If the female is housed as part of a harem, it is recommended that the female be separated into a single cage several days prior to delivery. Delivery in a harem cage may result in an overcrowded cage and occasionally results in trampling and death of the pups. Nesting material also helps create a warm microenvironment for the pups during the early neonatal period. Popular nest material includes Kimwipes, cotton nestlets and shredded paper towels. The dams will usually shred the material and create a nest.
Nests also allow easy transfer of young litters between cages at cleaning time.
The whole nest can be gently grasped and transferred between cages with little disturbance to the mouse pups. C-sections can also be used as a method of rederiving mice that are contaminated with certain viral, bacterial and parasitic agents. If you have questions about performing C-sections in mice, please contact Veterinary Services. Foster Rearing Foster rearing involves transferring pups from one dam to another to be raised. It is performed for many reasons, including strain history of poor maternal behavior, maternal neglect, poor milk production by the dam, death of the dam, excessively large litters and experimental dam.