Is my mouse in labor?

Question
QUESTION: A couple of nights ago I came home from work to find my mouse, Sophia, doing a lot of labored breathing and squeaking and moving around the cage very slowly. I left her alone and checked on her a few hours later and she was back to normal. Today is her 20th day of pregnancy and she's doing it again. I'm doing everything I can to make sure things are quiet and dark around her. I only check on her once an hour and I try to keep from disturbing her. Is she in labor? How long will it take? This has been going on for about 7 hours. I can also see the sides of her stomach getting tight. Is that a contraction?

ANSWER: Rat labor can be as quick as 5 minutes, or may take hours.  If you
see your rat begin to bleed, stay calm; that is labor starting.  If
within 12 hours she has not produced pinkies, there is a drug you can
give her to induce labor called Oxytosin; this usually will save the
mother but not the kittens.  A C-section is possible, but will usually
result in dead mother (who has undergone too much stress with the long
labor to survive major surgery) and dead kittens (who cannot nurse
from their mothers, and probably died in the course of the long
labor.)  The warning signs are extreme lethargy, severe bleeding, or
repeated gasping.

Just keep what you are doing and keep it dark, quiet, and dont touch her nest or babies for at least a day or so.


This may help in your rats labor:
http://ratguide.com/breeding/birth/labor_emergencies.php

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

QUESTION: My question wasn't about a rat....it was about my mouse! I want to know if the things I listed above means she's in labor.

Answer
I apologize I must have read the question incorrectly.

Mouse labor is alot like rats. It is usually quick and over before you know it. The signs are:

less appetite for food, but drinking lots of water

panting and what appears to be contractions. Her sides with move in an "in and out" motion

squeaking during birth or contractions

gathering of material rapidly to make a nest or pile for the coming babies

tears around the eyes and very tired looking. May appear to be weak.

In your case I would make sure she is as before, separated from other mice, in a quiet and dark place, feed her lots of greens and mineral blocks, keep her water cool and filled, and don't disrupt her nest making.

The labor should be fast, but this is not always a certain to the books happening. She will give birth usually after 3 weeks(21 days). If you see any of these signs she needs a vet:

labor more than 2 hours with no pups, this means she needs help to prevent still borns or death.