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Can you put another former mother in with a new mother who sucks?

chewieu Apr 18, 2004 09:24 AM

One of my mice just gave birth. She already killed one of her babies, threw another out of the nest, and it acting crazzyyy (eating food then throwing it away, jumping around stomping on the babies, not nursing..) so i took another mouse who was a GREAT mother before and put her in. Will she help out and nurse the babies even though they arn't hers? Will she kill them? Will this stress out the other mom and make her killed them? Basically, how does this typically work out. Thanks.

Replies (4)

sapphire_snake Apr 18, 2004 10:30 AM

If it was a new mother, then I'm not surprised that she is acting like this.

The other mother you put in will probably kill the other babies, or the 2 mothers will fight (possibly to the death) if the "Bad" mother keeps killing her litters then get rid of her and get another female.
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1.1 Ball Python, 0.1 motley amel corn, 1.0 western hognose

Sasheena Apr 18, 2004 11:43 AM

Did you see the "Bad" mother kill the baby that was eaten, or just see an eaten baby? They will eat a baby that is born dead. New mothers often end up eating anywhere from the first baby, to the entire first litter as they figure it all out. Stepping on the babies is actually a proper behaviour, it stimulates their hearts and lungs and acclimitizes them to being outside the womb... just like human babies get a slap on the butt, and giraffe babies have to drop 6 feet... all of this is to encourage those lungs to work. If you are seeing her do all these things you might be alarming her by giving her too much attention.

Also, if the former mother's babies have been weaned, she more than likely won't be able to nurse the babies. She will, as was mentioned, either kill the babies, kill the mom, or be killed. Ocassionally this will work, but not often. I would expect that your best bet in the future, if you have a whacked out momma mouse, try to give her babies to a nursing mother mouse who already has a litter of the same approximate age. Best way to do this is scoop up some soiled litter from the corner of the cage, and her babies, mix the litter, and both litters, until the new babies smell thouroughly of the litter of the other cage, and then replace them. This also doesn't always work, but it does work from time to time. I normally just have "known" good foster mother mice, whole strains of mice who will take foster babies, and for them I end up just dumping any foster babies in with them. Usually there isn't much choice anyway... if they won't raise the babies nobody will... so if they kill them they wouldn't have much greater luck with me. Or sometimes I've given a litter of pinkies with no mom to one of the snakes who is on a hunger strike because he wants to eat... he'll eat pinkies and fuzzies while turning his nose up at adult mice.

>>One of my mice just gave birth. She already killed one of her babies, threw another out of the nest, and it acting crazzyyy (eating food then throwing it away, jumping around stomping on the babies, not nursing..) so i took another mouse who was a GREAT mother before and put her in. Will she help out and nurse the babies even though they arn't hers? Will she kill them? Will this stress out the other mom and make her killed them? Basically, how does this typically work out. Thanks.
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~Sasheena

chewieu Apr 19, 2004 01:28 PM

Yes, i actually saw the mother eat the 15 live babies. I put the other mother in for a moment and kept close attention to what she was doing. She started covering the litter with bedding so i took her out figuring she'll kill them. I'm pretty pissed too have lost an entire liter because the mother is "learning" not to eat her 15 healthy born babies. Blah.

The kicker is this: i think i was to blame. I did a lot more reseach and found that even though pet store mouse food has like 16% protein, that breeding mothers need high 20's. The dog food i was feeding had 16% protein which i had thought was okay. So i wonder if she needed the extra protein so ate them.. anyway, at least i have that figured out. Thanks everyone.

rttlrvenom Apr 18, 2004 04:38 PM

i would suggest taking the babies from her and giving them to the good mother. i have done similar things before. i think mice will care for babies even though they arnt theres or at least mine have
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Corns
0.0.1 03' Amel
0.0.1 03' Normal
Ball python
0.0.1 03' (6 months) normal

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