# Feeders > Breeding Mice >  Mouse in labor!

## SCWood

My mouse is in labor and I'm worried. Her first "baby" came out looking like a ball and in two pieces. She didn't even bother looking at it. Her sides are sucked in and she's breathing heavily. She was not very round, so I was unsure she was pregnant until today. Should I be worried?

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## Stewart_Reptiles

What you need to do is step away and leave her alone, nothing you can do to help anyway, however your presence and the fact that you are watching can be disruptive enough that she might decide to kill any offspring she might give birth to.

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_SCWood_ (06-22-2016),wolfy-hound (01-02-2017)

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## SCWood

> What you need to do is step away and leave her alone, nothing you can do to help anyway, however your presence and the fact that you are watching can be disruptive enough that she might decide to kill any offspring she might give birth to.


Thank you. I have stopped watching. I peek in every hour or so from the door. All 3 mice are in labor currently. I think I saw babies, but the nest is well covered so we will wait and see  :Smile:

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## Stewart_Reptiles

> Thank you. I have stopped watching. I peek in every hour or so from the door. All 3 mice are in labor currently. I think I saw babies, but the nest is well covered so we will wait and see


Remember mice are very prone to stress, they know what to do so leave them for now and tomorrow you can check the babies.\, have a head count and check for milk band if that makes you feel better.

In general mice are a lot less trouble and in close to 9 years of breeding I have never loss a mouse while giving birth which is not the case with rats.

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_SCWood_ (06-22-2016),wolfy-hound (01-02-2017)

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## SCWood

> Remember mice are very prone to stress, they know what to do so leave them for now and tomorrow you can check the babies.\, have a head count and check for milk band if that makes you feel better.
> 
> In general mice are a lot less trouble and in close to 9 years of breeding I have never loss a mouse while giving birth which is not the case with rats.


Thank you  :Smile:  I'll be sure to check in tomorrow. Will it be safe to move the mothers to perform a head count? I don't want to upset anyone

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wolfy-hound (01-02-2017)

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## SCWood

I feel much better. I'm going to steer clear. Less stress for me and I'll get more done  :Smile:

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## Stewart_Reptiles

> Thank you  I'll be sure to check in tomorrow. Will it be safe to move the mothers to perform a head count? I don't want to upset anyone


It really depends on are well adjusted your mice are and their disposition, I can do pretty much whatever I want with my colony.

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_SCWood_ (06-22-2016)

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## SCWood

She died  :Sad:  the other 2 mice are okay. Should I attempt to save any babies?

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## Caspian

I usually give mine a couple days before I mess with the babies. My colonies are still pretty newly established. Then I move the mother to another enclosure, clean out any bloody bedding, shift bedding around to distribute my scent so it's not just on the pups, do a head count, put the mother back and leave them alone again. One of my rats just gave birth a week ago to over 16 pups... 16 was where I lost count. That was from just a quick peek into the cage though the screen while I was bestowing a few treats to distract her, rather than opening it and really counting. By the time I did an actual count, it was down to 15 pups. I think there were probably just too many for her to feed, so she thinned them out. She's happily raising the remaining 15 now, and they're all strong and healthy.

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## Caspian

> She died  the other 2 mice are okay. Should I attempt to save any babies?


I'm very sorry to hear that... in my own experience, though it's not nearly as extensive as that of many others, you might be best off just leaving the babies in with the others and they may adopt hers as their own. I've heard of people putting mouse pups in with new rat litters, as well, and the rat mother adopting them, though I've never tried that and can't vouch for it.

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## SCWood

> I'm very sorry to hear that... in my own experience, though it's not nearly as extensive as that of many others, you might be best off just leaving the babies in with the others and they may adopt hers as their own. I've heard of people putting mouse pups in with new rat litters, as well, and the rat mother adopting them, though I've never tried that and can't vouch for it.


No they're still inside her x.x she couldn't push them out and died. I can feel them in her

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## Stewart_Reptiles

> She died  the other 2 mice are okay. Should I attempt to save any babies?


