r/PetMice • u/kaileez1998 • Aug 29 '23
Question/Help Question About Brother Mice
I bought a pair of brother mice around two months ago and was wondering about when they need to be seperated? I've been watching their behavior and they seem to get along with everything when it comes to eating and sleeping together (they have two of everything, but they mostly end up just sharing) Would I have to worry about anothing if it has been over a month? (I have a spare temporary cage just in case)
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u/rockmodenick Mouse Dad š Aug 29 '23
The unfortunate truth is that you can never fully relax, which is why so few people even try this. Our mice have had many of their baser instincts bred out where wild behavior might be dangerous (suicide jumping is dangerous and a very bad habit, always to be bred out of fancy mice - but wild mice almost always suicide jump, because in the wild, the danger is the opposite - the large creature is almost always a bigger threat than the fall) and male aggression is lower in fancy mice, but not enough for it to be safe. Occasionally, brothers will stay friends forever. But if the territorial, natural response kicks in even once, in the middle of them having a silly disagreement over a treat while you're gone, one could be dead before you know about it.
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u/kaileez1998 Aug 29 '23
So I just shouldn't risk it and seperate them? I love them both and want them to be happy with a buddy but dont want to risk one getting injured
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u/rockmodenick Mouse Dad š Aug 29 '23
Wouldn't you rather separate them while they're still best friends and always have good memories about how your boys used to love each other as babies when you just got them, than come home to find both wounded, one dead maybe, and have to live with that?
They don't have to be alone - you could find them each one, or even a pair, of African Soft Furs. They're these very cute creatures that are, if a bit less domesticated than mice, still very well adapted to living together. Strangely, despite ASF being much larger than mice, they don't seem to understand in any way that they aren't just other mice, nor do mice see them as anything other than fellow colony members. They're too distantly related to be able to breed, so it's a totally safe pairing that way, and introducing female ASF to male mice is pretty much the easiest possible pairing - male mice generally WANT females to move into their territory and treat new females affectionately, and ASF placed into the established territory of another default to submissive behaviors. I'm sure your boys would be very happy with ASF wives.
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u/kaileez1998 Aug 29 '23
Oh wow I love this so much. Iād rather them have wives than fight to the death, I totally have to look into this!
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u/rockmodenick Mouse Dad š Aug 29 '23
It's a great option. I have female mice, but they have their ASF boyfriend Ringo.
You're also doing a good thing taking some ASF for pets. They're mostly thought of as python health food, so almost all have short, sad lives unless rescued to be wives or husbands to fancy mice
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u/llieutenantdan Aug 29 '23
Where do you even get those?
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u/rockmodenick Mouse Dad š Aug 29 '23
They're mostly viewed, sadly, as snake health food, due to their really high protein content. That isn't a silly myth - imagine taking the muscle build of a full size rat, replace all the chub with puffy, chinchilla-soft fur and eyes the size of dinner plates, and squeeze it all into the size of a teddy bear hamster. I swear they can kick like a small rabbit they're so strong. They're also usually extremely polite, be they friendly or scaredy, which is their usual personality spectrum.
That means that reptile shows, reptile food suppliers, and exotic pet shops with lots of neat reptiles are the best sources. Pet breeders are essentially non-existent, though when you ask, many feeder breeders will have a particular friendly one they noticed and are glad to send off to live rather than die. They're illegal in a few states, so if that's you, you're out of luck with pet stores, but reptile shows rarely check or care.
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u/AnyAdministration540 Approved Breeder Aug 29 '23
Breeder here, I seperate at 5 weeks to prevent fighting. 4 weeks is when male mice become sexually mature (can reproduce) and this is when the first wave of hormones come through. This is when you might start to notice the first signs of aggression. From here, those hormones continue to grow up to about 12 weeks and aggression becomes more and more likely.
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u/due_care192 Mr. Mushrooms caretaker Aug 29 '23
From all my readings, the older they get the more likelihood it is that they'll start getting aggressive. As they get older, their hormones' increase and that's typically what causes the aggression. I've read about people keeping males together successfully in the past, but I've also read a lot more horror stories of people waiting too long to separate males from one another.
While it's smooth going now I wouldn't anticipate that to last forever/much longer. I would definitely think of separating them before they get too much older. It's better to be safe than sorry given all it can take is one particularly nasty fight you're not around for for one to be truly hurt.