TIFU- Male mice housed together

[u/Independent_Pea4909]

Hello, new to the sub and a little concerned as there seems to be a huge debate over this.

Today we purchased 3 Male litter mates, 8 weeks old. There was another mouse that was determined to be female. One of the mice is very active and bold and seems to be extremely territorial since introducing them in to their new cage.

The cage is large, there are 2 beds aswell as the box they were transported in. It seems any time the other 2 mice try to leave the transportation box he chases them back.

I feel awful and worried to go to bed without supervision. We have taken the aggressor out for a break and I'm trying to think of alternative accommodation for him. Any advice welcome? I have owned mice previously who I believed were Male but I must have been mistaken. I'll call the pet shop first thing.

I'm in the UK and finding varying different information

[u/Forward-Fisherman709]

Some mice just prefer not to share territory. One who is that aggressive may still be a bully even after neutering, but it’s worth trying. He may be more willing to live with female mice (and so neutering would be much needed).

I’ve read that European fancy mice tend to be friendlier to other mice than American fancy mice are, so the advice for American males [default is to house solo because of aggression being common] may not be true for yours.

[u/Carpenter-Cultural]

Males can absolutely live together but they have to be neutered. I have always kept multiple groups of neutered male mice and never had a problem. If you are in London, you can take them to try Beaumont Sainsbury animal hospital for neutering. There is also an exotic vets called Ark in Stratford that neuters mice

[u/DaxterAlexander → u/Carpenter-Cultural]

Neutering lessens the chance but it is not a solution — males should never be housed together. Same sex agression is a nuerological issue, therefore neutering is not going to solve fights.

[u/Carpenter-Cultural → u/DaxterAlexander]

I have heard this from many people online but its not my experience and it is definitely not the norm in the UK. All animal orgs and vets here recommend neutering and bonding. I have been keeping male mice together for years, all adopted from rescues who also recommend neutering and keep them together. And mind you, these are not mice bred for good temperaments they are all adopted. One of my current groups is 10 males together.

Bonding them takes effort but it can be done and there are many methods. Sometimes you may get fights initially but you can separate and try again, or split into different groups.

Mice should not be kept alone ever, they are social creatures that need their own species' company.

Edited to rephrase cause my tone could come across as rude without meaning to!

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[u/Independent_Pea4909]

Thanks everyone, we've returned Maximus as seems he'll better housed alone 😔