Question
My Maybe Prego Mouse P
My friend bought me a mouse a few days ago but she was one that was rasied for snake food. But she was bought for a pet...she is young probley about 3-4 weeks.(because they say thats when they get very hyper and start jumping and stuff) but the first day a had her she was normal size...then the next day a little larger (looks like she has love handles...and now today she is a bit bigger also and she still has those love handles but it dosent seem like anything else is growing except the belly, but it dosent look like she swallowed a golf ball. and if she is pregant could she die? and do you think she will eat he babys? because if she is pregant it looks like its her frist litter. Please help thannk youu!!!!
AnswerHi,
Oh, yes, your precocious little mouse is pregnant! Girl mice are sexually mature at 4 1/2 weeks. You don't have to worry about her dying-- mice are baby-making machines! You do have to worry about finding/making homes for the babies.
Contrary to what so many people think, mice very rarely cannibalize their young, and when they do they usually have a good reason. It is true that it is more common in first-time moms, but it is still rare. The reasons a mouse may choose to eat her young can be that they die, or they are genetically defective, or they are runts, or unhealthy; or that she does not feel it is a safe enough environment to raise them. Because it takes quite a lot of energy to feed babies, it makes sense for her to recoup that energy from a pup which is less likely to survive, to better feed the healthier ones; or, in the case of eating the whole litter when she feels unsafe, to feed the next litter.
It is best to clean her cage now and then not disturb it until the babies are at least a week old. Put lots of nice, soft nesting material in for her. It would be nice to cut up something warm like a woolen sock, into small pieces, as well as kleenex, etc. Keep her in a quiet, naturally-lit place, where there will be no sudden changes, noises like a dog barking, or loud music.
When she has the babies, leave her alone for three days. Then you can pick her up, but not the babies. Do not take her out of her nest, and do not hold her for more than 15 minutes. She nurses her pups every half hour!
When the babies are 7-8 days old, they will have fur, and you can handle them briefly. First take mom out and do not replace her until you are done. Then rub your hands in the dirty litter so the babies don't smell like you. Pick them all up together and keep them in a warm, comfortable place, only holding individual pups very briefly. You will lengthen this time as they get bigger. Put them back in the nest before you return the mom.
When they are 2 weeks old they will open their eyes and soon become jumpy. At that point you can hold them individually. They will have gotten adventurous and will be running around the cage, all tumbling into the wheel at once and making you laugh!
You should not separate them from their mom until they are 4 weeks old. You must take the boys out before they are 4 1/2 or you may get lots of pregnant mice! Although at first you can house the boys together, as they start to grow they will begin to fight; and mice will fight to the death. They may each need their own cage. So if you don't have about 7 individual, mouse-appropriate cages, you had better start looking for homes for the boys.
There are many questions about pregnancy and raising and handling babies in my archives. Put in the search words Natasha mouse mice, and then whatever you are looking for. Try several words. I have tried to use useful key words but it's hard to predict exactly what terms a person will search for. You may also write again.
Have fun with the little babies!
squeaks n giggles,
Natasha
<:3 )--~
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