My mouse Joan is pregnant :-( please help

[njwilde]

Hello again,
some might have read my thread where I suspected not all my three females are females as the mother looked a big bigger and one kid was very small and hard to tell which gender.

Well, the good news is all three are girls, their bits look identical and i can see nipples at all of them but Joan is definitely pregnant I suspected something last week as she just seemed bigger around the belly but I haven't seen her for two days and she s ballooned. She actually looks like it could happen any minute. I did some research and it said in the last 6 days it becomes obvious so they will have sold me her pregnant already. Now I have given her some extra mealworms and sunflower seeds for some protein and lots of hay and toilet tissue for nesting. We will also move them into a tank tomorrow so there is more room.

Joan had had kids before and as she was in the pet shop cage with all her kids I suspect she will have gotten pregnant from one of her own boys.At least she is an experienced mother as I am slightly freaking out.

Anything else I should so/can do?

And is it ok for Sandy and Cherry to stay in the same cage as mother and babies?

And I read I should separate the babies from gender and mother after 25 days, is that sufficient? I hope the pet shop has a duty to take the babies back as I really cant look after them all.

Thanks in advance for all your help, you ev already helped me a lot and at least due to the advice I am now sure I can at least keep my three girls.

[purple_x]

I've never dealt with pregnant mice so I don't have any advice but please please don't give the babies back to the pet shop.
I have space here at the rescue if you need someone to take them, I know we're a little way away from each other but I'm sure transport could be sorted

If you check out the micearenice forum, people over there will be able to give you lots of advice and someone there may even be able to offer the mice a home.

[GhostsInSnow]

Other does will actually look after the litter whilst mum comes out for food and water the only thing they can't do is actually feed the babies. Obviously any squabbling or people being kicked out of the nest then remove the girls.
Sexing the babies may well be easier as you will see the nipples before fur starts to grow but I'm sure people can help you with that if you get some good clear pictures.

Don't disturb the nest and when you do start handling them (I can't remember when you can start) rub your hands in the substrate so they take on the scent of the cage rather than you transferring your scent to the babies.
If she's got pregnant quickly after another litter or if it's a severly inbred litter they might not all survive and the mum may well cull any weaker babies. Keep up with the extra protein throughout the nursing period too

[racinghamster]

Your doing everything right nj. Just leave her alone and as GhostsInSnow said, the other two will likely help mum with her new babies. That`s what mice do naturally. You will hear little squeaks when the pinkies are born and just monitor things and keep the food and water topped up. Mum will appreciate more protein once the babies are born, yes. Dry mealworms, hemp seeds, a little egg or cooked chicken or dry cat kibble.

After a week, you can probably have a peek at the babies and take away any messy nesting material and give her some fresh. Just spot clean until the wee ones and mum are settled. If she`s had babies previously, she will know what to do instinctively.

Baby mice grow quickly and should be nibbling on solid food at three weeks or less. Take a note of the day they were born and keep a calendar of this. Once they reach four weeks of age, you should know how many males and females you have. Males can stay with mum up until five weeks as this helps with their maturity. Many say four weeks, but giving them an extra week with mum is better. Depending on how many males she has, a pair of male brothers is the best duo rather than a group if they are to live together, so once you know how many males you have from the litter, you can decide who will pair up with who!

The female babies can stay with the adult females.

[njwilde]

Thank you so much for your response, it's really appreciated, any advice really helps, I am thinking about so much and even doing research does often not answer the actual questions.

I will try and rehome as many babies as I can before giving them to the pet shop but depending on how many there will actually be it may be difficult so I need to take everything into consideration.

Racinghamster, you said the males can stay up to 5 weeks with the mum, that's 35 days, are they then not able to produce babies themselves already? I am a bit paranoid now as Joan has only given birth about 2 months ago so I don't want to stress her with another pregnancy (and also don't want another litter of babies, I am sure they re cute but I am a bit out of my wits here)

I ve prepared a large bin cage now and moved them, they did not seem too stressed as I moved the majority of their things plus some nesting, I would have waited until evening but as they were all out and about already I took the opportunity as Joan really really looks ready to give birth. I could pick her up ok though, I bribed her with sunflower seeds and cheese so that's good, I am sure she is a great mum. You can already tell how good she is with Cherry and Sandy and tells them what to do so I am sure they will all be fine. I am probably stressing more than them!

I will keep you posted and in the meantime if you can think of anything else essential or advisable to do, please let me know, I am happy for any suggestion! I am getting more used to the idea now though and I kind of admire Joan for going through all this in her young life, I bet I am more of a whimp once I am pregnant

[LavoChain]

Please don't give them to the pet shop! If you can't rehome all babies I can help with transport to get them to Claire (purple_x) if she has space available. Unfortunately with 8 hamsters in this month I don't have any room or I could offer to help, with me being much nearer to you. I may get some room available soon so it might not be impossible for me to help you out. You sound to be doing everything right, although I'm not experienced with mice pregnancies I have read up on it quite a bit.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[GhostsInSnow]

Basically just keep an eye on things but let her get on with it
If/when you do rehome the babies, if you rehome the males in pairs then makes sure the new owners know there is a chance they might have to separate them
Males can reproduce at 5 weeks so you need to separate them then really.

[racinghamster]

Four weeks is the norm for baby males to come away from mum. I would only wait the five weeks if any of them were runty or still looking a little behind in their growth. But from the day they are born, it`s four weeks exactly. As long as they are fully furred, open eyed, jumping around and eating solids, they will be fine.

As already pointed out, please try not to be too hasty and offer them to a pet shop. Male mice (and even female mice) can be seen as a money maker and bred back to back just for a few quid in profit, so pet shops should be avoided if possible. I would rather you got in touch with a rescue organisation. At least they would rehome the mice to a family or people who went along interested in mice. Hopefully members on here can lend a hand if and when required.

I would let the girls settle in now and just carry on feeding and monitoring the situation. Mum might become a little aggitated and look tired, so if she`s acting a little strange, she could be about to pop.

Hope everything goes okay and she has a small litter. x

[purple_x]

I don't have too much going on at the rescue right now (just the 4 hamsters) so will definitely have space if you are having trouble rehoming them.
I am actually on the lookout for some girls to go with my boys (they are being neutered) so they may stay here if I did take any from you!

[GhostsInSnow]

^ That's a lovely idea Purple