Two pregnant mice! Do I keep them together?

by Sparrow on Sat 18 May 2019, 1:14 pm

Hi everyone! I'm here with a serious dilemma and I could use any advice I can get. I am just after adopting two pregnant mice. They are very clearly pear shaped and the person I adopted them from kept them with a male for the last month. Not realising his mistake until it was too late, he approached me and asked me to take the pregnant mice because she doesn't know anyone else who wouldn't just feed them to reptiles.

The two of them are only about 3 months old. I'm keeping them in the old 10 gallon tank that I used for Foxy when she was pregnant. Now the main question is - do I keep them together while they nurse and give birth? I have read a lot of contradictory information about this topic. Some claim to put them each into their own tanks with a nanny mouse. Some say to leave them each in their own tanks alone. Some say to keep them together so they can both take responsibility for both litters.

I just don't know what to believe. If anyone has any suggestions as to what would be the best thing to do, I would greatly appreciate it. I have some spare bin cages of various sizes when the males and females will need to be separated and I know to give them extra protein and such while they are pregnant and nursing. I have read through the breeding packet on here about six times by now, especially when Foxy was pregnant I just kept coming back to it... But some extra advice and reassurance would be greatly appreciated.

I am way over my head taking this responsibility onto myself but I just couldn't leave those darlings behind.

by CallaLily on Sat 18 May 2019, 4:22 pm

If these mice are from untracked lines, it would be safest to set them each up with their own nursery tanks. It’s just too much of a risk imo.

by Sparrow on Sat 18 May 2019, 4:49 pm

Perfect, I'll separate them right away Smile

by Sparrow on Thu 30 May 2019, 2:51 am

I would just like to give a quick update on the situation of the two females. If it's okay with the rules and okay with everyone on here, I would like to post regular updates on the state of the females and the state of the pups once they are born. With two pregnant ladies, I'd like to make sure I'm doing everything right.

Both does are kept in 10 gallon tanks, separate. One of them is absolutely massive - she has trouble moving and is clearly uncomfortable with her belly. She looks like she swallowed an oversized golf ball. She tried to keep herself busy but it seems to be a big struggle for her due to her size. Last night was the last time I cleaned her tank as the pups are expected to be born any day now. We named her Ginger so that's what I will be referring to her as from now on.

The second female doesn't look pregnant, she is tiny compared to Ginger and doesn't really behave like a pregnant mouse. She is quite slim, doesn't even bother making a nest and is not eating as much as I'd expect her to. She isn't one bit busy, she just stays in her little nesting box all the time. I'm starting to get a little bit concerned about her and even considered brining her to the vet. However, I would like to avoid causing her any extra stress. It's bad enough she had to move homes, endure a travel in a sandwich box and was separated from her sister. We named her Maggie.

by CallaLily on Thu 30 May 2019, 3:24 pm

Please do keep us updated. Baby pics are welcome too! Very Happy

Maggie may be feeling down after being separated from Ginger. Try to distract her with toys and treats and play time as much as you can. Is it possible she isn’t pregnant? Or perhaps she’s just not as far along as Ginger or carrying fewer babies?

by Sparrow on Fri 31 May 2019, 3:08 am

All of those things are entirely possible. They have been kept with a male for a month but they are very young at only 3 months old and neither one of them is even fully grown yet. When they first got to me, they both looked pear shaped but not nearly as much as Foxy when she was pregnant or as much as Ginger now.

Maggie's body shape didn't change since I've got her, whereas Ginger just got huge - Much bigger than Foxy was. They have been with me for 13 days now and I expected them to give birth by now, but it begs to question: did they only got pregnant a short while before I got them despite living with a young male for a month?
If that's the case, I really do hope that Maggie is somehow not pregnant (as unlikely as that may be) - the poor girl is so young, I would rather her little body not be out through such difficult process.

I'll post some pictures of the babies once they come and are at least 72 hours old Smile

by susb8383c on Sun 02 Jun 2019, 4:29 pm

I just want to post a comment about keeping pregnant mice together since that's the title of the thread and probably people with the same question will read this.