If the other females are having babies they will likely foster those (hard to tell with a colony that is not well established), it will also depends on how many babies they give birth to and their ability to produce enough milk for their own babies plus extras.

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## Caspian

> No they're still inside her x.x she couldn't push them out and died. I can feel them in her


Oh! Hm... that's going to have to be a personal call. You could try saving them, but I suspect the odds are against them surviving. All you can do is try, however, and if you don't, they are guaranteed to die. If it were me, I would do it. Slim odds are better than none.

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## SCWood

> Oh! Hm... that's going to have to be a personal call. You could try saving them, but I suspect the odds are against them surviving. All you can do is try, however, and if you don't, they are guaranteed to die. If it were me, I would do it. Slim odds are better than none.


Performing csection. Will update

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## SCWood

Csection was quick and easy. No Pups to be found, which makes me feel better. Less of a loss that way.

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## Caspian

> Csection was quick and easy. No Pups to be found, which makes me feel better. Less of a loss that way.


Whew! No need to worry about them, or wonder. Horrible that she died, but I don't think there's much of anything you could have done to help her.

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_SCWood_ (06-22-2016)

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## SCWood

> Whew! No need to worry about them, or wonder. Horrible that she died, but I don't think there's much of anything you could have done to help her.


 Afraid not. I'm sad, yes, but these things happen in breeding I guess

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## SCWood

11 healthy pups!

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## Caspian

> 11 healthy pups!


Congratulations!

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## piedlover79

I'm sorry to hear your one momma didn't make it, congrats on the other pups!

I had a *gigantic* female mouse die before going into labor, I did a necropsy and there were 17 fetal mice inside 5 of which were ectopic (outside the uterus) which explained the death.  Some very odd things can happen during breeding.

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## SCWood

> I'm sorry to hear your one momma didn't make it, congrats on the other pups!
> 
> I had a *gigantic* female mouse die before going into labor, I did a necropsy and there were 17 fetal mice inside 5 of which were ectopic (outside the uterus) which explained the death.  Some very odd things can happen during breeding.


That's so interesting and sad! I will miss her, but it just left me space to hold back another female. If the litter allows, I'll be culling all but 3 females.

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## piedlover79

It was sad, but at the same time I had to marvel at the sheer number of little ones in there!

- - - Updated - - -

It was sad, but at the same time I had to marvel at the sheer number of little ones in there!

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_SCWood_ (06-25-2016)

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## SCWood

> It was sad, but at the same time I had to marvel at the sheer number of little ones in there!
> 
> - - - Updated - - -
> 
> It was sad, but at the same time I had to marvel at the sheer number of little ones in there!


💕 looks like I'll be holding back 2 males and 3 females. As far as temperament, males that grow up together won't usually fight, right?

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## Caspian

Some people say no, but my experience says yes - and that if the can smell a female they'll absolutely fight. If one is removed and put with a female, it can't be put back with the others. I've heard on here that the same is true for rats - I've never had that happen with rats. I was going to separate my male rats, just in case, but they don't do well by themselves so I put them back together and they were delighted to see each other again. Male mice, however, just from personal experience, will kill each other even if they're raised together, if any of them are taken out and put back in, or if there are female mice around, particularly if they are in heat.

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_SCWood_ (06-27-2016)

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## SCWood

> Some people say no, but my experience says yes - and that if the can smell a female they'll absolutely fight. If one is removed and put with a female, it can't be put back with the others. I've heard on here that the same is true for rats - I've never had that happen with rats. I was going to separate my male rats, just in case, but they don't do well by themselves so I put them back together and they were delighted to see each other again. Male mice, however, just from personal experience, will kill each other even if they're raised together, if any of them are taken out and put back in, or if there are female mice around, particularly if they are in heat.


