# Went to pick up a brindle, came back with a litter, Update!



## Boggles (Dec 4, 2011)

Hi there! I just posted my introduction and wanted to ask a quick set of questions. I'll also be using this thread to post pictures of my new bubs. After thinking about getting mice for a year now, I finally decided to bit the bullet and actually get some. I had been patrolling CL for a long time for mice and finally found someone with a brindle female. One of my favorite coat types!

Well long story short, when I went to pick up the female she was in a cage with three other females and one of them (a black and white piebald) had recently had a litter (I'm thinking that day). After talking to the girl a bit I decided that these females would be much better off in my care, so I brought them all home. I have momma and her 4 babies in her own 10 gallon and I have the other three in a 20. I'm afraid though that whatever male got to momma got to the other three as well... but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I've had them for about three days now, and the babies still don't have fur (which is why I think they're only 3 days old), but are starting to have flakes and their ears have popped up. I have a hidey house in with Momma, but I'm wondering if I need to keep it in there, as I'm enjoying watching her with them. I'm just worried that if i take it out, they will get cold. Also, I currently use rice hull bedding for my rats and have that in the tanks, but is that okay for mice? I havent seen anyone post that that's the substrate that they use. I've started to look and try to sex the babies, but I think I might have to wait till they have nipples showing. It's very hard for me to judge using the distance method, because I always just assume that the smaller ones have closer genitals because they're small. Anyway, I should be posting pictures soon, and then more later.

I had originally wanted to breed the brindle female (the only one who doesn't seem to be swelling and pregnant) and focus on collecting a small group of brindle mice, but I will be putting that on hold till this litter is taken care of, and I see if the other girls are pregnant.

Edit: Pictures! The fur is starting to come in, it's all peach fuzzy. I'm amazed by the humming feeling these guys make when I hold them. Any guesses as to what these babies might come in as? I never saw dad, so your guess is as good as mine. Also, I would love to know the official name of momma's coat pattern.



















And Momma, 









New pictures on second page!


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## Shadowrunner (Sep 26, 2011)

well you seem much better learned than most people starting off.
I know I wasn't nearly as prepared as you are.
The bedding, I have never heard of. I use newspaper that's been shredded.
I think they will be fine with out a hiding house, I don't use them in my cages, the mom just weaves a little nest.

I have a feeling that you'll fit in really well here, and I hope you do stay


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

I've heard of rice hull bedding, so you're not the only one, though I don't use it myself.


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## Boggles (Dec 4, 2011)

Shadowrunner said:


> well you seem much better learned than most people starting off.
> I know I wasn't nearly as prepared as you are.
> The bedding, I have never heard of. I use newspaper that's been shredded.
> I think they will be fine with out a hiding house, I don't use them in my cages, the mom just weaves a little nest.
> ...


Thank you, that makes me feel very welcome. I do plan on staying for a while! I like doing my research, I want to make sure I know almost everything there is to know, before I try it. Especially when it comes to animals and breeding.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

I'm guessing your dad was brindle, as one of those babies looks brindle. Mom's a piebald black; her pattern isn't a showable variety, as she's neither even nor broken. Your babies look to me like a brindle, a self black with a white tail tip, and two piebald whose color I'm not sure of. I see they've got black eyes, and I can tell there are spots, but the color doesn't look dark enough to be black. Maybe piebald brindle? Or maybe another color. Hard to tell at this age.


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## Boggles (Dec 4, 2011)

Thank you for your help. I didn't want to get my hopes up, thinking that that one baby was going to be brindle, but the more I look at it the more I see stripes. If it turns out to be male, I might end up keeping it to put it to the brindle female I picked up. Or I'll hold out for a show type brindle male.

I need to learn the different faults for the different coat patterns, as I had no idea what makes a piebald showable. but regardless, I'm not planning on keeping the black piebald. I am excited to see how the babies turn out though. Time to look up coat patterns and their specific faults.


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## morning-star (Apr 9, 2011)

hi - they are looking like nice and healthy bubs. 

I would keep in a hide for them, I find mums stress and panic if there is no place to hide the kits and will be a lot happier if they have a place to nest up.


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## Boggles (Dec 4, 2011)

Okay, I'll make sure to keep a hiding place in there for her.

Also, what are the stars and the ratings? Is this something new?


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## candycorn (Oct 31, 2011)

The ratings are new and rea given by thanking someone. (thumbs up button in the post you liked) or by being thanked. 
The starts have always been there. They are determined by how many posts you make, if you contribute (pay a donation) to be a member, or if you are a moderator. Mine has 5 gold stars to symbolise that I am a contributor that paid a donation to keep the site up and running!


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Piebald is just any spotty mouse. There are several varieties that use the gene, including broken, even, Dutch, Hereford. Each of these requires either a specific pattern or that the pattern fall within a set of constraints. Exact descriptions of those will vary a smidge, depending on what club you're with. So, a piebald mouse who isn't one of the varieties that can be shown is not "showable", but is still a lovely piebald mouse.


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## Boggles (Dec 4, 2011)

Just an update on the little bubs. They're a little over a week old now, and are about to open their eyes. Just wanted to post a picture of the colors they're turning out to be. It looks like one black, one brindle and two marked brindles. They seem to all be males as I haven't been able to see any nipples.


















A picture of the broken brindle babies, to show their color difference.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Interesting! I see none of the babies were pink-eyed, so the huge difference must be some other dilution.


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## Boggles (Dec 4, 2011)

Hmmmm, since I never saw Dad, could it be that he was possibly a pink eyed brindle? I'm also very thrown off that one of the babies is all black. Is this a color that pops up with brindling?

Edit: Nevermind. The black popped up from the mom being a black piebald. Of course.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Yup! But in the pup photos, you can tell they all have black eyes, so even if they're carrying p, they're outwardly P, meaning undiluted. Hence the need for a different dilution.


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## Emfa Mouse (Dec 14, 2011)

Wow, I love the brindles!


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## Boggles (Dec 4, 2011)

Do you guys think I should keep one of these brindle boys to breed to my brindle doe? If so, which one (all are male) Or should I try and find a show type brindle buck and use him instead?


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