My mouse thinks she's a ASF!!

I was truly surprised when I got around to counting this litter, this is the first litter for this girl. 15 babies WOW!

mom 3 days before delivering
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...se100_2160.jpg

lots of pinkies!
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...er100_2244.jpg

Will she be able to care for them properly/adequately

Hi llovelace...

I actually keep 2-3 females per one male in a unit. The other females will actually care for the litters as they come:) That is what I have observed as far as nursing/covering/etc etc. Hope this helps:)

I have 4 females and 1 juvi female in the same tank with a male, but none of the other females have litters, I have 1 thant is pregant but won't deliver for like 7-10 days

I have rats and mice that deliver 15 regularly and do fine with them.

I find the infantcide/mortality is higher when

1. there are two many adults / juvis in the tub
2. new adult introductions
3. if it is the female's first or second litter
4. inadequate food and water is provided

Other than that you should be fine, and even if you lose a few... not so bad to have a litter of 12 or more. :)

You may consider holding back a few of those daughters as well.

Bruce

PS: one other thing to note, I get a higher survival rate as well if I have an experienced female in with a female that is delivering her first litter.

I think rodents, will mimic the correct behaviour (teaching the new female appropriate maternal behaviour till the instincts kick in fully). I have females routinely that are not nursing that will tend to a new brood. But then again, the act of stimulation likely does trigger the bio feedback loop for non-lactating females and induce lactation. And it is not like many of them ever really stop lactating if you have a group that has staggered births and they are aunting off the litters.

GRATZ on the snake food!!! they are really cute though!

Good gosh and I assumed a first litter of ten would be huge, but I have heard these albino lab strains of mice give massive litters.
Since I have a juvenile corn to feed, I always cut down the number of growing ups to 5 or 6 and feed off the rest, I think this is an easier number to handle for my girls, though they should be able to take care of all the babies.
But till I rearrange my breeding groups they are busy back 2 back, so I do not want to stress them too much.

I had a female give birth to a litter of 20. I had separated her from the male and the rest of the colony because I wanted to separate her young for holdbacks, and in the colony I had no way to know which were hers.

I took some of them as they were growing to feed to my corns, but she raised about 13-15 of them to weaning just fine, and without any help.

She is a black & white spotted, so it isn't only the white lab mouse strains that can have big successful litters.