>>Hey,
>>
>>Thanks again for the mice tips Sonya. Will they definitely eat their first litters? Or it just happens sometimes. We don't touch the mice. They are gross. We set up a 1.6 colony with two igloo hides and a wheel and water bottle. I won't even check the hides for babies. I am just going to clean the bedding once a week. When I see babies eating the block I will pull them in put them in a communal grow out. That is it. Let me know if that sounds like a good plan?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Mark
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>>STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
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>>
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They don't ALWAYS eat litters but they stress more at first. Once they are used to the routine they settle down and are generally fine. My routine with mice is set them up and wait. Whether they have pups or not they get changed totally when they need to be. I pull all adults (obsessively counting to be SURE their is a male and X females) I note the date and number on the card, I toss them in a bucket, I pull babies by sizes...hopper go in the bucket with their folks, fuzzys and pinks get a separate container during cleaning (usually an ice cream bucket)Count and note them on the card too. So I can tell if their numbers are changing without my help. Clean the tub....put everything back including the obligatory junk box (tissue, cereal, mac and cheese....box for the babies. Dump the pinks and fuzzys into said box and put it back....last dump in the adults. Seems to work for me. I have seen adults cannabalize pups DURING cleaning if they have access to them. Hence the separation.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

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