[Maplewood Stud]

heya,

have never had a pregant doe before but will have some by the weekend

i was just wondering what stuff do u let ur does have in the tubs with them whilst theyre pregnant and littering?

are they only allowed a pile of bedding and their bowls or are they still allowed a few toys such as loo roll tubes and a ball?

sorry i expect this is a stupid question but hey

x

 

[ian]

Mine dont have anything, it removes the risk of them having babies inside a tube and you not being able to see if theres any problems. Definately get rid of wheels and stuff the mother will have the babies under the wheel and then run on it and it could hurt the babies. Also not good for heavily pregnant does to have a whele or be climbing.

 

[HemlockStud]

Im not sure what most breeders do, but I leave wheels and tubes in with them along with the regular necessities. Though like Ian mentions there are the possibilities for problems to occur especially with wheels in there. I guess Im lucky as all my does have had their litters inside the nest box and never under wheels or in tubes.

 

[Erica08]

I leave tubes and things they can hide in and under in the cage but I do take out the wheel.

 

[sommy]

During pregnancy I left everything in. About 3 days before birth I took out the tubes because it was a squeeze and I didn't want her to hurt the un born bubs.
I took the wheel out the morning of the birth but gave her a few chew toys.
I only just put the wheel back in a few days ago when the babies turned 9days old.

 

[Maplewood Stud]

ok lovely, i wont have a wheel in there anyway i think, i dont really want them tiring themselves out. as for nesting, what do u guys use to u just give a pile of bedding or do u use an actual box with no lid? X

 

[HemlockStud]

For nesting I use tissue boxes with a tube as an entrance/exit. Though if you have does that are Show size it wouldn't work as they would be to big for them. I would love to hear what other people use for their pregnant/nursing does though especially if there is a better way?

 

[SarahY]

My does have a big pile of nesting stuff but that's it. I think trying to feed a group of babies is enough work for them and they look quite haggard at the end of it, so I don't want them having lots to do and using up fat reserves etc that could be going to the babies. They don't mind though; mostly they sleep and groom and they don't seem at all bothered by their empty box. I believe that if the mice are in good condition, bright eyed, curious, and breeding well they are obviously happy.

Sarah xxx

 

[HemlockStud]

Sarah, what do you use for nesting materials for your does? Ive heard many people recommend different things, the most used thing is usually non-scented tissues.

 

[SarahY]

Mine get shredded paper and hay. They weave some incredible structures from it.

Sarah xxx

 

[HemlockStud]

I will have to try that with the does in my next planned breeding, I have some does that are mad nesters that cannot stop nesting no matter what especially when pregnant, I bet I'll be impressed at what they build.

 

[Cait]

My does all get a big pile of shredded paper. I have nothing against hay, but I'm allergic so I don't give it to the mice but they seem to do ok without it. Make sure they get cross cut shredded paper if they're having babies though - the longer ribbon stuff might get tangled and make things diffiullt for both you (when you want to inspect the babies) and the mice.

 

[Maplewood Stud]

ok thats lovely, is home shredded paper ok, i use it for rus and smokey but not if it would be soft enough for babies x also found some jay cloths i brought ages ago to shred for beddin, would this be ok to use too? X

 

[Cait]

Both are fine if cross cut. I get the shredded paper from work (great free source of bedding!).

 

[Maplewood Stud]

yeah thats what i do i go to asda and buy a pack of white paper and then shred it, i get loads, prob 2-3 carrier bags full and it only costs £1 whereas a teeny bag at the petshop is more than that x

 

[podcreature]

hey guys! I've had LOTS of pregnant mice and I personally decided that regular old toilet paper was the best for nesting. the babies don't get lost in it, it fluffs up and packs down as the mother mouse wants it to, and the babies are easy to access in it. I've read that they can get lost in the batting they sell in the petstore, and I found that to be tragically true a few times. so I refrained from using that. I imagine that other materials can be abraisive to the delicate skin of the pups. I just fold the toilet paper and shred it myself, it tears in perfect strips quite handily... oh and yes, I do remove everything from the cage... I've noticed that some mom's get downright exhasuted when they've been nursing for a week straight, I just want her to rest and focus on pups. what I DO put in thier cage that I don't normally provide is lots more nutrition. dried banannas for thier immune systems (for potent milk), cat food, and anything safe for them with a little extra fat and protien. I used to mix kitten formula with the dust from the pellets that settles in the bottom of the food bag to ween the pups and it makes a tasty treat for mom.

you know the paper is probably a great idea to give mom some crafting to do, since she should otherwise take it easy lol, but I'd still provide the toilet paper, in addition, for the pups, the paper may aggravate thier skin... you could probably use both successfully, mice are clever nest makers.

 

[moustress]

Hey, you know a lot of stuff! Kewl!

The thing about the wheel is especially important. I've even seen adult meeces go for an impromptu flying lesson and crack their heads on the cage side hard enough to break their necks. TP has been a long time fave of mine for a number of things. It reveals any signs of blood, diarrhea, mites, etc. very plainly. I do worry a bit about the ones who eat TP, and am considering getting unbleached TP. Mousies are a lot like kids, who will eat all manner of odd things for reasons that are hard to figure. Even your technique with the TP, the tearing, is identical, but then that's the way that works, ain't it?

I remove all the furniture for mating as it reduces the chasing, eeking and squeaking, and the occasional fighting that happens most frequently with first-timers. I also have small tanks that are used a 'honeymoon suites', that I use only for first timers.

I use corn free puppy chow, as I've heard that cat food might contain things not healthy for meeces (other than the corn, which is in all of the cheaper kibble mixes, rodent pellets, and most other mixes that have nuggets in them).

Are you a long lost cousin? Your mind seems to work a lot like mine. Welcome to the forum. Love your handle.

 

[WillowDragon]

I don't use toilet paper, because it becomes too damp too quickly.

I use kitchen roll, its just as soft, if not softer, tears into lovely strips and is more absorbant.

Willow xx

 

[podcreature]

thank you for the compliment moustress!! that's a good point about the humidity, Willow, and you are right there are some great soft types of paper towel, and it's worked for me as well. I think tp works for me because of the combination of things I use... I actually use highly absorbant pellets, and corn cob rather than aspen, which helps with humidity. depending on the temp, where you are, the bedding, I'm sure those are factors to consider when choosing the right nest material.

ROFL as for being in someone's head... even though I've never used it the idea of unbleached tp occurred to me, but then I worried I'd sound like I was going a little overboard with info, but in the context of the mice that eat things they shouldn't it's a very good point! my thought was that pinkies can absorb chemicals through thier skin, and even though I haven't -seen- any die from this that I know of... who knows! I didn't really think about the fact that the parents nibble on it. but yes, natrual chemical free tp (and paper towel!) is probably a great idea if it's available near you.

 

[moustress]

I use paper toweling occasionally when the TP roll is out and my old bones don't want me to go downstairs for more. Dampness is something I'm on the lookout for all the time anyway, since I didn't learn until I'd invested a lot of money that some types of water bottles are all to easy for meeces to empty by piling up bedding under the spout. I liked corn cob for awhile, but got tired of the smell of fermentation on a hot summer's day when the above mentioned had happened. I like the way it looked, though I thought it might be a bit rough on the babies' skin. No doubt there are a lot of different things that can be done as far as bedding is concerned, and different things work for different people for different reasons.

BTW the little pix of your meeces won't blow up to a viewable size.*whine*