# Mammates!



## ZooMan (Nov 25, 2009)

Hey!

Just starting to breed the little buggers! Any do's or don'ts? Any specific health problems to look for?

Thanks in advance....


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## markhill (Sep 22, 2006)

I tried breeding them but both my females died either during or just after giving birth.

I was told that giving birth takes alot out of the female, especially if its a big litter, and the males will try to breed with them emmediatly after they've given birth and they cant cope with it.

So, I reckon it'd be best to move the female to a seperate cage just before she gives birth so she can have some peace.


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## ZooMan (Nov 25, 2009)

Anything else guys and gals?


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## ZooMan (Nov 25, 2009)

Ps. Thanks markhill :2thumb:


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## rachel132002 (Dec 4, 2006)

Don't mix groups they cannibalise from what i've been told.

Don't give them too much food, they're the most chewy and wasteful animals EVER.

Don't get your fingers near their mouths - they chomp you...it hurts.


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## markhill (Sep 22, 2006)

rachel132002 said:


> Don't mix groups they cannibalise from what i've been told.
> 
> Don't give them too much food, they're the most chewy and wasteful animals EVER.
> 
> Don't get your fingers near their mouths - they chomp you...it hurts.


Hi Rach, what do you mean dont mix groups?

Keep males and females seperate unless breeding or keep females seperate from each other?


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## alan1 (Nov 11, 2008)

had some youngsters that i was growing on as a mixed-sex group...
as soon as the males got to about half adult size, the fights started!
and they were literally biting the hell out of each other, leaving large wounds around the head area


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## Issa (Oct 13, 2006)

My lot are VERY clannish. Unless you introduce groups as babies any newcomer gets brutalised by the group. I even found problems re-introducing females that I seperated to give birth.


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## covkev (Dec 29, 2008)

Issa said:


> My lot are VERY clannish. Unless you introduce groups as babies any newcomer gets brutalised by the group. I even found problems re-introducing females that I seperated to give birth.


yea ive had some problems like that.also the younger males being killed by the older male if he is left in with the females and youngsters


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

Oh and make sure your cages are well built. These guys are escape artists!


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## simon goldsborough (Sep 10, 2009)

i kept them in 1.5 groups to 1.9 i never pulled females to give birth also tested a group of 5.5 with no problems at all they was together till they stopped producing litters , the problem i had with them was with a normal colour group the babies got to about 3 weeks old then started dying off they was constantly wet around the arss the albino breeding groups was fine produced loads just multies take ages to grow to adult size


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## matt1969 (May 3, 2009)

Hi,
I have been breeding for best part of a year, no major problems. However as stated you can only put mixed groups together while quite young, but i have not lost any once put together even up to almost fully grown!
Got millions of the little bu***ers! Watch your fingers! :lol2:


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## eyespy900 (May 9, 2009)

when they have the babies, most important, remove the male, as the scent from him will get on the babies and the mum kill them

happened to me b4


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## Issa (Oct 13, 2006)

Oh forgot to mention, make sure you use glass or metal cages. They can (and do) chew through most other things very fast and they're a bugger to catch if they're on the loose.


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## markhill (Sep 22, 2006)

Issa said:


> Oh forgot to mention, make sure you use glass or metal cages. They can (and do) chew through most other things very fast and they're a bugger to catch if they're on the loose.


I've had mine 3 weeks in a rack using plastic tubs with mesh tops and they haven't escaped.

I do give them loo roll tubes and bits of wood to chew on though so maybe thats why they haven't bothered chewing the tub.


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## Issa (Oct 13, 2006)

Could just be my lot then, One of my males escaped from his tub in my old house and was on the run for nearly a week, quick little sod even in a confined space. Also had a couple of my girls do the houdini thing before, thankfully they took their litters with them and were reasonably easy to find and recatch.


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## ZooMan (Nov 25, 2009)

Thanks for all the advice :2thumb:


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