Mom to baby ratio...

[Tim_Cranwill]

I have started taking my pregnant mice out and putting them in an LDRP (Labour, Delivery, Recovery, Post-partum) type nursery after they give birth. Can I take the mom out and leave the nursing to one mouse for all the babies?

Basically what I'm asking is, how many babies can one mouse nurse?

I ask because I've read that after giving birth, the mouse can get pregnant pretty soon and I don't want to waste valuable time.:)

Thanks.

[vanderkm]

One good mother mouse can nurse at least 25 babies, possibly more, but the best females can get drained because they are so good at milk production, lose body weight and die. Not as big a problem when you have other moms to pick up the slack, but a problem if there are only 1-2 females with 4-5 litters.

I find the best way to maximize litter production is to leave the male with a small harem (under 8 females). The moms come into heat the same day that they have a litter, if they are with the male, he breeds them and they are ready to deliver again in 3 weeks when the first litter is ready to be weaned. All the females look after the babies of various ages, and it works well as long as you are taking out babies by about 3-4 weeks of age. That way you don't waste any time by removing the females. It is also less risky because mice are not as easy going as rats, and it can be hard to re-introduce the females to the male or to each other. A stable colony will typically be more productive in the long run, in my opinion.

Mary v.

[Tim_Cranwill]

Ok, thanks. That's what I WAS doing until I lost like 3 litters in a row. I don't really know why I lost these litter though. The colony was well established and had adequate food and water.

Since I just introduce some new females into each colony, I think I'll keep going with the nursey route for a bit.

Thanks a lot for the reply:)

[vanderkm]

Very strange to lose three litters in an established group - were these pinkies when lost or older? Definately best to continue with what is working best under your conditions and if the nursery works well, then go with that. Likely best to keep a couple moms in there rather than rely on one. Two mature females can handle at least 4-5 litters, as long as the youngsters are being taken out early so numbers drop off quickly (lots taken out as pinks and fuzzies). I would try and leave the new moms in for 4 days after they give birth, to lessen the load on the nurse females and because they are in heat the day they pup and then not again for 4-6 days, so you won't loose any time in breeding by waiting 4 days.

Hope things improve,
Mary v.

[Tim_Cranwill]

The litters were eaten either as they were being born or shortly after. It was hard to see who was doing it too because they'd stop when I'd come around.

I've been leaving the most recent moms (usually 2 or 3) in with the babies. I have been taking 12 babies out every 4 days, so the nursing load stays around 2 - 3 litters at any given time. With what you said, it sounds like the moms should be able to manage just fine.

Thanks a bunch for all the advice!