Ophelia's litter - 2nd generation

I thought it was points also! That was is a cutie!!! And I love the last pic of her sleeping on her back! Soo cute!

I had paid no mind to the nose-point, thinking it was a result of the light+satiny babyfur. I don't usually see points at this age in mine, though if I remember correctly, stronger show lines tend to point up faster?

What a relief! My eye went right to the picture and I thought your baby was dead!

I think it is just the light and satin. Points would have been a wonderful surprise though.

Yeahhh I put it on Instagram and despite the caption people still flipped out. I guess most mice don't do this, haha.

Well, that was a failed experiment. Of the three, the only clear "good" mouse by pet store standards is the baby blue. Large eyes, good body type considering. The PEW's are acceptable. The beige/bone has a stunning long coat! I love her colour. But her eyes are very small and she does not look as remotely robust as her sisters. So no breeders in this lot.

I probably shouldn't have judged them at that age...they filled out nicely. They stayed small though, at least smaller than their mother/aunts. I'm torn about the next step. The pet stores around here told me "don't hold your breath" about finding more mice. So I either stop entirely, or breed one of the PEW's or the potential ce/c girl.



She's not as solid looking as her sisters but I wonder if that's merely the long haired body?

The blues and a PEW went to a wonderful pet home.

Edit: One other option is trying the original pairing again. That said, the female must be roughly a year old now. With a poor long haired coat I'm not sure how to assess her general health. She's lovely and docile and active to boot...in terms of conformation I'd say she and her granddaughter are on par. The generation is between were certainly a success, with size, body conformation and personality, but I've passed that "no breeding a first litter after 6 months" mark.

A decision has been made! The PEW is in with the buck. Goodness knows what combination of PEW, beige, or bone I may see.

Yay! Dilute babies are fun.

I second that!

Haha I'm a fan, I must say!

I have a question regarding bucks though perhaps better as a different thread, the history with my litter is all here in this one.

Bearing in mind these are pet store derived mice, I should be bracing myself for a buck replacement soon as Stark is at least a year old. He didn't grow after I bought him at 35g in March 2012. I have two options. I can keep a buck from the F3 due after the first week in March. Pros being the buck from the litter will in theory at least be equal if not better than him. The cons are having three bucks in house (the third was a pity purchase...sweet little c-dilute but not fit for breeding) sooner than I need. He could live much longer, right? His coat is losing its lustre but he's quite active.

The other option is to keep a buck from a planned spring litter from a pet store doe. She's not of very good type, but her personality is the best I've ever interacted with. She's as friendly and laid back as I could hope for. She's also a stunning, rich red satin. The cons being the buck won't likely be better than Stark. Also, I'd be inbreeding with potentially harmful recessives I don't know about yet, right? Would they have popped up already with my two litters? Timing is the main pro with this option.

In terms of personality, what do your babies take after more, buck or doe? As far as looks go, the line I've been working with is the best choice, but the new doe could be a fantastic influence on the line with her sweet disposition. My mice really do need to take it down a notch.

My mice take all their personality from Mum, it seems. Since you don't know mom's genetics, though, I'd really hesitate before you get your new buck from her. How cramped are you for space? Will three bucks be a problem? A backup buck can save you serious heartache in the event of sudden illness.

I got so excited when I saw you posted on my thread.

If I didn't take in an extra buck from a feeder bin (I'm such a suck) I'd be fine, but it's going to be pretty cramped. However! Due to that Sod's Law, I decided I best keep a buck from the known line that'll be born at the end of the week. I've been trying to find a new home for the new guy since I brought him home (too friendly to be food!) so we'll hope someone's actually serious about him. He's a gorgeous colour...pied mock chocolate I think. But I don't trust the genes and he's the most feeder bin looking mouse I've seen. Even if his face is insanely adorable, it's in the wrong ways.

So should I keep a buck and two does? I'm very reluctant to keep two baby bucks as rehoming them is next to impossible.

Thank you as always!

(Sod's Law=Murphy's Law in the USA)

Seafolly, bucks can be bred as long as they're alive! One doesn't retire bucks except for medical conditions. But I would keep that buck from the F3 litter anyway as a backup in case Stark dies suddenly. Another benefit of that is that you will have the F3 buck long enough to see if he really does grow bigger than Stark, in which case you can have the advantage of breeding everyone to the F3 buck.

THREE whole bucks! My, My! That is, indeed, a low number. I have eleven! I don't want to have eleven, but each has a different genetic advantage and I keep them on hand for when I need them.

Here's a situation. I've just discovered that my foundation buck probably carries tumors. If I have to end his line, I'd need a new foundation buck. Just so happens I have one--but I had him marked to rehome. Close call!

Thank you Ann! Haha I've used both terms for the law, forgot this forum is mostly US.

Well I have two dilemmas. One, Stark has mites (I think) or something that's causing the fur on his face to fall out. This is in addition to his satin coat looking a little dull. Picking up Revolution tonight (the manager was sick so it took a while to get back to me). The second...Lux bit me today while sitting in my hand. o.0 None of these mice have ever bitten me before. Her belly is huge though so I wonder if this is something I should forgive as a one time offence, or fret about given the buck will heavily influence the line. And if he bites it's all over.

But I think you're right - best to have one in case! : / I wish that feeder buck wasn't such a little dude. His personality is fabulous. But I'd be worse off than before I started breeding in terms of type.

Close call indeed! I definitely need some new blood. That isn't from a feeder bin.



^Jerk.

So...

Beige = breeds true
One beige, one bone = 75% beige, 25% bone
Bone = 50% Bone, 25% beige, 25% PEW
One beige, one PEW = bone
One bone, one PEW = 25% bone, 75% PEW

If what I've written is correct, then can I derive that Stark is actually bone, and Mum is PEW? Because the PEW wouldn't be ce/c right? She could only be ce/ce or c/c? I would be so happy to finally know what he is!

Edit: There are only two black eyed babies. If both are does, should I keep a PEW buck? : / It's not like I can rehome him easily if I don't need him.