Pregnant mouse?

regi375 · 03-18-17, 09:10 PM

Oh boy... after my ball python Fiona just didn't take her first mouse right away I didn't feed her the second one (Discussed this in a different thread). So that left one mouse in the feeder cage. no big deal, right? Well I look in there today when I added in some new feeders and I discover that she looks really, really bloated. She's almost to golf ball size now. Please tell me she isn't pregnant, and just ate too much or something?... If she is, then can I feed the babies to my kingsnake and spotted python? My only concern for that is I'm not sure if they'd go back onto f/t afterwards... Any advice would be a blessing, thanks. (Sorry if it seems like I'm over posting lately ;-; This live feeding stuff new to me man.)

REM955 · 03-18-17, 10:18 PM

Is it alive? If not I would suppose that is just decomposition.
As for the other responsibility someone else is going to have to speak on this.
Pictures might help.

regi375 · 03-18-17, 11:02 PM

Yes, it's live. Here's a pic, she's about twice as big as the other mice x.x

Grizla · 03-19-17, 12:24 AM

that is one pregnant mouse. one live meal probably isn't going to ruin your snakes' training, but if you're worried about it- fresh baby mice are so tiny and naked i think they'd freeze to death very, very quickly and then you could just use them as you normally would. not a great situation, but sometimes these things happen.

**Tsubaki** · 03-19-17, 08:30 AM

Don't EVER put live animals in a freezer! Horrendous thing to do. If you wish to freeze pinkies, this might sound cruel.. but simply throw them against the ground first. Instant death, freeze them without pain.

regi375 · 03-19-17, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsubaki

Don't EVER put live animals in a freezer! Horrendous thing to do. If you wish to freeze pinkies, this might sound cruel.. but simply throw them against the ground first. Instant death, freeze them without pain.

Didn't plan on putting anything live in the freezer. If there's any leftover young then I'll probably just wait until they're big enough for Fiona to eat. Didn't realize I was getting a six for one deal when I got the mouse, lol.

TRD · 03-19-17, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsubaki

Don't EVER put live animals in a freezer! Horrendous thing to do. If you wish to freeze pinkies, this might sound cruel.. but simply throw them against the ground first. Instant death, freeze them without pain.

I once bought some feeders from a store I usually won't go. I had to because my usual pickup point ran out for some reason of the size I needed (never happened before). They gave me a small plastic tub and I was in a rush so I basically didn't look inside... it was pinkies and hoppers and some sizes in between.

Once I got home and opened the box because wanted to sort them out I realized this shop simply put the mice in the box alive, and froze them. They were clumped together I suppose in an attempt to stay alive, defecated everywhere due to fear, and overall looked like a horror movie shot just missing the claw marks on the wall.

I seriously considered going back with molotov cocktails to that shop. Once I spoke to my regular breeder where I get my mice he told me he knows about that practice in that shop and he also told me they previously used some gas to kill the mice. That gas was not CO2 and they killed off someone's snake collection as the mice became poisonous, hence now they live freeze them.

Some proper regulation would be in order here.. :\

PS. that wasn't in NL.

---

As for the pregnant mouse, congrats

if that stuff would happen to me my girlfriend wouldn't allow me to use them as food and we would gain a bunch more pets, haha

Macropodus · 03-19-17, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by regi375

... first mouse right away I didn't feed her the second one ... So that left one mouse ... I added in some new feeders... If she is [pregnant], then can I feed the babies to my kingsnake and spotted python? ...

So you want her to give birth, right? And you want the pups to live, rather than get eaten by mother and/or the new feeders recently added in, right? Ideally you'd have left her together with the other mouse that you had purchased her with, especially if it was also a female.

If you isolate her she most likely will eat her pups. If you keep her in mixed with the other, unfamiliar mice her pups also will likely get eaten. Your best bet is to pull the largest female mouse from the new recently acquired feeders and put her together with the pregnant mouse in a very dark, warm, quiet place with little to no disturbance. Toss in a roll of toilet paper, and of course food + water. With a little luck you will soon have a nest of nursing pups.

Good luck and keep us updated.

regi375 · 03-19-17, 09:43 PM

I did isolate her, but both of the new feeders I got are male. Gonna use an adjustable heat pad I got to put under her cage. Probably cover it with a towel as well to keep the light out. Hopefully she decides to mother the pups instead of eating them. Anymore suggestions?

regi375 · 03-19-17, 09:47 PM

Ah crap... The males are fighting... Anything I can do about that? I've got no other container to separate them XD

**Tsubaki** · 03-19-17, 11:32 PM

Mice eats their young due to extreme stress or a serious protein deficiency, if simply being alone or with unfamiliar mice got them to eat their young they woulndt be as effective as a species. 99/100 times young get eaten, wrong type of feed. My source for this? I bred fancy mice for years, and only had accidents the first few months untill I figured out pregnant mice needed supplements. Aka animal protein, insects (dried or not) or dried meat.. or even high quality (high protein low sodium) cat food works. Without supplements there's always a chance of the mother culling the litter because she can't spare the protein the babies are made out of, they aren't vegetarians after all. Rats do the same. I could even sort of, count, and sex the newborns without losing any. They did sometimes clean out the weak ones though. Only other problem is if you put a nursing mom with a non nursing possesive female, that would steal babies and blocks the mothers acces causing the babies to lack nursing. Males fighting isn't anything you can do about, it takes a long time and serious dedication to breed friendly males that can live together. If store bought mice fight, they will not very likely stop.

regi375 · 03-20-17, 12:00 AM

Thanks Tsubaki

as always, your advice is invaluable. I have a cat so I'll just use some of her food. Just out of curiosity, what should I be feeding the mice? Currently I've had seed available to them along with various fruits and veggies (Apple, carrot, potato, even some strawberry and orange).

**Tsubaki** · 03-20-17, 12:44 AM

A good mix of seeds meats and vegetables is the best, I bought high quality mice feed and supplemented the prenant/nursing females with a mix of dried meats and bugs. Sometimes even a few live mealworms (not advisable if they're not used to it, those things bite!)

**Tsubaki** · 03-20-17, 12:45 AM

Be careful with fruits especially dried, too much sugar is bad. I dried vegetables as well to easier regulate fluid intake.

regi375 · 03-20-17, 06:48 PM

She has given birth! It looks like she might have abandoned some of the babies though. Would it be ok if I took a look in there to see how many are alive?