Hi! I just thought I would ask if anyone else has problems with their mice eating babies. I know it is common in hamsters, but my boyfriend that has been doing this for a few years says he has never had this problem. We have a great mouse rack and everyday it is so exciting to run out and see if we have new babies. We had over 20 pinkies Monday evening in one bin, we got home last night to check on them and all that was left were 6 that were struggling to stay alive. They had been bit excessively. This has been happening often and VJ is really knowledgeable at this stuff but maybe there is something else we can do. We are trying to breed enough to fill our mouse rack so we don't have to consistently purchase frozen mice online. What an expense. Any advice or thoughts would be great! :shrugs:
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Eating babies
- Thread starter curiousL
- Start date
Baba-Lou
Snakeism Evangelist!
One From my experience. Don't always check on the mice. Just leave them alone for 2 days at a time. (well thats what I do.) And Maybe your females older and is finshed for breeding, one of my females died recently after having her babies. All her young died and she produced 14. But thats all I can think of right now. I'm half asleep so forgive me.
Thanks!
Thanks for the info, we are pretty good about not looking at them everyday, but VJ just re did the water spickets in each bin and so we have had to check and make sure they are all working. We lost a couple of bins with some mice because the water leaked and filled the bin. It was really sad. I will definately keep that in mind and maybe we will be more aware of how often we are checking on them. THANKS! :cheers:
Thanks for the info, we are pretty good about not looking at them everyday, but VJ just re did the water spickets in each bin and so we have had to check and make sure they are all working. We lost a couple of bins with some mice because the water leaked and filled the bin. It was really sad. I will definately keep that in mind and maybe we will be more aware of how often we are checking on them. THANKS! :cheers:
Genetics could have a little to do with it. Maybe it hasn't been a problem in the past because they were different lines? :shrugs: Also, has there been a constant temperature where they are kept, or is it colder in the winter time? If there has been a drop in temps where they are housed they may need to be supplemented with some food that is higher in fat and protein, like a good quality dog food.
Sad but true!!! What to do????
Well VinnyJ and I went out to check on the fat mamma's last night and no babies yet. This morning we figured there was probably some in the bin. We went out this a.m. and yep she had the babies, but unfortunately all their heads were missing.
This was the bin that we had the problem with last time so when we noticed 2 females pregnant in that bin we pulled them out to eliminate the male. So she had the babies and now it's hard to determine if she ate her own or the other fat mama with her did. Tough it is, but nature right??? So the question is, now what??? I guess we can seperate those 2 and if the fat mama that hasn't popped yet doesn't eat her babies then I guess that answers the question right???
The good news is we have a bin with all 3 females fat as can be and they are not from the same lines as the other 2 which is good. Wish us luck!!!!
Well VinnyJ and I went out to check on the fat mamma's last night and no babies yet. This morning we figured there was probably some in the bin. We went out this a.m. and yep she had the babies, but unfortunately all their heads were missing.
This was the bin that we had the problem with last time so when we noticed 2 females pregnant in that bin we pulled them out to eliminate the male. So she had the babies and now it's hard to determine if she ate her own or the other fat mama with her did. Tough it is, but nature right??? So the question is, now what??? I guess we can seperate those 2 and if the fat mama that hasn't popped yet doesn't eat her babies then I guess that answers the question right???The good news is we have a bin with all 3 females fat as can be and they are not from the same lines as the other 2 which is good. Wish us luck!!!!
Maybe try a male from different lines? Genetics could play a role in different ways, for example, the females could just genetically be bad mothers, or may have different feeding requirments for their metabolism. Or it could be that the mothers sense that something is genetically wrong with the offsrping. I'm sure there could be other reasons, but that's all I can think of. I know VJ is very knowledgeable about mice. I'd try a different male and offering some dog food, and if it happens again just get some different lines.
sdmessmer
New member
Bad mothers
Carol really hit the nail on the head. Some lines of mice are just bad mothers. The good ones are worth their weight in sterling! I just had some rex mothers that were only so so in the baby department and last week they ate their latest litters. Well that was a career ending move! I fed off that whole colony. I bought a little silver agouti banded female on a whim at Petco and stuck her in a youngish colony where she was immediately accepted. She willingly bred right away with the resident male (no squeeking and running away) and had a huge litter and raised them. I let her raise her litter and left the females in with her and they are all just as good at mothering as she is. BTW, I think mothering skills are partly learned from watching their mothers, both good and bad. If the mother is great I want her daughters watching her care for the next litter before I separate them out. It gives them a little experience before they go out on their own. The daughters will usually babysit their younger siblings, "nursing" them even though they are too young to produce milk. The females that are terrible mothers have daughters that are terrible too, and they get fed off! If you keep at it long enough you will produce your own line of mice that are good mothers, just keep the best mothers and let them raise their daughters to gain experience and help teach them their good mothering skills before you separate them.
I also give the colony a handful of high quality meat based dog food when a mother is due to litter. I think it helps keep their minds off eating babies when they have enough protien. Every little bit to help them be good mothers!
Silvia
Carol really hit the nail on the head. Some lines of mice are just bad mothers. The good ones are worth their weight in sterling! I just had some rex mothers that were only so so in the baby department and last week they ate their latest litters. Well that was a career ending move! I fed off that whole colony. I bought a little silver agouti banded female on a whim at Petco and stuck her in a youngish colony where she was immediately accepted. She willingly bred right away with the resident male (no squeeking and running away) and had a huge litter and raised them. I let her raise her litter and left the females in with her and they are all just as good at mothering as she is. BTW, I think mothering skills are partly learned from watching their mothers, both good and bad. If the mother is great I want her daughters watching her care for the next litter before I separate them out. It gives them a little experience before they go out on their own. The daughters will usually babysit their younger siblings, "nursing" them even though they are too young to produce milk. The females that are terrible mothers have daughters that are terrible too, and they get fed off! If you keep at it long enough you will produce your own line of mice that are good mothers, just keep the best mothers and let them raise their daughters to gain experience and help teach them their good mothering skills before you separate them.
I also give the colony a handful of high quality meat based dog food when a mother is due to litter. I think it helps keep their minds off eating babies when they have enough protien. Every little bit to help them be good mothers!
Silvia
Costco has some really great dog food at a reasonable price. I give the mice and the dog Kirkland Premium Chicken and Rice. The ingredients are comperable to the fancy brands but it is about $13 for 40 pounds. Nice quality protein. It would take you a long time to go through that bag. If you want to try it, I can send you some if you don't want to stick your neck out buying a 40 pounder.