what should i do?

i have had my female fancy elbino(Molly) for almost 6 monts now and she is
pregnant and about to drop any day...i read that she could have up to 25
babies...what can i do with all of them since i do not have the money or
resources to take care of all of them?also i have the male fancy(Marty)
seperated from the female as to prevent re-pregnating her...will that be a
problem for him since he is used to being with molly?
any help will be necessary since i am still learning about the wonderful
world of mice...i have learned alot in these last 6 months and a little
guidence will be greatly appreceated...
i might post pics of them at a later time..
thx all
--Noctres

>i read that she could have up to 25
>babies

that's a lot. the most I've ever seen is twelve. six to ten is more likely.

>what can i do with all of them since i do not have the money or
>resources to take care of all of them?

the males and females will need to be separated eventually (if you can't tell
them apart take them to your local pet shop and ask for help) so you'll need
two more cages standing by. I recommend those large plastic storage boxes with
the eighteen inch tall sides (don't put the lid on). they're cheap and easy to
clean, and they have other uses when your mice finally go to that big cheese
warehouse in the sky. you can use old tuna cans for water dishes and food
dishes, or you can find something suitable at a thirft store. for toys you can
use old toilet paper tubes - mice love 'em. if and as you get opportunity you
should eventually get them an exercise wheel.

mice can be cheap to feed. they'll eat anything you do and a bit more. pizza
scraps, bread, oatmeal, cheese, rice, seeds, dry cat food, dry dog food, and
cooking oil are all great. most won't eat lettuce, carrots, or other
vegetables, but some do, so give that a try too.

while the mother is pregnant she may develop protein cravings - making babies
is hard work. give her some dry cat food, peanut butter, or hard boiled egg to
eat both before and after she gives birth, to reduce the chance she will eat
her babies.

>also i have the male fancy(Marty)
>seperated from the female as to prevent re-pregnating her...will that be a
>problem for him since he is used to being with molly?

maybe, but there's not much you can do about it unless you want a billion mice.
just play with him a lot. when the babies are weaned and if there are any
males you can try putting them with their father, but this is unlikely to work
out. males always squabble, and sometimes they'll fight, even brothers who
have been raised together. you may have to separate out all the males.

if you do put the sons in with the father, they'll need space. start with a
large clean cage and clean litter with lots of toilet paper tubes. mice live
by their sense of smell, and they'll experience the clean cage as neutral
territory. this may not work, so be ready to separate them into different
cages. squabbling is normal, running around is normal, one mouse hanging onto
the back of another is normal. if anything looks serious, or if you see any
blood, then just separate them permanently. it may take a few days before you
get a good idea of how they're getting along.

females almost always get along perfectly. occasionally you'll encounter a
feminist harridan, but usually they just hang out and groom each other.

and that's about it. enjoy them.
--

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the father, but
through me." john 14:6