[spazzy_sparx]

I have had an explosion of mice lately but my mother mice concern me. 2 of them are ready to have more pups after 3 weeks of already having a litter. They are baby making machines! I had one female that did this in the past and she died right before her second litter. This is their second litter and I really don't want to loose them. I don't know if it was coincidence that the one female died but I was wondering, is it bad for my mice to be having litters one after another? They tend to have a lot of pups at one too! It is an average of 12.

If so should I remove the females from their cage and put them in with my other females in a sort of community nursery or should I remove my males from the females?

Thank You!

 

[ian]

Hello,

It's not ideal to continually breed your does and they will get pregnant as soon as they have given birth which means a litter every 3 weeks, its called back to back breeding. Also are you removing the babies so the females dont get pregnant too young?

If you are breeding for reptile food then back to back breeding is fairly normal although many breeders offer the does breaks to recover and build some strength back up again.

The best thing to do is to remove the male before the doe gives birth and keep him away from the doe atleast until she has finished feeding the babies which should be when the babies are 5 weeks old.

 

[spazzy_sparx]

Hello,

It's not ideal to continually breed your does and they will get pregnant as soon as they have given birth which means a litter every 3 weeks, its called back to back breeding. Also are you removing the babies so the females dont get pregnant too young?

If you are breeding for reptile food then back to back breeding is fairly normal although many breeders offer the does breaks to recover and build some strength back up again.

The best thing to do is to remove the male before the doe gives birth and keep him away from the doe atleast until she has finished feeding the babies which should be when the babies are 5 weeks old.

I wean my pups at 4 weeks. 5 weeks is usually too long. I also don't let me females breed until they are about 6-8 weeks old. Thank you very much for the advice! I am going to go set up a cage for my males for seeing as another litter is due in the next couple of days.

 

[Cait]

6 weeks is far too young to breed. Mice are considered adult at 12 weeks, and this is when it's recommended to breed most varieties (there are a few exceptions where 10 weeks is advised). Since does are still babies themselves at 6 weeks their bodies are not fully developed and they have a fair amount of growing to do themselves, they don't need the strain of being pregnant too.

 

[spazzy_sparx]

6 weeks is far too young to breed. Mice are considered adult at 12 weeks, and this is when it's recommended to breed most varieties (there are a few exceptions where 10 weeks is advised). Since does are still babies themselves at 6 weeks their bodies are not fully developed and they have a fair amount of growing to do themselves, they don't need the strain of being pregnant too.

Every time I have waited longer though they end up not having any pups, and it takes another month and a half to have their first litter anyways. So they don't usually have their first litter until they are 10 weeks at a minimum. I haven't had any earlier.

 

[Cait]

When I say 10 weeks to breed, I mean to put the buck and doe together, not for babies to arrive!!! If they don't breed if you leave them until the proper age then there's something wrong with your lines...

 

[moustress]

Your bucks will probably fight if you keep them together. It's especially likely to occur with bucks that have been used for stud. You should plan on a separate tank for each bred male. They often fight to the death, and that's not a good thing. and be sure to get the young boys out by five weeks, as they will be ready to breed by then. The young boys can probably be kept together up to the age of about 3 mo., so you should plan on doing something with them by then.

 

[julieszoo]

Why not rotate your does and space your litters out a little. Put one doe to the buck at a time, leave for 2 weeks then remove her to finish her pregnancy and litter and add the next doe. If you have 5 does to every buck you will get a steady stream of babies, the buck is never left alone, and the does get a few weeks rest between litters.

 

[spazzy_sparx]

Your bucks will probably fight if you keep them together. It's especially likely to occur with bucks that have been used for stud. You should plan on a separate tank for each bred male. They often fight to the death, and that's not a good thing. and be sure to get the young boys out by five weeks, as they will be ready to breed by then. The young boys can probably be kept together up to the age of about 3 mo., so you should plan on doing something with them by then.

Don't worry. They are separated.

 

[spazzy_sparx]

Why not rotate your does and space your litters out a little. Put one doe to the buck at a time, leave for 2 weeks then remove her to finish her pregnancy and litter and add the next doe. If you have 5 does to every buck you will get a steady stream of babies, the buck is never left alone, and the does get a few weeks rest between litters.

I like it! I will have to try that one, but for now I just took my bucks out to give the does a break. Thanks!

 

[moustress]

Sounds like you have things under control.

 

[icedmice]

I must say I'm really impressed at how calmly this topic was handled!
It's refreshing . Other groups I am part of would have reacted much more inappropriately.

Best of luck with your mice sparx.
I hope you get things under control and give your does a much deserved holiday .

You'll probably noticed improved growth rates and health in your animals from spacing out the litters!