baby mice have no tails

Question
QUESTION: I have this fancy mouse that had babies on the 4/7/11 and now out of the four only one has it tail all the rest a stubby one or no tail at all i am worried because i don't no what happened because this is my first time with mice? please please please help.

ANSWER: Dear Georgia,

You don't mention whether the mice were born with tails and they disappeared, or if they were always tailless. There are tailless mice that are born that way.  it's not very common, and would usually only happen if it was bred for. It is possible for a mouse with a tail to give birth to mice without tails, even if both parents have tails. This is because the gene is recessive. On average it would be one out of four that didn't have a tail, but individual circumstances aren't average.

If they used to have tails but lost them, then there are two possibilities. Either they got a condition called ringtail, which usually occurs when the humidity is too low-- the air is too dry. In that case you would have seen it happen. The tails would have had indentations and the tips would have fallen off piece by piece. There would have been no pain involved.

Or someone bit them off. The fact that three are missing would mean the mom really shouldn't be bred again. This is only the case if they had tails to start, and you didn't see anything weird at the ends of their tails before they got short.

In any case, mice do learn to live happily without their tails. And they are not like people, who see other people without a disability and feel bad. Mice have no idea that it isn't completely normal to lose your tail. As far as they are concerned it is an uninteresting part of life. And as long as they are on a flat surface, there is no difference (once they have learned not to topple over when they wash themselves). But you can't expect them to be as agile as mice with tails. You must make sure they are balanced. They can climb as long as it isn't too high and what is underneath is soft. They shouldn't sit on your shoulder as you move around, like a regular mouse can. And you should make sure they feel safe in your hand, because usually a mouse will let you know it doesn't feel safe because it has "helicopter tail" which means it is flailing the tail around for something to curl around to keep its balance. These mice can't let you know; you must cup them in your hands.

If you think they had ringtail-- if their tails looked weird as they fell off in pieces-- then you may need to have a humidifier near the cage to raise the humidity. If they suddenly shortened, don't breed the mom again. If they were born tailless, it may happen again.

Let me know if you have any questions. I would also appreciate a follow up where you describe to me what happened.

Squeaks,

Natasha
<:3  )--~



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: well you see i did not no she was pregnant and i looked on websites and they told me to leave her alone so i do not no if she bit them off.
but also she had her babies in winter and was low humidity most of the time.Also there was a dead one and i think she ate it so could she have smelt the cent on the tails and eating them.

Answer
Dear Georgia,

So we will never know! I'm sure she didn't bite the tails off to eat them. She ate the dead one so it wouldn't rot and spoil the nest, or (instinctively) draw predators.

Since it was an accident, it sounds like you are not breeding her on purpose, so the question of breeding her again is unimportant.

Thank you for the update. I hope the babies grow up well. I find mice who are "different" in some way to be very special. Enjoy them!

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha
<:3  )--~