Thank you  :Smile:

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## SCWood

> Some people say no, but my experience says yes - and that if the can smell a female they'll absolutely fight. If one is removed and put with a female, it can't be put back with the others. I've heard on here that the same is true for rats - I've never had that happen with rats. I was going to separate my male rats, just in case, but they don't do well by themselves so I put them back together and they were delighted to see each other again. Male mice, however, just from personal experience, will kill each other even if they're raised together, if any of them are taken out and put back in, or if there are female mice around, particularly if they are in heat.


Look who I almost missed. She is very swollen today. Wasn't 2 days ago...

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_Fraido_ (06-27-2016)

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## Caspian

Chubby girl! I have a rat that's about to pop, and who's looking like that right now. Siamese girl, bred to a Black Berkshire. I'm always fascinated to see what comes out... next pairing due is a Blue Berkshire girl to a Siamese boy.

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_SCWood_ (06-28-2016)

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## CloudtheBoa

> 💕 looks like I'll be holding back 2 males and 3 females. As far as temperament, males that grow up together won't usually fight, right?


In my breeding group the males are the most docile.  I can put a group of baby males in with their father immediately with no fighting from the get-go, they go straight to sleeping with each other until I cull them off (based off 2 litters so far).  I put the group of females in with a holdback girl from the first litter and she immediately started fighting everyone, but they're getting along now.  The breeder girls I have start out antagonizing the male for several days until they get used to his presence, and he barely fights back.  I haven't tried putting multiple males together with a female in the mix, but all three groups are right next to each other, and the females' scents don't seem to instigate anything.

Sorry to hear your girl died, hopefully the babies continue doing well!  I lost over 20 pinkies in my most recent batch of litters, no clue why, most died within 2 days of being born and another couple died at the fuzzy stage but I didn't lose any more once they opened their eyes.  :Sad:   Still have 6 healthy weaned mice, though.

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_SCWood_ (06-28-2016)

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## SCWood

> Chubby girl! I have a rat that's about to pop, and who's looking like that right now. Siamese girl, bred to a Black Berkshire. I'm always fascinated to see what comes out... next pairing due is a Blue Berkshire girl to a Siamese boy.


I can't wait to breed. Right now, I'm waiting on a blue hooded and a black Berkshire set of males!

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## SCWood

> In my breeding group the males are the most docile.  I can put a group of baby males in with their father immediately with no fighting from the get-go, they go straight to sleeping with each other until I cull them off (based off 2 litters so far).  I put the group of females in with a holdback girl from the first litter and she immediately started fighting everyone, but they're getting along now.  The breeder girls I have start out antagonizing the male for several days until they get used to his presence, and he barely fights back.  I haven't tried putting multiple males together with a female in the mix, but all three groups are right next to each other, and the females' scents don't seem to instigate anything.
> 
> Sorry to hear your girl died, hopefully the babies continue doing well!  I lost over 20 pinkies in my most recent batch of litters, no clue why, most died within 2 days of being born and another couple died at the fuzzy stage but I didn't lose any more once they opened their eyes.   Still have 6 healthy weaned mice, though.


That's so awesome!

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## Xinyi

To reply on another mouse raising the babies....

A couple weeks ago,  I had one female have babies(1st litter), she has a very helpful female friend in the cage that is extremely helpful.
Anyways, 2 days afterwards, I had another female  (In a different cage) have her babies(2nd litter, 1st litter, none survived), I caught her cage mate  (another pregnant female, 1st time prego) about to eat one of her babies. I  did save the baby before she could kill it.
The 1st mom and her cage mate were doing very well, so I was hoping that if I put her and her babies in with the others, they would all 3 (the 2 moms and the very helpful one) help each other take care of the babies.
I put the babies in the nest, under the older ones. Then introduced the 2nd mom. The 3 females got along okay (they gad been together before). However, the introduced mom went into the nest and severely injured 2 of the older babies, enough that they did not survive.
I was mad at the little brat.... not going into details, but she ended up being fed to my ferret.
So, there ended up being 6 babies that were about 4-5 days old and 5 that were about 3-4 days old. The mom and her helpful friend completely adopted the introduced babies and have had no more die.

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