Ive Got Pinks!

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Mother just started giving birth, last count was 3, I was too excited and picked them all up. Then I realized not to do that yet lol. Anyway, she has 3 in her nest now and its so cute. All the mothers are helping her and the male keeps bring back food and nesting meterial's!
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Ryan McCullough
MC Reptiles

Congrats, are these for feeding or breeding.....

Pinks are for feeding! But im going to let 4 females and a male grow up. Shes up to about 9 right now.
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They seem to be dragging them to eachothers nests, does this hurt the pinks?
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Ryan McCullough
MC Reptiles

Nah, they should be fine. Sometimes the other females get a little... er, confused about who had the the babies.

Did you say you still have the males in there? Maybe someone who has mice can say for sure, but I know with rats, you want to take the males out (or put mom and co. in a separate area). Adult male rats will often eat/kill any pups they wander upon to insure their genetic lineage (granted, they're often too dumb to realize they're the father, but still).

Jrgh17 said:

Nah, they should be fine. Sometimes the other females get a little... er, confused about who had the the babies.

Did you say you still have the males in there? Maybe someone who has mice can say for sure, but I know with rats, you want to take the males out (or put mom and co. in a separate area). Adult male rats will often eat/kill any pups they wander upon to insure their genetic lineage (granted, they're often too dumb to realize they're the father, but still).

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I have one male in this tub with 3 females. I have heard to leave the male in there if you want back to back breeding for the sole purpose of breeding for feeders.
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Ryan McCullough
MC Reptiles

Hello everybody. This is my first post. I have 1 rack of 30 cages with 2 female mice and 1 male to a cage, and 1 rack of 30 cages with 3 females and 1 male to a cage. I leave the males in with the females all the time. They produce 1 litter per female every 3 to 4 weeks, and the males don't bother the pups. The actually produce almost too quickly.

Lance

Jrgh17 said:

Nah, they should be fine. Sometimes the other females get a little... er, confused about who had the the babies.

Did you say you still have the males in there? Maybe someone who has mice can say for sure, but I know with rats, you want to take the males out (or put mom and co. in a separate area). Adult male rats will often eat/kill any pups they wander upon to insure their genetic lineage (granted, they're often too dumb to realize they're the father, but still).

Click to expand...

I've actually never had a problem with the male rat(s) eating the pups of the litters. I've left them in with the females no problem. I have had females that will steel another females litter (even if she is not lactating) and eventually kill the litter because she can't feed them. Yet she won't let the true mother nurse them. I didn't keep that female long because I was losing too many rat pinks that way.

Same thing with the mice (minus the female theft issue) all of the females share one nest and share the task of feeding and caring for the babies. The males don't pester the females (or their babies) except to try and breed again as soon as the babies are born.

Just my experiences though, over the last year of raising my own feeders.

Jenn

Hey there!
Personally I've never had a problem picking up the pinks?! I have heard countless times that you shouldn't but after about 3 years of breeding and having about 100+ pinks born every week I have never had any female eat the young after I touched them no matter what the age?!
Just my thoughts! Congrats on the pinks! It's all down hill from here! lol
Ryan
~Valley Pets~

Hey! Thanks, I forgot to update this thread lol.

Anyway, she had 13 pink's total. I euthenized 10 of them after they had a milk band, and the 3 are still growing, let me take some pictures really quick.