# Worried about mice babies



## Kitlizzy (Sep 25, 2012)

One of my mice had babies about a week ago. I lifted up the plastic dome house to check on them a few days after they were born, and there were 11 pinkies squirming about looking happy.

On Friday, I lifted up the house to show my son the babies, and there were only 6 (which surprised me, but I figured it was ok). We picked them up briefly in order to spot clean the cage and put them back. Sat morning the cage actually smelled worse, so we scooped the babies and most of their bedding into a bowl and put them in a box with the adults while I dumped and replaced all the bedding and washed the cage (10gal fishtank) out with hot water and soap. (Figured out later that it smelled 'cause the adult mice were peeing in their wheel, which is the solid plastic kind, so it was just sitting there in a stinky puddle). There were still 6 babies on Sat morning. We put the babies and their bedding back in the cage w/the adults after holding the babies for a minute or two.

Just now (Monday) I lifted up the house to check in and there are only 3 babies left! I'm pretty concerned about this and was wondering if this is normal, and if not, what did I do wrong? I was really hoping to keep or give most of the babies away as pets, so I'm bummed there's only three of them now.


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## Kitlizzy (Sep 25, 2012)

I forgot to add that the only adults in the cage are two females, and they are sisters, and the non-mom mouse has been very active in caring for the babies.


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## Seafolly (Mar 13, 2012)

I don't know much about keeping multiple adults in one tank while there are babies around but I know it is a risk, particularly if only one doe is nursing. They might fight over the babies. Momma might have felt threatened. If possible I'd keep the mother and pinkies in their own tank since whatever's going on now isn't working so time to start reducing the risk factors.

It is risky cleaning the cage when they're young. I think I waited two weeks before doing a full clean (but I was a little nervous about scaring the mother so took every precaution).


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Well my first step would be to move mum and babies to their own tank. Housing adult does with a mother and her babies can be a huge risk. It also means if you have a "baby eater" like you appear to have in this situation, you can know who is actually doing it because at the moment, it could be any of them eating the babies. If you breed them again, I would also like to suggest that you use a nesting house thing that has a bottom on it with a removable lid. This means that you don't have to tamper with the nest to much because it would all be contained.

With the cage clean, I suppose each has their own opinions. For me, if I can't do a cage clean or handle the babies without mum eating them, I tend to avoid breeding them after that. Though in saying that, I do keep the clean bedding and put it in her newly cleaned tank so it still smells like it did.


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## Kitlizzy (Sep 25, 2012)

Thanks guys - I went out and got another water bottle so the other adult can hang out in another container for a while. I'll let you know how things turn out!

I got these sisters (who are very sweet and fun) for pets from a really nice kid who was breeding mice for his snakes, I was warned there was a chance one might be pregnant when I got them, and turned out she was, so I haven't got any experience with breeding or baby mice, as this is the first pregnant mouse I've ever owned!

If all the babies are eaten, I still have 2 great mice.


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## Seafolly (Mar 13, 2012)

Great idea! 

You'll get the hang of it pretty fast, mice aren't difficult to learn. It gets a little grey with breeding because what works for some mice (sisters living together) may not for others. Hopefully this does the trick for your little ones! Remember to learn how to sex them as boys need to be removed at 4 weeks of age. Otherwise you'll be swimming in mice.


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## lifelongcannibal (Dec 23, 2012)

I always have more than one mom in a tank when they have babies. They put their litters together and help eachother, getting food and such. This is how they do it in the wild, and it makes sense; If one mother is killed or injured out for food, the other remains to care for the babies. I only had problems with cannibalization when I took pinkies out of a tank to clean it, and that was a cage with only one doe and her babies. Ever since I do not clean a tank or hold babies until they are fuzzies, at about 10 days. Anyways, my female mice thrive together with litters.


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

I have housed sister mice together who raise babies well, also had some totally destroy each other's litters. For me, there's just no way to be sure of the litter's safety, or of pinpointing the cause of any problems, unless the mommas are alone. Usually each litter I breed has specific intention and is fairly valuable to my program, so I have to try to protect them from too much extra risk.

Regardless of anyone's successes or failures in this arena, I would definitely agree with separating the females in this case. Even if the actual mom is the one eating the babies, you'll know there's nothing you could have done to prevent it. Also, try not cleaning the tank for a few days just so that mom doesn't get too stressed, especially if you are unfamiliar with the tendencies of this line of mice...may as well keep her comfortable and stress free.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

Having other does in with mothers as said allready has both its benerfits and risks. The biggest risk is first time mothers as you dont know what to expect. Does who have susefully raised litters are less of a worrie tougher as you know they arnt pinky munchers.

What sort of condition are the adults and babies in? If mum isnt in good condition she could be struggling to raise them and that is why the number keeps going down. She could also just be overwhelmed being a first time mum who had a large litter, the larger the litter the harder mum has to work.


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## pro-petz (Nov 14, 2012)

Another could be scent off you or anybody else on the pinkies which may cause mum to eat her young. rubbing hands in the mouse dirty litter helps to mask your own scent as does rubbing the pinkies in same dirty litter prior to returning them to the nest.


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