I can't speak for everyone, but here's my experience: I adopted 3 female mice who were rescued from a bad situation and were originally from a pet store feeder tank Sad

Two of them turned out to be pregnant. I kept all three mice together which in this particular case was the right thing to do.

Both females gave birth at exactly the same time in the same igloo. I know because they shut themselves up in it and the next morning I heard a lot of squeaking. They had 18 babies between the two of them and they shared the mothering tasks completely. All 18 fed from both mothers.

The third female I named Tia because she was the perfect auntie. Even though she was shut out of the igloo during the birth itself, she assumed other tasks that she could post-birth. For example, she would go in and keep the babies warm when the moms wanted a break to come out and run on a wheel, for example. Actually, I think she worked harder than the actual moms.

by susb8383c on Sun 02 Jun 2019, 4:32 pm

Incidentally, one of my pregnant mice also had a hard time. She would often prop herself up vertically in a corner of the tank for hours at a time. Both mice didn't really show signs of being pregnant until 4 or so days before they gave birth, if I remember correctly.

by Sparrow on Tue 04 Jun 2019, 4:15 am

Thank you for sharing your experience! It was very interesting to read through it and see your perspective on the topic. I'm glad to hear both of your girls ended up okay after the pregnancy, especially the girl who had a hard time.

I think in my case it was by far for the best to separate them, as I am not sure when they got pregnant and if Maggie actually is pregnant after all. It's been 16 days since I got them both and she is still not showing any signs. She seems to be feeling better after getting extra toys and attention at least.

Ginger is a whole different story. Last night when she came out, she looked like she literally was about to burst. She cannot walk properly anymore, so she barely tried to move. When looking at her belly, you can very clearly see sizable bumps within the big bump. I'm expecting her to give birth any day but whenever I look at her, she just seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Fingers crossed that tonight is the night the babies come Love

by Sparrow on Tue 04 Jun 2019, 11:19 am

Ginger just gave birth!!! I have no clue how many babies yet but I can hear them squeaking and I saw Ginger come out for just a moment to grab herself a pumpkin seed and went straight back into the nest. She still looks big but not nearly as big, which makes me wonder that there are probably still a few more babies on the way!

Waiting the 72 hours is going to be torturous, I'm so excited to see the little darlings and know how many there are Love

by Sparrow on Thu 06 Jun 2019, 6:02 pm

First picture of the babies! I'm waiting until tomorrow to properly hold them and count them but so far I've counted at least 12 - I say at least because there were more that I didn't count underneath the tissues. I'm already in love with them little sweethearts! Love

Two pregnant mice! Do I keep them together? Img-2011

by Sparrow on Fri 07 Jun 2019, 3:46 pm

The tiny little beans were held for the first time today, it was such a touching experience. I only handled them for about 2 minutes at most, didn't want the mamma to get upset for being away from her babies for too long! I love them so much. Another photo update: pups at exactly 77 hours old Love

Two pregnant mice! Do I keep them together? Img-2013

Two pregnant mice! Do I keep them together? Img-2012

by CallaLily on Fri 07 Jun 2019, 8:26 pm

Awwww, they are soo cute! Heart

by Sparrow on Sun 09 Jun 2019, 2:47 pm

Pictures I took last night of the babies, at 4 days old. You can start to see the colouring on them and they start to resemble tiny mice more so than little pink beans Smile

Two pregnant mice! Do I keep them together? Img-2015

Two pregnant mice! Do I keep them together? Img-2014

by Sparrow on Sun 09 Jun 2019, 6:42 pm

Babies at 5 days old. We had a high number of peanuts, of which only one is left. The rest of the babies are all healthy and growing quickly. They are starting to try to wander out of the nest, despite their eyes not even being open yet. Their colours and patterns are coming along very nicely. They are also beginning to recognise being picked up, now crawling into my hand without much help!

Two pregnant mice! Do I keep them together? Img-2017

Two pregnant mice! Do I keep them together? Img-2016

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