Keeping Pregnant mice together?

Question

I have three large mouse cages.

Cage 1 : contains one male, and one female who is now pregnant.

Cage 2: contains 3 females, 2 of which are pregnant, one which can't have babies, and one male.

Cage 3: empty.

I was wondering what would be the best way to contain the mice, keeping in mind that babies will be born in a bout 5 or 6 days.

The two males are brothers, but although they got on well in the past, I feel I cannot put them together now.

Can three pregnant females go together happily?

The cage is large enough to give them all their own space.

I could put the males together, with something like plastic down the middle of the cage to divide the, but I dont know how best to go about this. Any help here would be great too.

These are the cages I have.

Cage 1: http://www.pet-supply-store.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=574825

Cage 2: http://www.pet-accessory.com/store/ct/small_pet/cages/traditional/savic_rody_metro_de_luxe,7124.aspx?itm=7124

Cage 3: http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/0173729966.html

Answer 1

You can keep the two pregnant females from Cage 2 together, but don't try to introduce the one from Cage 1. Mice will generally leave the litters of familiar mice alone - or even help out - but introducing a new mouse at this point would put her in the position of an unknown intruder. Pregnant and nursing mice are very protective of their territory and likely won't accept her.

So, keep the first pregnant mouse alone and the other two together. Definitely take the males out of the cages, since you don't want them to mate immediately after giving birth.

Your easiest option is probably just to get another cage for one of the boys. A 10 gallon fish tank is only about 10 dollars, and you can get a mesh lid for about 10 more. Once all of these litters hit sexual maturity, you're going to need a bunch of new cages anyway. You'll have definite overcrowding issues if you don't.

It is often possible to introduce adult males, but it needs to happen slowly. A divided cage is a good first step, so they can see and smell each other but not fight. When they are first allowed contact, it should be in a neutral area, and they should be supervised closely at first. It's not really a science, more of an art ;-) You have to do what works for your mice. Some mice can just be put together and will get on fabulously, but others need more time.

Here is a site about dividing cages - about gerbils, but it works for mice, too. Scroll down a bit and there will be a few different articles about split cages.

http://www.twinsqueaks.com/tips.php

Answer 2

For the largest cage, put the 3 pregnant females in it

males sometimes eat the babies, so watch out! they also sometimes may fight with the other male, family doesnt matter to them

So heres your options:

Cage1- 3 pregnant females

Cage2- one male

Cage3-the other male

hope i helped!\