# mouse eating babies



## Metal_face (Oct 2, 2008)

just started breeding mice. i had my first litter 3 days ago and everything seemed to be going well untill tonight!! the mum has just decided to eat 2 of her babies!! why has she done this and what can i do stop her eating the rest?


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## Grond (Jun 17, 2008)

They do this when they feel conditions are not good for raising the litter.

Check your husbandry, and make sure you never let them run out of food water.

They do do it anyway from time to time, and some mice seem more prone to it.


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## Jczreptiles (Sep 1, 2009)

They will sometimes do it if the babies smell of human scent I was told.


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## midori (Aug 27, 2006)

Mine did this at first, but they had their litters very soon after I got them as they came to me pregnant. They certainly never run out of food or water so it wasn't that. One litter went from eight down to one over several days, so I took the last one out and put it with another Mum's litter, and she is looking after them all. 

I asked on a mouse forum and apparently it's quite common in mice and some lines are especially prone to it.


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## Ferret1959 (Jul 16, 2008)

Feed the culprit to a snake and get another breeder female.

I had a rat that did it.
Husbandry was fine cos the others didn't do it.

She was snake food.:devil:


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## Metal_face (Oct 2, 2008)

food and water wasnt a prblem and i never touched them so i gues it was just one of them things. she had a litter of 13, 1 died just after birth and she has now eaten 4 so that takes it down to 8. shes seems to be looking after them well now though : victory:


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## oakelm (Jan 14, 2009)

Could be they were weak babies so she culled them to save wasting milk reserves

But also make a note of it as some females just seem to stress more so eat babies or just generally make bad mums, just like some are more prone to barbering cage mates, if this does happen again remove from breeding as soon as possible and replace is your only solution if everything else is fine.


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## Hants-snakes (Jul 1, 2009)

Ferret1959 said:


> Feed the culprit to a snake and get another breeder female..........


:lol2::no1:




Ferret1959 said:


> I had a rat that did it.
> Husbandry was fine cos the others didn't do it.
> 
> ............:devil:


 
Rats tend to eat litters more often than mice. Both rats and mice eat litters when food is in short supply or the conditions are not 100% for them (remember 100% for them, could be what we would perceive as 30%:whistling2


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

I disagree with that...

I have rats, mice and hamsters I find that hamsters are the worst for eating young but so long as you dont' touch before eyes open then you are ok with them. Rats rarley eat young unless there is a serious problem with lack of food and water. Mice can eat young for the sake of it whilst everything is perfect.
I have one box that I have to take pinks out, for the snakes, or they are wasted within 24 hours. I keep the parents as I just use that box of breeders for the pinks and they dont' eat them until they are almost 24 hours old.
I can handle my rat pups from birth with no worries, mice I 'know who will let me touch their pups' and syrians you wouldn't dream of touching them until they are out of the nest or you lose them.





Hants-snakes said:


> :lol2::no1:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Hants-snakes (Jul 1, 2009)

saxon said:


> I disagree with that...
> 
> I have rats, mice and hamsters I find that hamsters are the worst for eating young but so long as you dont' touch before eyes open then you are ok with them. Rats rarley eat young unless there is a serious problem with lack of food and water. Mice can eat young for the sake of it whilst everything is perfect.
> I have one box that I have to take pinks out, for the snakes, or they are wasted within 24 hours. I keep the parents as I just use that box of breeders for the pinks and they dont' eat them until they are almost 24 hours old.
> I can handle my rat pups from birth with no worries, mice I 'know who will let me touch their pups' and syrians you wouldn't dream of touching them until they are out of the nest or you lose them.


 
No you must be right. I am starving my rats:lol2::devil:

With any of my rats or mice I can 'harvest' the pinks and put them in with the snakes if they don't get eaten they go back in with their mothers who accept them,,,but i'm probably wrong with that also:whistling2:


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## joe1504 (May 20, 2009)

Jczreptiles said:


> They will sometimes do it if the babies smell of human scent I was told.


That's right, or if the pinkies are born with any deformiteys or if they become ill: victory:


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