Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok, i have some mice that i am breeding, but for some reason the mice have a tendency to eat the offspring, why is this, i do not seperate the males from females that are my breeding group, but they eat the offspring, WHY??

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21790572/
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I didn't watch the link....the headline was enough

reason mice do it in your home

lack of protein and stupidity

they either need more protein (or food)

or they are young and dumb and eat them due to stupidity or stress.....too much noise too hot too cold....usually just too young....they should stop after they have eaten a couple litters....if they keep doing it....they might keep doing it...(they all die here real fast,but mine have been breed here so long I sort of have my own strain that doesn't eat their own)...

...protein....my lab chow is 18-6 ...18% protein 6% fat...it is a stable diet....they make higher like 21-11 for like if you had all mothers with kids....

......dog food and lab chow should be fine on protein....

OH.....also...you might have lab grade mice that were bred in lab conditions....and when they are taken to the home conditions they cannot take it and die from colds/illness or act stupid alot........watch where you start a colony from.....

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......dumbest thing ever created...
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NO, not a hybrid....well....it is becoming one....
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thanks, i just thought it was because i had too big of a breeding colony being together.

I use homemade racks
kitty litter tubs
I start with 1 male and 15 females per tank...
I let them breed around 6 months then start over the colony

....they should not eat more than one or two litters till they figure out what they are (kids).....then start feeding the kids and all like normal

if they keep eating them.....start over...

protein or breed genetics or stress/stupidity.
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......dumbest thing ever created...
..........
NO, not a hybrid....well....it is becoming one....
.........

I heard somewhere that if they think their babies aren't safe, aka they can smell a predator, they will eat them...

(The real answer is babies are tasty)
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

In my short stint with mice I learned you set them up and leave them be -- bother them as little as possible and if you get ones that eat their young feed them off and find some that don't. Once you get a group settled in and doing well they take off but getting them to that point is a bit of work.

Good luck.
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Tosha
JET Pythons
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