Godzilla Butt

[schilsound]

the pics are telling; godzilla butt was segregated with 3 of her similarly gargantuan sibs when she approached maximum density.

One of the pics is rather blurry, but you can see proportions. I segregated them so they wouldn't absorb any of the other mice in their ravenous ramblings.

Kinda looks like a miniature white boulder with 4 claws on it. silly.

 

[schilsound]

Just one and a half of them

So you know what they were smuggling under all that fur . . .

Only 2 of the 4 had started giving birth. At my last count [with 2 more mice to give birth] there were a total of 43 pinkies in the bin.

Go get 'em, lil' harlan babies! Soon they can do what brain does every night; try to take over my world. Pretty soon THEY'LL be payin' tha rent and I will be breeding for money.

 

[MightyNutteR]

hah, looks like one of them pinks didn't survive

 

[schilsound]

hah, looks like one of them pinks didn't survive

Actually it was much colder than the others having not been under the pile, but there was even more dismay today when I open the mothers' laying box and find bits and pieces ot the 43 strewn around the thing. Apparently those first time mothers didn't respond too well and freaked out- even though I had put one of my producing mouse mothers in there to chaperone them. . .

. . . not sure how that rates a "hah" though . . .

 

[sbourget]

Do you have any left? I had one that did that, but she was getting old, and her next litter killed her.

 

[MightyNutteR]

. . . not sure how that rates a "hah" though . . .

I don't like mice.

 

[JM :o)]

Am I understanding correctly that you took pregnant females from different colonies and put them all in the same tub to give birth? IF thats what you did~ then thats why the pinks are dead. Mice are not social like rats~ they will kill any mouse or offspring of a mouse not from thier colony. Try keeping the colonies together~ put a male and several females in a tub and leave them alone.

Good Luck

 

[schilsound]

Am I understanding correctly that you took pregnant females from different colonies and put them all in the same tub to give birth?

Well it was a gamble for sure, but I did it because I've lost 2 litters in their home colonies each. So with this I was going to let the mothers drop and then seperate them into a single box once they had dropped them all.

Unfortunately I ran long at work and by the time I got home there were some snacking issues. Of course these are all first time mothers, so that's a factor as well. I had put a midwife from one of my colonies in there and when I checked up she was the ony one nursing, the rest had wandered off and apparently lost interest in the pinks as anything except snack foods. . .

. . . if I can find the culprit who's snackin on these in their home colony I'll go ahead and feed them off. . .

 

[Baba-Lou]

The "snaking" culprit as you say, could possibly be all of them to. Mice do it to as population control and some cases as a source od protien that they need. But you could be right.

 

[cornmorphs]

i've had 3 in total over 30+ with biggest being 33.

 

[JM :o)]

I bet I know who the "culprit" is this time.........

It's that older female you put in there as a "midwife"~ mice are just not that nice~ that "Midwife" was the "winner"~ only her babies survived and she was sitting on them protecting them.

You do know that if you leave those females out of their home colonies for too long they will get killed when you put them back right?

I'm really not trying to be a drag~ and yes~ I've heard stories of what your trying succeed~ but VERY rarely (and often from people who I think make things up). Moving the females around your making yourself more work than you need too AND contributing to your problem. Put the colonies together~ leave them together. IF babies are being eaten don't worry~ leave them through two or three litters........if it continues after that.......feed that colony out and start another. I run a lot of mice, trust me........canibilism past the first few litters in a STABLE colony is NOT the norm. It happens, but usually the momma mice take care of the killer themselves (they have an instinct to protect those pinks).

Good luck!

 

[schilsound]

The "snaking" culprit as you say, could possibly be all of them to. Mice do it to as population control and some cases as a source od protien that they need. But you could be right.

I would be inclined to agree if I weren't feeding them Harlan's 18% protein diet- there's absoloutely NOTHING lacking in their diet- I often give them little snack trays of fruit and nut leftovers as well.

They just decided it was time for a menu change. My fault, of course- I had planned to seperate them as soon as they finished dropping. . . .

. . . of course the plan was also foiled by the fact that I didn't get there in time after the first 2 sisters from one colony finished birthing; I dropped the ball to be sure. The other 2 females popped sometime in the next three hours and when I got there there was nothing but a pile of grisly messy leftovers.

~sigh~

 

[schilsound]

I bet I know who the "culprit" is this time.........

It's that older female you put in there as a "midwife"~ mice are just not that nice~ that "Midwife" was the "winner"~ only her babies survived and she was sitting on them protecting them.

I dunno JM- she raised 2 litters of around a dozen each- fully and safely - and following advice on the forum [I had never done it before] I pulled her out of the colony along with the 2 new mothers in order to "guide" them away from exactly this sort of behavior.

You do know that if you leave those females out of their home colonies for too long they will get killed when you put them back right?

yeah- I was just telling Misty I planned to start 2 completely independant colonies off of those babies. Was gonna let the 2 mothers birth, then give them their own enclosure [old 10 gallons I had laying around till I get my tubs and racks finished] and let them form their own colony. The midwife could have either gone along with her pair -or- gone back in a few days after the sucessful birthing. . .

I'm really not trying to be a drag~ and yes~ I've heard stories of what your trying succeed~ but VERY rarely (and often from people who I think make things up). Moving the females around your making yourself more work than you need too AND contributing to your problem. Put the colonies together~ leave them together. IF babies are being eaten don't worry~ leave them through two or three litters........if it continues after that.......feed that colony out and start another. I run a lot of mice, trust me........canibilism past the first few litters in a STABLE colony is NOT the norm. It happens, but usually the momma mice take care of the killer themselves (they have an instinct to protect those pinks).

Good luck!

Yeah the "incident" occurred in a 3 hour window. I was supposed to be gone about an hour and a half, and the monsters had done their own little mouse theatre interpretation of the texas pinkie chainsaw massacre when I had returned, fully intending [and prepared, no less! I was actually ready with scrubbed vivs and everything!] to split the 2 mothers out with their babies.

And you're not being a drag- you're offering good sound advice, which is why I am here. It's honestly much appreciated- thanks for your feedback!

The best laid plans. . . steinbeck must have been a herper.

 

[Tom Tuttle]

I Like Big Butts & I Cannot Lie

Wow!!! A pictures worth a 1000 words & I'm speechless! :cheers:
Sorry to hear of the pinkies fate.

 

[diamondlil]

So you know what they were smuggling under all that fur

maybe disturbing the mice for the photo didn't help?

 

[aiden_punx]

my first litter was dropped yesterday morning so far there has been no deaths only about 9 i counted but thats ok the male seems to be doing all the mothering so far lol think hes trying to tell me something?