Mouse eating tails off babies.

[toddnbecka]

Since there aren't any pet shops locally that sell live pinky, fuzzy, or hopper size mice I decided to start raising my own. Main issue was the baby carpet python, not taking f/t, so I had to drive 1.5 hours to get live feeders, not something I wanted to do weekly. Now the wee bugger takes f/t with no problem. but at least I'll have a good supply of pinks for the baby Okeetee and hoppers for the carpet on hand.
I started with 1m/3f in a 10 gallon tank. After a couple weeks the male mouse developed rolling disease and died, followed by one of the females about a week later. The 2 remaining females were pregnant before the male died, and both have now given birth. First litter was 12, now fuzzies 2nd litter of 9 just arrived. The 2nd female has apparently eaten the tails off the first female's entire litter of babies, and now done the same thing with her own. Before the 2nd litter was born I moved them into a plastic tote with more space than the 10 gallon tank, and added another hide box since the 2nd female wasn't sharing the hide with the first female and her babies.
I have another tote with 1m/3f I picked up at the last Hamburg show. One of those females dropped 6 babies yesterday, all 4 adults share one hide box, and none of the babies are tailless. Any idea what the problem is with the one female that seems to have a taste for meat?

[SnoopySnake]

Could she be stressed? When I was younger my cousin had a hamster that had some pups and they kept trying to hold mom and the babies, eventually she chewed all of their legs off. Maybe she would appreciate her own tote? Not sure though, just guessing. :rolleyes:

[toddnbecka]

The cannibal has been moved to her own tank, an old 10 gallon, and will likely be in the freezer shortly. Obviously not good for breeding, no point in feeding her much longer. The hoppers are otherwise fine and healthy. actually quite large and fat compared to the frozen ones I had been getting locally. I suppose stress could have been the problem, though when I moved them from the 10 gallon to the larger tote I added another hide box so the other female could have her own nest separate from the first female and her litter. Thought that would solve the problem, but apparently not.

[Minkness]

Good luck =/

[toddnbecka]

As long as the new group doesn't go bad like the first quad I should be fine. Mainly wanted pinkies for the corn and hoppers for the python, though one of the Dominican's took a hopper last night. Mice breed and grow quickly, with any luck I'll have a good supply in the freezer in a few months and will be able to feed the adult breeders to the BCI to slow them down a bit.

[Mad Max]

Any idea what the problem is with the one female that seems to have a taste for meat?

They usually do that if they need more protein in their diet or they become stressed.

[Evanthomas]

whenever i breed mice for my snakes (i do it on and off) if i end up with a parent that's gone cannibalistic i usually end up freezing the parent and babies and having them as frozen pinkies, hoppers whatever they may be. usually pinkies because the cannibalistic parents i've dealt with usually go for the litter early on if they will.

[KavomatovlHes]

Oh so thats good then. Because its their fav I am using one to gain their trust. So far its going great and they are both eating off in when its in my hand and Blue has even started standing on it with a little bit of encouragement When do you think I should start bringing them out of their cage?