Rika the mouse and her baby

Question
Dear Natasha,

So after everything that has happened with Rika's 11 pups...we do have one left....one precious little baby. We discovered one of the problems when we caught father mouse Edward removing a very distraught screaming little pup from it's nest, I don't know what he was going to do with that baby...then mama mouse was very upset and took her pup back from Edwards mouth and immediately returned quickly with pup in tow to the safety of the nest. I was shocked! So I immediately removed Edward and placed him in a differnet cage all set up just for him for now. The pup he took suffered too much trama, the tiny hand was missing & the baby was bleeding in the face too...I watched very carefully to see how mama Rika handled this situation, and she seemed to be trying to care for both remaining pups as best she could. She did not disregard this injured baby. In fact, I know she was trying to save her pup's life. After a couple of days, unfortunatly the baby died. But the baby was in tact, not eaten by mama at all, only the missing hand that had happened when Edward took the baby from the mama. So once again, when I found him or her's lifeless tiny body, I was just heartbroken. I thought for sure this baby would make it, the skin even started to darken, like that baby would look like Edward. But through everything, unbelievably enough... we are blessed with one little pup left...he or she looks plump and healthy, the ears opened and Rika is taking excellent care of her baby. I even had to clean to cage due to all the killing of pups that had gone on in there and the blood...I just did not feel it was a healthy enviornment for her to try and take care of her only baby. So I invested in a book and read about cleaning the cage with baby mice...I wore rubber gloves and did the cleaning when Rika was running in her wheel. I gently removed the nest with the baby in it and placed them together in another little cage. Once I was finished I placed mama back on her wheel and then placed baby back in the new nest I had made just where and how Rika had it for her baby. It was the best look I have gotten to get of the baby, and baby looks great!!! The baby was born on 9/21 so he/she is 8 days old. I have held Rika & played with her, and she does not seem to mind or get stressed. She was held so much even when she was super pregnant, we always play with our mice on a daily basis, several times a day. So they are very tame and will climb in our hands when we place our hands into the cage...they climb on up!!!

My Questions:

1. When is it safe to hold the baby so I can get a good look at him/her and determine the sex of the baby too. After all the bad stuff that happened, I am afraid to hold the baby even though he/she is bigger, has ears, is over a week old and is doing great....I am really scared to try & I am afraid to upset mommy Rika and that she will reject this last baby...eventhough now she loves her baby very much, I can tell, she nurses her baby and cleans her baby and always drags her baby back to the nest when baby wonders out....it's so cute and just warms my heart

2.Should I hold them together, mama and baby...for the first time?

3. Can my mouse family ever all be together and happy together again? I have Rika's sister Iddy (who never gets pregnant) with Edward in one cage, and Rika and her baby in the really big main cage.

4. If the baby is a boy is it going to be okay to put him with his daddy when he is weaned and I have to seperate him from the females at like 6 weeks? If baby is a girl, I will just keep her with her mommy and auntie.

Thank you Natasha...you are so very kind and helpful. I wish the mice books had advice like you do, but they just don't. At least none that I have found. I like to read up on things, but the things I really need help with...I can't find the answers. Except with you, so thank you for that and for always taking the time to help me.

Warmly,
Patricia
(Iddy, Rika, Edward & baby mousie's mommy)

Answer
Dear Patricia,

I'm glad Rika (I see I misnamed her Rita in the last post) is taking care of her baby.  I still think she should not be mated again, and definitely not to Edward. This means they can't live together.  It's wonderful for Edward that Iddy is sterile, because most male mice have to live alone.  If Rika's baby is a girl, that will be perfect, because they can live together.  If not, Rika needs another friend or two.  I always keep three girls together so that when one dies, the other isn't completely devastated.  A boy baby will eventually grow up and fight with even his daddy, so you should be prepared to have a separate cage if this is the case.  He should be taken out of the cage at 4 1/2 weeks so he doesn't impregnate his mommy.

You can hold the baby now.  If you want to hold the two together, that's fine; other wise take the baby when Rika is out of the cage (set her somewhere else for a little while).  Only hold the pup for a few minutes at a time at first, 2-3 times a day.  Here is how to tell its sex:

http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/sexing.cfm

It's a great site for other information as well.  And thank you for the compliment.  I have thought about writing a mouse care book, though there are already so many!

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha