Little Mouse
Tarzan & Jane
Tarzan & Jane
Pregnancy
Some pregnant mice look like they swallowed a golf ball while other mice don't look pregnant at all. Pregnant Mouse Some mice look exactly the same from the time they become pregnant to the time they deliver. This is why it is so important to separate the mother from the father before she could possibly have babies. Don't let her size, or lack there of, fool you. The 2 pictures shown above are of a mouse that has the "I ate a golf ball" look. She is in her last few days of pregnancy. Not all mice look like this. Some are bigger, some are smaller. Some mice look huge when pregnant with very few babies while others with much larger litters might not look pregnant at all. Some mice have small litters with large size babies while other mice have large litters with small size babies. Some mice have average litters with average size babies too. The size of your mouse is not an indication of how many babies she has.
While it is possible to feel the babies in your mouse, do NOT attempt this. You can easily injure the babies and the mother. Killing a baby inside the mother is extremely easy to do. If this happens, it also kill the mother if she isn't able to absorb the fetus. This does not mean that you can't hold her and give her attention though. If the mother isn't looking too uncomfortable and she wants attention, you may absolutely hold her. Let her climb on your hand. Make sure all 4 of her feet are supported by your hand and then lift her up. She will regulate the pressure on her abdomen. Never pick a pregnant mother up by the belly or the tail. Picking up a mother by the tail during her pregnancy can cause the tail to break, fall off entirely, or pull the skin right off. Their tail is not a handle and should not be used as such.
Do note, however, that a mouse with worms can look exactly like a pregnant doe. If this is the case, the worms are severe and immediate vet attention is needed! Additionally, a mouse with a blockage in the digestive system can also look like this as well. Again, if that is the case immediate vet attention is needed. Lastly, some chubby mice can look pregnant. If this is the case a better diet and exercise is needed.
Some pregnant mice look like they swallowed a golf ball while other mice don't look pregnant at all. Pregnant Mouse Some mice look exactly the same from the time they become pregnant to the time they deliver. This is why it is so important to separate the mother from the father before she could possibly have babies. Don't let her size, or lack there of, fool you. The 2 pictures shown above are of a mouse that has the "I ate a golf ball" look. She is in her last few days of pregnancy. Not all mice look like this. Some are bigger, some are smaller. Some mice look huge when pregnant with very few babies while others with much larger litters might not look pregnant at all. Some mice have small litters with large size babies while other mice have large litters with small size babies. Some mice have average litters with average size babies too. The size of your mouse is not an indication of how many babies she has.
While it is possible to feel the babies in your mouse, do NOT attempt this. You can easily injure the babies and the mother. Killing a baby inside the mother is extremely easy to do. If this happens, it also kill the mother if she isn't able to absorb the fetus. This does not mean that you can't hold her and give her attention though. If the mother isn't looking too uncomfortable and she wants attention, you may absolutely hold her. Let her climb on your hand. Make sure all 4 of her feet are supported by your hand and then lift her up. She will regulate the pressure on her abdomen. Never pick a pregnant mother up by the belly or the tail. Picking up a mother by the tail during her pregnancy can cause the tail to break, fall off entirely, or pull the skin right off. Their tail is not a handle and should not be used as such.
Do note, however, that a mouse with worms can look exactly like a pregnant doe. If this is the case, the worms are severe and immediate vet attention is needed! Additionally, a mouse with a blockage in the digestive system can also look like this as well. Again, if that is the case immediate vet attention is needed. Lastly, some chubby mice can look pregnant. If this is the case a better diet and exercise is needed.
Diet for pregnant and nursing moms.
Mice in general shouldn't be given high protein and high fat diets. However, pregnant and nursing moms need additional protein and fat at this critical time. Boosting their diet should start half way through pregnancy and last until after they wean their young. You may boost them before breeding, however, you should never boost them nearly as much as you would a pregnant and nursing doe. Giving a pregnant doe one plain small puppy biscuit (such as Milk Bone Puppy biscuits) once a day works well. Other good things to give them are cooked eggs (scrambled), small pieces of cooked meat, puppy or dog kibbles, and oatmeal. Remember to remove any food that can spoil (such as meat and eggs) within 2 hours after you first offer it. Leaving it out longer can cause food poisoning and death in mice. Always give these things in moderation as well. Giving them too much can do more harm than good! Additionally, if a mouses' diet is suddenly changed it can cause major digestive upset. This will make her sick and likely cause runny stools. A mouse with runny stools can dehydrate extremely quickly. A dehydrated mouse can die within 24 hours. A few loose stools isn't anything to be too concerned about. This can be caused by a number of things, many of which are not a cause of concern. However, constant runny stools are a large cause of concern. It is best to slowly get your mouse used to these foods. It is also wise to know what types of food your mouse can't handle before breeding and diet boosting takes place. Giving a mouse something new can cause an allergy which is extremely worrisome during pregnancy. Other than this your mouse should be fine on her normal diet prior to getting pregnant, as long as your mouse is on a good staple diet to begin with.
