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Mice eating their babies??

joseydiann

joseydiann

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Anyone know what might be going on that my mice are eating all their babies.

I have about 10 female breeders.

Mouse has 10 babies. 10 days later all baby mice are gone.

Seems they eat one a day, it's odd and just wrong in many ways! :censored:

So today I find 5 dead baby mice that were about 5 days old. :shrug01:

I keep pregnant females alone, one per tub. They are off alone in a quiet room so humans don't disturb them. They have fresh water, lots of food, and clean bedding. So what am I doing wrong?

I give them hamster/gerbil food, dog & cat food, and even bread & greens. So I know they are NOT hungry, gross little nasties anyway! :ack2:

Amanda
 
She keeps the females alone and undisturbed. That to me says crappy diet. The generic hamster gerbil food isn't a good diet for anything, much less breeding animals. I second (third, fourth?) the good lab block suggestion. A lot of people swear by junk - dog food, cat food, hog food, etc. - but lab block is specifically made for their systems and contains all they need.
 
I stopped breeding mice a few years ago. They are a pain in the but. If your mice aren't getting proper nutrition, they will eat their babies. Once they start eating them, it's hard to get them to stop. That's why I said you should kill them off and start over. I gave you a link above to some good mouse food, it's the 5M68 made by Mazuri. You don't need to buy it from them. If you have a feed store neer you and they carry Purina products, they should be able to get it for you in a 50 lb bag. Do not confuse the 5M30 with the 5M68. 5M30 is for rats and not mice. Rats and mice have different needs. Feeding any rodent dog or cat food isn't a very good idea to begin with.
 
Now I know more about rats then mice...but considering both are social animals...I tend to keep 2-3 female rats with 1 male

try keeping 2 females per tub as well with your mice....mice are social animals just like rats, and females that are kept together and get along will help each other with taking care of babies...thus reducing stress on the mothers, also keep the babies from sucking mom dry of her nutrients....if she feels malnourished that could defiantly make her turn on her babies

i agree with staying away from the dog food...it has meat products in it and can give the mice a taste for flesh lol
 
I'm also agreeing with BRD7666. Feed them off because they won't stop now! My females started eating their litters and even after changing their diet,they wouldn't stop. So,they became feeders for my only live eater. I haven't tried to start up another colony because they were too smelly and such a pain in the rear anyway. But,basically,I'm agreeing with the statement that once they start they won't stop no matter what you do to their diet. You'd be best to start over with a new colony if your dead set on having one.
 
Sometimes brand new Mothers will Panic and eat their own babies if Scared or Interupted during their first litter they will however adapt and move on!
 
We had the same problem with ours... She ate the babies made me so mad.. there is a group of 4 females and I have fed off the male mouse the babies aren't disappearing now.... heck now my ASF's have litters and aren't eating them .... who knows what it was but now if i could only get my regular rats to have babies...all would be good... heres hoping that the ASF babies stay around..... But I do agree with the lab block comment... they need better food and I noticed if you try to clean after they have baby's make sure you scoop up them and some bedding that way they don't kill them... actually talk to DAND or PAV or even Blong they are who I ask all my questions to.
 
MagickalMorphs said:
She keeps the females alone and undisturbed. That to me says crappy diet. The generic hamster gerbil food isn't a good diet for anything, much less breeding animals. I second (third, fourth?) the good lab block suggestion. A lot of people swear by junk - dog food, cat food, hog food, etc. - but lab block is specifically made for their systems and contains all they need.
Click to expand...


Lab block isn't always available... I live out in the sticks so I have to use what I can get my hands on. What I have found out is one of the reason's they eat their babies is lack of protein. I used to strickly feed higher protein dog food.... but I kept getting tumors in my population (supposedly from the red 40 dye). I have since switched to sweet feed for horses. It is primarily grains with some molasus mixed in. It is around 12% protein. While that is not ideal... I have just recently decided to add in some Mare and Foal feed into the mix... this is 16% protein and closer to what they require.
 
Thanks so much for help and info guys. I'll def. see about finding that food and stuff but really don't think I'll find it at this small pet store we have here.

Yes they are all new mothers. I am new at raising mice but have raised rats for years and never had a rat eat a baby lol.

This is their first litters, yes they are kept alone in a quiet room, no males with them.
I have 10 females and 2 males.

They are in tubs with screen for tops so I guess it's either because they are new moms or it could be the food, but they are staying nice a fat.

Oh and I'm also giving them hog feed/pig food it's long brown pellets??? Guy at the pet store sold me a 50lb bag and said it is great for people who raise 1,000's of mice, that the bigger places use it for mice and rat food. But I mix it with other stuff so they are not eating just it..

Karma for you guys, thanks for the help!

Amanda
 
Just watch mixing males in on the wrong batch of babies or they will all get ate I actually leave my male 1-4 ratio and let them Colonize to prevent males smelling other males babies
 
Mrs_wise_reptiles said:
actually talk to DAND or PAV or even Blong they are who I ask all my questions to.
Click to expand...

There are other people, some who have posted here, who have great experience with feeders and are qualified to give advice.

One of those people got their original soft furs from me, and another has sold sick rodents to at least two people here.

Kevin (I swear I'm not trying to pick a fight with you!) - sweet feed would have ingredients similar to what's in rodent block. My main complaint is dog and cat food, both for the contents and the extra stuff they add in. And that's based on my own personal experience. I've gotten many rodents that come in on doggy bag or whatever other horrendous food the seller was cheap enough to feed, and they just don't compare in any way to my animals which are fed on rodent diet and supplemented with a few rodent-y treats. I do spend more raising my feeders than would cost me to buy them frozen, but I want quality feeders going into my snakes, no guessing.

Personally, for mice I do 1.3 in 10 gallon tanks and let them colonize. They eat a baby here and there, but production is great (just had one mom drop 21 pinks last night), and I have virtually zero issues with them.
 
joseydiann said:
Oh and I'm also giving them hog feed/pig food it's long brown pellets??? Guy at the pet store sold me a 50lb bag and said it is great for people who raise 1,000's of mice, that the bigger places use it for mice and rat food. But I mix it with other stuff so they are not eating just it..
Click to expand...

Sounds like you are using Kent feed. I used to use it but my mice wouldn't eat it but they would chew it up and make bedding out of it. (stupid mice) A good addition I have found to work well is Sunflower seeds. The local feed store carries them in 50 lb bags for under $15.00 and my mice and rats eat them like Mulder on the X-files did. :eatpointe
 
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