Uh oh......

I just got some mice yesterday to start a breeding program. One of the females was already pregnant but I figured I had a few more days before she popped. When I woke up today though she had already given birth to a few kits (is that the right word?). From what I've read it's best to separate pregnant females from the others in the colony but I don't want to risk it now for fear of her cannibalizing the babies. Should I go ahead and move her or leave her with the male and other female and run the risk of them eating the young?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

David,

I have several colonies of mice set-up and I have never removed the mother and her babies...Most female mice will take care of the others babies, so you don't have to worry about that...The only thing you really need to do is to remove the babies when they reach about 3-4 weeks of age..As soon as you notice they are eating solid food...That way the male won't get "jealous"....

Thanks drizzt. I did some more searching of the forum after posting and found some info that I hadn't seen before. That, along with your advice, has put me more at ease. Probably was just worrying a bit too much since this is the first time I've kept any small mammals in about 15 years.

Thanks again.

I think that after being in a new home with new cage mates, and there hasn't been problem....there's nothing you need to do, or worry about.

I leave mine with the colony, as separating them seems to do more harm than good. She'll spend hours trying to get out instead of caring for the newborns like she should be doing. And like Drizzt said, the other females will help to care for each other's babies. So there's usually no problem from that.

The only thing you really have to worry about is new or younger males. I've had them attack babies that weren't theirs or in trying to get the female to go into estrus faster so he can father the next generation. But generally, most males seem to dote on the babies as much as the females. =P

Thanks Misty. I've been peeking in on them every now and then when I'm home and they all seem to be getting along well. She's got four kits (as big as she was I was expecting more) and even the male is being cool. Now he's just gotta get the other one prego.

So, thanks again to both of you.