Cannabil type problem

[marisa]

I really haven't had more than 2-3 cases of pinkies being eaten in the past two years. Things have been awesome with my mice, but this week a problem has come up thats really gross, and weird.

I have a cage of 1.3 going. They have around 12 "flea" stage mice with them. What I mean is they have some with eyes open, running and JUMPING when scared. That size....anyways a few of these babies have now had their scalps and/or skulls eaten off. These mice are still living mind you when I found them. This isn't just missing hair. I'd describe it better but I won't be that graphic.

I removed all with this horrible injury and put them down. I cleaned the cage and left maybe 6 with the parents, who were all doing well. I look in there today and see a couple more minus their scalps/top of skulls, yet alive.

What the hell is this? This is a young yet succesful colony who has given me two other healthy large batches of babies. It's only been hot in the mouse room for two days or else I'd say the heat but its not that. Its very disgusting and weird. They will all bee whacked off tonight but I am still curious.

Marisa

[mykee]

I don't know what the problem is, as I no longer breed mice, but this is the exact reason I no longer breed my own mice. Much too sensitive and tempermental to any little change in anything. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

[nicola_boulton]

Sometimes if You house more than one female mouse together then they will start to get terratorial over space in the cage, ESPICALLY if they have babies of their own they will often go to the other litters to decline the amount of babies in the cage.
This has happend to me before, and i know its not pretty!
Mabey you should consider housing your mother mice seperatly, or getting a much bigger cage.
hope this helps, and good luck!

[condabroad]

I had a female that ate four out of seven of her young, like you said just the top of head but they did die. I took her babies away and gave them to another female to look after which she did right away and the bad mother became food. I really don't know for sure but have heard that if the mother is an older rat or mouse she does it because she is not capable of raising them or they sense something isn't right with them.

[marisa]

It so weird because all mothers in the cage have been nursing them still. There is no nest issue as in space, and I just can't figure this one out.

Mykee- Yup. Tonight the last of my mice, and I mean ALL of them, are being whacked. I can't take it anymore.

Viva La Rats!

Marisa

[Pixie]

Mice...

I always had problems with my colonies, especially cannibalism. I would have problems with babies getting eaten and the adults! It was sick...

After a year with little results I gave up too. And very happy to have switched to breeding rats! The difference is huge!

Pixie

[Lisa]

Mice are weird.

[Ciddian]

Barborizing....possibly??
But it seems like they just go too far....?? I've had bald mice before and that was do to establishing order in the group...

I try not to understand the wierd things mice do LOL

Sorry about that... :S

I always found it better if i separated any prego females untill the babies where large enough take care of themselves...But then that depends if you have the room :medopen:

[mykee]

My respect goes out to the serious mouse breeders 'cause it seems that they're always fighting an uphill battle. More power to them, I'm just not one of 'em.

[marisa]

I have never found seperating the females to work better. It cuts my production in half when I tried that. Although that's just it. You either want high production with a couple problems or slower production with less problems.

I really can't complain too much though. The past two years have been outstanding for my mice. I just think I got lucky with a good strain finally as I have had no eating pinks, no adult killings, no illness, etc in a long long time. But this problem combined with the smell, has pushed me over the edge. They gotta go! :P

Marisa

[annieb_mice]

Cannabalism can be the result of too little protein in the diet or too little space. Sometimes it can also happen if you have "bad" genetics in your colony. I've found that mice have more of a tendency to kill their babies if their "mother" did this.
Unfortunately... this is one of the downfalls of breeding mice... sometimes things like this happen. :P
Take care
Annie B. <:3 )~~

[marisa]

Thanks.

I just don't get why they would start this with babies of almost hopper size, and not eat the entire baby, only the top of the skulls. Mice are sooooo weird.

Marisa

[vanderkm]

It does sound like an extension of excessive grooming - some females get obsessive about it and can groom each other or offspring so aggressively that they damage and remove skin. We saw it on a couple occasions when we still bred mice. If you can find the individual that is at fault and cull them, the problem usually stops. Don't know why it starts in some individual mice - seems a normal behaviour just gets short-circuited. Likely a good thing you culled them. Agree with everyone else - mice are a real challenge to breed and genetic selection for calm, good maternal instincts is a real advantage in getting good production.

mary v.