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Got my mice yesterday and was wondering....

Hey all,
Finally got me mice yesterday. 1.2. Yesterday the male was after the females like crazy. They didn't "do it" from the few min that i was watching them but the male was sniffing the female like crazy. I knew the male cause he was well hung. lmao.

My questions are:

1) So if he was like that from the get go how long before they will actually mate.

2) The pet shop said one of the females may or may not be pregnant. If she is, then the male will most likely eat the first litter rite.

3) Do they make a nest only when they are pregnant or do they make one anyways. About half hr after I put them in the tank, 1 of the females made a nest. And last nite all 3 was asleep in the nest. They dont' look pregnant. They arent' very big.

Had more questions last nite but can't remembet them this morning. lol. So if anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated.
 
well, I am no expert so.... When I get nice that are new to each other (male in with new females) he will always inspect them to see if they are pregnant or not. If not, he will breed them right away and if they are he will keep a check on them til he can breed them. Normally, no he wont eat the young. I have only had one case where a Female ate anothers young and that was because she was going to be having hers that same day. I have never had a male eat young. Seems you will probably be having babies within a month. Good luck :)
 
You may want to remove the male until the possibly pregnant female has had her litter. The females will have time to bond and mark the territory as their own, while allowing for a successful birth to take place. If it is the mother's first time she may not show and the litter will be pretty small, perhaps 3 or 4. If it is her second + litter you'll KNOW she's got a few buns in the oven from her huge size.
Just throwing a colony of mice together, it may take a few months at a minimum to get babies. I think in order for breeding your own mice to really work you should have two colonies of females, of which the male alternates. An overworked female = a dead mouse.

Dead mice are really much easier to manage by the way. There are many online frozen rodent suppliers. I use The Mouse Factory, you can order as many mice as you need in a specific quantity. Check them out, just google a few different names. Rodent Pro and Big Cheese Rodent Factory are a few others.
 
I dont take my males out... have just 2 tanks at the moment but even when I had alot more I never took the males out. My mice usually live 4-6 years... even with breeding all the time... so not sure that has anything to do with it. I do know genetics play a part in life span, litter count, and cancer risks.
 
Tks for the tips all. I went down the basement last nite to get something <kept the lights off> and heard a mouse sqeaking, and when i looked the male was after the female trying to "MAKE LOVE" :grin01: with her. They have a HUGE nest built and the 3 of them sleeps there together. So hopefully will see lil babies in a few weeks.
 
I never take my breeding male out, this only disrupts the colony and you have more of a chance the female will not accept him back. I agree it is more likely a female will eat young, but have only had this happen once with mice. The male will re-impregnate the female as soon as she has her litter. Don't be surprised if the other mice help the one having babies.
 
susang said:
I never take my breeding male out, this only disrupts the colony and you have more of a chance the female will not accept him back. I agree it is more likely a female will eat young, but have only had this happen once with mice. The male will re-impregnate the female as soon as she has her litter. Don't be surprised if the other mice help the one having babies.

I agree, I have 18 colony's and never take out the males. If one of the mice dies in the colony and it's repalced, sometimes the new mouse is attacked by the other's.
 
Hi there,

Congrats on getting your first breeders! lol

1) Chances are, if your females were in a tank with males, they are 99.9% preggers already, you may not be able to see it yet though. The male probably mated them as soon as you weren't looking. lol

2) Not necessarily. It depends largely on the male. My male stays in with my females all the time and has never eaten young, in fact, he helps take care of them. Removing a male and then putting him back may lead to fighting, I would say leave him in there, if there's a problem with him eating young, then remove him.

3) Most mice build nests all the time, they sleep in there even when there aren't any little ones. Interestingly enough, I have seen my male help build the nest! lol He seems better at it than some of the females in fact! :)
 
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