How Serious Should Bullying be Taken?

by GabbiLuvsMice Thu 19 May 2016, 12:20 pm

My grandma texted me a couple days ago asking how to get Whitney to stop being a bully to the other girls, I wasn't very sure so I looked into it a bit, I sent her a link about it. I asked her in what way was she bullying and she said she was being territorial over the entrance to the cage, which is connected to some tubes that enter an outside ovo den. She said she was not letting her cage mates through to get water and food, and so my grandma put some of their mix in there. I suggested she take the tubes out for right now and so just the den is connected directly to the entrance and so they wouldn't feel trapped in the tubes. She liked the idea and said she would do it when she had the time. I haven't visited them yet to observe their activities but how serious is that? I don't know if my grandma was over reacting or if its something to look into.

by scaredymouse Fri 20 May 2016, 6:13 am

How many mice did your grandma end up getting and what kind of cage is she using. The tubes should be taken out asap and permanently. If the mouse really is preventing the other mice from eating or drinking, it's pretty serious. But maybe that isn't her goal, maybe she is just guarding the tube for some reason. It's hard to say.

You mentioned an ovo den, which makes me think she has one of those plastic habitats. And I wonder if that is big enough for the mice. We really recommend a 10 gallon aquarium for many reasons.

How many mice does she have?

by GabbiLuvsMice Fri 20 May 2016, 4:13 pm

I am very frustrated with my grandma, she insists that the ovo cage has more space than the old 15 gal we had. I am very annoyed but she seems content. I am visiting in about 3 weeks so they won't be in there for much longer if I deem it unsuitable. We have three girls Smile

by scaredymouse Sat 21 May 2016, 10:17 pm

Well, I'm sure that cage is the problem. Hopefully, your grandma will put them back in the 15 gallon tank. Those tubes are not safe for mice, there are even cases where they die in those tubes. There is no way that that ovo cage has more floor space than a 10 gallon aquarium (which is the minimum amount of space that mice need). Best thing you can do is keep trying to talk to her about putting them back in the aquarium. Tell her that it's likely that the reason they are fighting is because they are not living in an appropriate environment.

by Soren Sat 21 May 2016, 11:29 pm

That is interesting. I've had female mice fight, but not block certain areas. If the other mice are unable to get resources (food/water) i would have your grandma remove the bully, and put her in her own cage for a timeout. And put her back after 30 min, so her status is "reset".

by GabbiLuvsMice Tue 31 May 2016, 5:40 pm

I don't like the cage either but I put it in the cage calculator and it said it is fit for 3.

by Artistwolf Tue 31 May 2016, 7:49 pm

It might fit three, but your problem is fighting, and this cage will only aggravate the situation. And BTW, you can't count two connected cages as one space—it just doesn't work like that.
Edit: sorry, that sounded really gruff—not at all intended! I was trying to give friendly advice and it came across wrong. So know that I'm trying to help Smile

by GabbiLuvsMice Tue 31 May 2016, 8:29 pm

Oh no, Its completely fine. I would like to know why the cage may be aggravating? I agree, but I may need a reason to convince my grandma.

by Artistwolf Tue 31 May 2016, 11:03 pm

Because of the tunnels, the mice could easily choose to cut off one area from the other Smile

Unless I'm imagining this cage completely wrong Laughing

It's two "rooms" attached together with one tube, right?

by CallaLily Wed 01 Jun 2016, 9:08 am

Two separate spaces connected by tubes or small openings often leads to the colony splitting. Two colonies = lots of fighting over territory. Or they could shun one mouse, attack her and keep her from eating, drinking, etc. It's best to keep females in one space. Open second levels are fine.

What is the length and width of the main cage?

by MouseLover Wed 01 Jun 2016, 12:01 pm

Personally I don't really like those plastic ovo thingies because I don't think the ventilation is good enough. They're better off with just the tank Smile

by Brynne Wed 01 Jun 2016, 5:48 pm

Think of the situation as if the mice were people: Imagine that that three teenage sisters had to share two bedrooms. Their parents insist that all three have access to both rooms 24 hours a day. No one girl is allowed to claim either room as her own, nor are two girls allowed to pair up and refuse the third girl entry. THAT WOULD NOT WORK OUT WELL! Of course they would get bossy and territorial and jealous at times.

by Artistwolf Wed 01 Jun 2016, 6:26 pm

Wow, good illustration, Brynne! So true... It would be better for them all to share one big room Wink

by GabbiLuvsMice Wed 01 Jun 2016, 10:43 pm

I believe their current cage is the ovo loft, and the separate space that is connected is an ovo den, a very small little orb that they use for nesting.

by CallaLily Thu 02 Jun 2016, 8:42 am

A quick search finds the ovo loft to be 20 inches long by 13 inches wide x 11 inches tall. A 10g tank is 20x10x12. A 15g tank can be 24x12x12 but I'm told there's also a 15g tall that has the same footprint as a 10g but taller. I'd ditch the den to see if that stops the bullying.

Ovo Loft
Ovo Den

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