baby mice,

Question
Hi, i have an urgent question.I just baught 3 female mice. One had 11 babys two days ago, i left all of them together , nine of the babys got eaten, two are left, i seperated the other two out and one of them has four babys, the momof the new babys escaped and i can't find her. What should i do with the 4 babys? Can i put put them with the mom who has two babys left or should i put them with the other mouse??? Neet an answer quickly!!!

Answer
Don't panic. It is normal for a mother mouse to eat some of the babies for her own reasons, for example they were unhealthy or she thought they were under threat from predators. The best thing to do is to put the babies in with a mother or they will not survive. Mice are very maternal and have even raised different species so if she does eat the babies it won't be because they aren't her own. The mother may return or she may have fled for good if she was threatened.

Make sure the cage is away from other animals as well as drafts and noises (e.g. a TV).

Please don't blame yourself as it is not your fault the babies were eaten. I would recommend not disturbing the nest until they are a week old as the mother seems to be very protective of her young. They should be safe from being eaten at 7 days. It is important you handle the babies or else they will be difficult to handle when they are older.

Please feel free to ask anymore questions, I hope things turn out ok.