Mouse Reabsorbing Babies

Question
Hello, I've just recently started breeding and have paired my agouti male rex, Link, with my pied female satin, Midna. They've already had one litter but only had two pups, one doe and one buck, both satin rexes.

I decided to try again two months later with the same pair since the two pups they produced were beautiful and perfectly healthy. I couldn't be happier with them and wanted to try for a bigger litter, but half way through the second pregnancy she reabsorbed all of them and had no babies.

About a year and a half ago, a breeder gave me a mouse who also had the same problem of reabsorbing babies and only having two pups when she did carry to term, so I adopted her as a retired breeding mouse. [she died shortly after, however due to unrelated complications]

A fellow breeder I adopted Link from told me at the most I could breed her successfully three times, but at the same time I value Midna as a dear pet and don't want to risk her health if she's going to keep having problems in losing litters or having small ones.

As far as giving birth and raising her two young, she was an excellent mother and everything went smooth as can be and I've decided to keep her daughter.

I was just curious to learn more about this. I love my doe to death and don't want to put any more stress on her than needed and was wondering if mice with this reabsorbing problem could ever have a more full litter? [at least 5 babies] Or if there's any health concerns of having many reabsorbed litters? Or even what could cause it or is it just something that happens in some mice?

I'd love to hear back soon.

Answer
Hi Angela,

No mouse that has ever had trouble with breeding should be bred again.

I can help you a lot more than that, though, if you are on Facebook? I run a 8000 member group called Rats and Mice are Awesome-- sadly the Facebook name is only Rats are Awesome. We have many programs and one is that we concentrate on breeding well. I would like to set you up with a very experienced mouse breeder who is terrific at helping other breeders with any questions and discussing breeding in general. I will set you up a message thread where you can talk about many of the more complex aspects of breeding. I don't know if you use genetic methods? Do you have a mousery? I would love to know about it. And about your friends'. I keep a list of mouseries and ratteries around the world because people often ask.

I would love to see you. I am Natasha Athena Millikan on FB and you can friend me and tell me who you are. You can find Rats are Awesome if you like and again if you tell me who you are I will let you in right away! :)

Squeaks,

Natasha