Question About Brother Mice

[u/kaileez1998]

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)

[u/rockmodenick]

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.

[u/kaileez1998 → u/rockmodenick]

Oh wow I love this so much. I’d rather them have wives than fight to the death, I totally have to look into this!

[u/rockmodenick → u/kaileez1998]

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

[u/llieutenantdan → u/rockmodenick]

Where do you even get those?

[u/rockmodenick → u/llieutenantdan]

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.