No matter what species has babies, they are always a wonderful gift of life.
Whether you’re planning on impregnating your mouse with another mouse or your mouse is suddenly pregnant because one day, you accidentally left it outside for a little too long, you need to be ready for when the litter of pups is born.
There are supplies you can buy to make it easier for the mother to birth and care for the pups. Here is what you need to do to be ready for the birth of a litter!
Before the babies arrive:
The moment you learn your mouse is pregnant, you have to change the location of their cage if it is in a high-traffic area. Mothers of all species hate to be around creatures that are larger and more dangerous than they are when they are about to give birth. Now is a good time to place your mouse’s cage in your closet or in the far corner of the room.
1. Foods for pregnant mice
It is a good idea to buy specially formulated pellets for pregnant mice. Babies take a lot of the nutrition and health from the mother mice, so they will need all of these extra vitamins and minerals they can get
2. Create a special area for her
As time goes on, the mother mouse’s belly will grow larger and larger. She will be likely to exhibit nervous or scared behavior, especially if there are two or more mice in the cage. If she has company, she can fear for her safety as mice can turn on each other. You may want to get a second smaller cage to place the mother mouse, so she doesn’t have to be scared. If you do this, take some of the bedding from the first cage and placed it in the second one. By doing this, her new cage will smell more like the one she was living in.
If the mother is about to give birth:
1. Signs she is ready to birth
One obvious sign that the mother is about to give birth is if she is constantly in hiding. If you notice that your mouse has gotten very fat and she does not walk around her cage too much anymore, then her time has come. A pregnant mouse doesn’t just look fat. They look like completely round balls with little legs.
2. Prep if you can
Continue to feed and water her and provide some extra tasty snacks as well. Clean the cage bedding if you can before she starts to give birth. You may want to add more soft bedding to the area where she sleeps. You can do this, but try not to touch too many things with your hand while you’re changing her bedding might be best to wash your hands before you touch anything in her cage.
3. She needs to be alone
When you see or hear the mother mouse go into labor. It’s time for you to back away. You can watch over her as she gives birth, but you have to do it at a distance. Block the cage off and don’t allow anyone or anything near her for the next few weeks. You should also lower the lighting and prevent any loud noises during this time.
After the birth is done:
1. Minimal Contact
The mother will need a long time in order to recover from giving birth. Typically when a mouse gives birth, they have a litter of four to five, but the litters can have fewer or more pups. Do not disturb the cage and the new litter too much. You may be tempted to clean the soiled bedding and replace it with fresh bedding, but this is not a good idea. It will agitate the mother, and she will try to flee from the area and neglect her babies.
The few days to weeks after the mouse gives birth, she may be more aggressive than usual. Her change in attitude is due to the fact that she is both exhausted and protective of her new babies. If you need to change the water or food, be fast and don’t linger too long.
The care of the mother and babies
Recover meals
From the day they’re born to up to three weeks, the pups will need to feed off of their mother. During this time, the mother will need more food than usual. The food also needs to be nutritious. Provide the mother with leafy green vegetables, tasty fruits, a high-quality pellet brand, and small scraps of hard-boiled egg or chicken for a protein boost.
After the babies have been weaned and they can now eat solid foods, you have to separate the mice into groups of males and females and place them in separate cages. If you do not separate them, the male mice will try to get the female mice pregnant. Mice can get pregnant when they are only four weeks old. So you could have two or three mice pregnant at one time. Then, in several weeks, there will be 10 to 15 new pups.
Note: Although the miracle of birth is amazing, there’s some parts of nature that are not so amazing. Some mouse caretakers have reported that the mother eats one or two of the pups in the litter. Do not be surprised or shocked if the mother mouse does that, although you can stop her if you catch her in the act.
Conclusion
- It is very easy for a mouse to become pregnant
- Mice can become pregnant at four weeks old.
- At three weeks is when mice pups are weaned from their mother.
- You can buy special food for pregnant mice, so she can receive more nutrition.
- If the pregnant mouse is sharing its cage with another mouse, consider separating them so she won’t be too nervous or scared
- Mice are ready to give birth when they are fat round little balls who hide often.
- Do not go near the mother when she is giving birth.
- After the birthing process is done, do not change the bedding immediately. Leave it there for a few days
- Three weeks after the mother gives birth, the mice are able to be weaned off of her milk
- You have to separate the mice into separate groups of males and females, or they can impregnate each other.
