quiet time and bonding

361 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by minibears, Feb 7, 2011

minibears

Discussion Starter · Feb 6, 2011

how long after birth are pinks best removed without causing distress to mama, i was going to investigate when i first see her out of the nest and remove her from the cage. then i planned to rub my hands with her litter before disturbing the nest. i am expecting a litter of 15 or more and have seen the suffering of large litters first hand. also i am planning to remove up to half of the bubs asap all at once to give the remainder the best chance (not born yet), is this likely to upset the mother or will she carry on as usual. help appreciated...

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icedmice

· #2 · Feb 6, 2011

Mice can't count

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You could remove 2-3 pups on a daily basis till the litter becomes more managable for the doe as an alternative to all at once. This also gives you time to make more accurate selections.

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minibears

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 6, 2011

thanku iced, i'm doing a size, and gender based selection. it is possible for me to do it on the first day if the mama would tolerate such a large loss in her litter. i know they can't count lol, but i was sure she'd notice if her litter went from 15 to 5, thanx again

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icedmice

· #4 · Feb 7, 2011

I removed all but two from one mother who lost a lot of condition and fostered them to another mother that only had a small litter. She didn't notice and neither did the foster mum.
I handle from day one, (mainly to inspect for sexes and any deformities/runts etc.) I haven't had a single doe reject her babies. If she did reject them I wouldn't breed from her again.

Mice are very resilient.

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