Trios not working out, back into pairs

by Brynne Wed 27 Apr 2016, 7:49 pm

I have six lady mice: The five lab mice I adopted in August and two-year-old Lorca, who was born here. I kept the lab mice together until tiny Sarah Jane barbered the other four. I removed two into a separate tank, hoping SJ would calm down with a smaller colony of three. Nope.

When the last of Lorca's sisters died, she was alone for the first time ever and needed a new friend. I introduced her to the tiny barberer, Sarah Jane. They got along okay. For a few months, the six ladies were housed as three pairs. When Tegan was about to give birth two months ago, I moved her roommate, Zeldah, back in with the tank of two lab mice so Tegan could have a nursery tank all to herself. Zeldah got on famously with her old friends, I was impressed with their co-operation and lack of any domineering behaviour. When Z was in a pair with Tegan, they had occasionally scuffled.

Tegan's babies died, so she was left alone. That left me with quite a housing dilemma. Adding her to the tank of three lab mice would make it too crowded, I think she would've returned to her overbearing humping.

Putting her back as a pair with only Zeldah seemed unfair to Zeldah and the other two. Reluctantly, I intro'd Tegan to big, old Lorca and reunited her with the tiny barbering mouse, Sarah Jane. Lorca immediately chewed off Tegan's whiskers, but left the fur on her cheek pads alone. A week or two later, SJ took care of that fur and razed it down to bare skin. Ugh. Not what I wanted for poor Tegan. However, the other colony of three lab mice continued to thrive in harmonious bliss.

UNTIL LAST NIGHT! At playtime, I took their tank off of the shelving unit so I could reach in and lift out each mouse. Out of nowhere, Zeldah and Sabine had been completely and brutally barbered, right down to bare, bright pink skin. WOW. I didn't see that coming. For two months, there was no fighting, no humping, no over-grooming. I couldn't even tell who was the alpha. Well, yesterday Eliza decided that it had to be her, and the other two agreed! A nonchalant Eliza was the only one left with a full set of whiskers.

I'm not going to let that situation continue. I moved the six ladies back into the same pairings from two months ago. These little creatures may only weigh an ounce, but they sure have a lot going on in their heads!!