born in say January would be in tubs marked May so that none are bred again for a minimum of 3 months


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## gyri (Nov 20, 2012)

This is all good information. Thanks!


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## Pandapop (Jul 27, 2012)

I know this is a late post, but just wanted to chime in that I've successfully put two pregnant females together multiple times. I've even been able to put two females with there 3-4 day old bubs together with usually no problem. It really depends on the temperament of the mice.

At the moment I have 5 different litters mixed together from 4 moms (one litter was a foster), who were initally all alone during the last few days of pregnancy and birth. These mice did know each other before though, and that may have something to do with how well they got along. The foster babies were immediately accepted and the mom's got right to feeding them as if they were their own.

It might just be good luck on my part, but I've only ever had one bad incident. I had two does that I tried to put together while their babies were around 5-6, and they would just NOT have any of it. But now they're together while one had babies and the other is expecting. They hated each other once, and now they're the best of friends.

If you do try to mix pregnant females together, just watch their behavior. If there is ANY sign of aggression, I wouldn't advise keeping them together.


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## gyri (Nov 20, 2012)

Thanks. There are a few females I would probably trust together. My best breeder though, I'd never put her in with a pregnant or nursing female if she were pregnant as well. She's retired though, I'm thinking she'll make a good foster mom to help raise pups though. I may try putting her in with a pregnant female soon and see how it goes. Hopefully she'll behave nicely after a few minutes of introduction.


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