Pregnant mouse advice

Question
hi my mouse sutty is pegnant and she is looking rather fat, this is all because of a mix up at the pet shop, sutty is my newist mouse and lives with mini, who we desuverd was is a boy yesterday,i've taken mini out of the cage and gave him is own space (i know loads about mice) but i'm very unsure when sutty will DROP!! i've got everything ready for the new arrivals. i just don't know when they are coming, sutty looks all bumpy and wierd i hope she is ok .
please could you tell about mice giving birth, i'm worried
thanx
Loo xx

Answer
Dear Loo,

That's a pretty common mix-up.  Unfortunately, people who work at pet shops often have no idea what they are talking about!  I suggest you insist that they take the babies that you can't keep.

If Sutty is showing already, she probably has less than a week left.  Her size depends partly upon how many babies are in her.  If she is holding 16 pups (unlikely but I've had it!), she will show far earlier than if she is carrying 2.   Mice are pregnant for exactly 21 days, and they generally mate pretty quickly (0-5 days) after becoming a pair.  

Mice give birth quite well on their own.  It's a pretty quick process, too.  Because especially first time mothers can get confused, you don't want to move her too quickly before or after the birth:  I suggest you clean the cage today and them don't do it again until it's time to handle the babies.  I recommend not handling the babies until they are 7 days old.  They will have some fur by then.  Then I recommend handling them together once or twice every day for up to 5 minutes.  When they begin to open their eyes (about 14 days), they will need individual attention and will probably become quite jumpy.  If you need to pick them up by, or hold, their tails, make sure you hold them right at the base and immediately put them on your other hand.  

The babies may become interested in some solid food at 2 1/2 weeks, but they are not weaned until they are 3 to 3 1/2 weeks.  The boys should be taken out at 4 weeks because they can mature sexually as early as 4 1/2 weeks.  They may live together well for a while, but chances are they will begin to fight after a while and need separate cages. This is why it's hard to find homes for boys.  You can keep as many girls as you want in one cage (if it's big enough); I suggest keeping at least one or two to keep Sutty company.

Have fun with the babies!

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha