So I bought pet mice for my son today (both female) and I think one is pregnant. How can I tell?

Question

Shes kind of fat... fatter than the other one...

How can i tell she is pregnant???

Answer 1

usually the pregnancy period of a mouse is only a few weeks... theres not really alot u can do if it is pregnant... other than make sure you take the babies out of the tank asap so it doesnt get pregnant again... if u want to find out take it to the vet

Answer 2

They should get along well, and the odds are extremely high that any female mouse you get from a pet store is already pregnant. If not, if you've had them together more than 24 hours, she's probably pregnant by him by now. Female mice are fertile roughly every 3 days, and they're very good at making more mice! Gestation is about 20 days, and she'll have anywhere between 5 and 15 babies, most likely. The babies are weaned at between 28 and 30 days, and at that point you need to take the boys out. As another poster indicated, the female will get pregnant again the day she gives birth if there is a male in the cage at that time, or any time thereafter as long as he's in there. That's pretty tough on her--the resources needed to grow one set of babies internally while nursing the other set is a lot to ask of that little body. Sometimes she'll kill the second litter if she decides she isn't healthy enough to raise them. If you leave the father in there, in addition to the mom having back-to-back litters, he'll impregnate his daughters as soon as they're fertile, which is somewhere between 6 and 8 weeks old. Because mice aren't fully grown until about 12 weeks old, it can stunt a female's growth if you breed her younger than 12 weeks (that goes for the female you just brought home, too, although again, pet stores usually keep both sexes together so the females are usually already pregnant) so we recommend against it. Older females also don't handle pregnancy well, so you shouldn't breed one older than 9 months. Keep a calendar! I saw one recommendation about keeping same sex pairs only, and that's half-right. Rats will live that way quite happily, and female mice live together happily, but male mice will fight, often to the death. Males that were littermates and have never been separated (even for an hour) and have formed a stable group will sometimes continue to get along with only the occasional bad bite on tails and rear. But anything that de-stabilizes the group (like removing one permanently, handling only one of them, or even cleaning the cage so they end up renegotiating the pecking order) can result in bad injuries or death from fighting. So you can't go buy another male as company for the one you have. And if you plan to breed them, plan for each male you keep to have his own cage. You might be lucky, but don't count on it--have an alternative option ready because they'll go from one big happy family to brutal fighting overnight unpredictably. You could take the male out (or return him) and get another female, or you can just wait 20 days and keep one or more of her daughters if she has a litter.

Answer 3

Were there males with them in the pet store? If so, they are probably both pregnant. You could ask at the store; most stores separate the sexes, but not all.
If she is pregnant, she will give birth before three weeks are over. You can leave her with her female companion; mice nest together and care for each other's babies.
You should be able to sell the babies to the pet store when they are 3 or 4 weeks old. Don't wait too long; they grow fast.

Answer 4

Q: No, seriously, how do I tell if my rat is pregnant?
A: Alas, there are no home pregnancy test kits for rats, but, boy, it’d be nice if there were! If you did not actually see the rats mating, predicting delivery dates can be a bit tricky. Most females start to show a growing belly by the third week of pregnancy. Some are quite sneaky, especially if they have rather rounded figures to begin with, and don’t show until a few days before delivery. Also many pregnant does begin to show obvious nipples by the third week, so that's another sign of probable pregnancy. If you do suspect your girl is pregnant, you may want to separate her from her cagemates and get her into a safe nursery cage just to be on the safe side. If your rat has not delivered babies within 3.5 to 4 weeks of suspected mating, you’re in the clear and can stand down from red baby alert
Q: How long is a rat’s gestation?
A: Rats typically deliver 21 – 23 days after mating. Most of my girls favor day 22 or 23, but be prepared for your rat to deliver by day 20 just to be safe
http://www.worldofrats.com/ROUSBreedingFAQ2.html
Signs of pregnancy
There a number of signs that your doe is pregnant (although do be aware that most are merely predicative and do not mean that your doe is definitely pregnant).

Weight gain and abdominal swelling
Although most rats do not show obvious weight gain until the last seven days of pregnancy keeping an accurate record of your does weight before and after mating will enable you to accurately assess weight gain. You should also aim to record your does weight every few days throughout the expected pregnancy period. The shape of her body will also differ from that of other does, towards the end of the pregnancy her tummy will take on the look of a tennis ball or orange.

Please note that these signs could also indicate ill health so if it is unlikely that your doe has mated with a buck please take her to a vet immediately.

Lack of further heats
If your doe does not come into heat again when you next expect her to, this is fairly indicative that mating was successful.

Temperament change
The hormones of a pregnant doe will change drastically, and so her temperament might change. She may become skittish and she may rise to the 'alpha' status in her cage. There can also be signs of lethargy 24-48 hours prior to birth.

Hair loss around the nipples
This can occur from around the end of the second week of pregnancy.

Nest making
Although it may not occur until a couple of days before the birth (or not at all) manic nest building is a good sign that your doe is pregnant, and the birth is close. She may choose to nest in whatever suitable housing you have provided (guinea pig igloos make a good place for your doe to nest) or she may choose to make her own (in her eyes) more suitable nest.
http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/breeding/index.php?chapter=mating

Answer 5

If you wait about 15 days and she is not thinner and appears to have lumps on her sides she is probabaly pregnant. These lumps can range from the size of quarters to as small as your fingernail. The uterus in mice is split in two and the babies develop on her sides. You may want to seperate them until the babies grow fur. They can become pregnant again at 2-6 weeks so seperate the boys early. Boys can fight, just a warning.

Answer 6

pick her up and feel her stomach. if you feel movement then she is pregnant. most pet stores don't know how to sex and separate their mice of don't care enough to do it. if she gontinues to get bigger there are definately babies. make sure that there is a constant supply of food and fresh water for her. you may want to separate them since the mother or the other female could harm or kill the babies if they aren't. if you have any questions e-mail me.

Answer 7

The question is not "is she pregant, but how many times can she get pregant?"

Ever hear the term breeds like mice. It's true. and they have large litters. You will always have a pregant female mouse unless you only have 1.

At least you can sell the babies to pet stores, hopefully.

Answer 8

Pick her up by the base of her tail.
When she stretches out, her sides will ripple. That's babies, baby!
It's distinctive. No mistaking "gas bubbles", if her sides are moving, she's pregers.

Sometimes you can tell the same if she climbs up on the bars of a cage (if her cage has bars). Side ripples mean babies.

Answer 9

if your hamster is pregnant, it will be very nervous and also start to use what it can find to build a nest. my friend had a hamster and it is pregnant, it start building a nest. But it may be just the hamster is fat, but see if it is nervous, because if it is pregnant, it may bite.

Answer 10

Take her to the vet. They will be able to tell.