mouse committed suicide?

[geckogirl171]

I decided I would try my hand at breeding mice to help save some $$.
I started with 3 females and one male in a ten gallon tank. I took out the first female right before she delivered and she had 11 babies. She had 11 babies until yesterday and now she has 5 healthy babies starting to get fuzz. She must have eaten the other 6. :? That is normal for a first time mother mouse I understand. My confusion is with the second pregnant mouse I removed just before giving birth...she seems to have gone into labor and was bleeding. No babies!! It was almost as if she needed a c-section because she could not deliver them. I didn't know what to do so I just made sure she had plenty of food, water and bedding for a nest. She bled a bit for the whole morning and when I went to check on her last night...she had killed herself in the waterdish!!! :shock: I have never seen a mouse commit suicide before!! Is this normal?? Has anyone ever experienced this? I mean her dish was just barely as big as her and yet she drowned!! :shock:
Please tell me if I did something wrong here...thanks! :)

[CornCrazy]

Ann,

I have never heard of a mouse intentionally commiting suicide. I have heard of them dying because they needed a C-section, though. Of course, most people wouldn't pay to have a C-section (or any other surgery) done on a mouse. I'd say it would be quite expensive becaue it would be like doing microsurgery! I say most people because some people would spend the money. We actually did surgery on a dwarf hamster once. It had a very bad eye infection and needed the eye removed...so we did an enucleation on it. We have also done spays, neuters, and tumor removals on rats, sugar gliders, guinea pigs, etc.

Anyway, maybe the mouse was weak because she had been bleeding. She might not have had the strength to climb back out of the water bowl.

[brent_strande]

I'd guess that if she was in pain, she wasn't able to get herself out of the water dish...

Why was there a water dish instead of a dripper bottle? I would be afraid with a water dish for two reasons...

1. Gets dirty way too fast

2. Risk of pinkies getting into it and drowning.

Funny thing is, I would never have thought of the the mother to be at risk for drowning! I'd recommend water bottles from now on. They prevent the risk of drowning, and provide CLEAN water.

[geckogirl171]

I raised fancy mice for years and always used a water dish. :? If not they would climb the bottle and end up hanging on the screen lid of the aquarium. I also had trouble finding one to hang on the glass aquarium. The dish is barely as big as the mouse so I think it is more likely she lost her footing from being so weak and was already dying. :(
The water is not deep enough to even cover her whole body. I change the water daily so I have not had dirty water problem yet. The cage with the pinks has an even smaller dish just in case they wander over.
I had a feeling she would not make it when I saw her bleeding. She was not moving too much at all and I probably would have euthanised her if she had not done it herself. :(
Now, back to the water...can someone reccommend a a bottle that hangs on to a glass aquarium that you can also use a screen top over? The pet shops here don't have any that seem to work and I have looked at 3 different stores. They all say in glass you use a dish??? :?

[Quigs]

Ann,

I use the ultra cheapo 8oz. water bottles from Walmart. I believe they are made by Hartz Mountain and are around $2 a piece.

Funny thing is, they are the best damn water bottles we have ever used. Nothing fancy about them at all, but they don't leak.

They also come with a hanger for the side of an aquarium. They work really well. We've had great success with them and they are cheap too!

Quigs

[Alias47]

Wow...



Good food gone to waste :twisted:




Sorry...couldn't help it, but that was my first thought...