Bully mouse and when to separate

by SkittishElf Sun 01 Oct 2017, 12:10 am

I have four female mice in a 40 gallon tank. They are two pairs bonded together. They have all been together for several months now. While they've always argued over dominance, it hasn't gotten truly violent until now. Two of them both want to be dominant and won't back down. It has led to one of them getting bitten, at least once to the point of bleeding, and her ear has a big chunk missing. She recovers fine from the injuries but she still won't back down. I'm aware that it is recommended to separate the mice if blood is drawn but I'm reluctant to do it. They are all friendly with eachother until they're not. If I were to remove the offender, should I put her with a different mouse? She has bullied one of the other mice in the past. She just seems to take it too far. I'm going to put her in another cage for the night, though it breaks me heart to do so. My questions are: Should I remove her and should she be housed with other mice at all?

by stephlisa Sun 01 Oct 2017, 2:42 am

I haven't had female mice so this based on what I've read on the forum but, if you separate the offender (I think for a week or so - someone can correct me if that's wrong) and then go through the introductory stages (neutral ground, then into a bare-ish tank, then gradually add toys and things) it might help. Always remove the mouse who drew blood not the one who's suffering or any of the others.

The time alone gives the mouse time to realise that actually she appreciates her sisters and may help her to get along with them better. Think of it as a timeout (like I give to unruly children when helping my mum out!)

This obviously isn't guaranteed to work but might help.

by SkittishElf Sun 01 Oct 2017, 8:33 am

Thank you for replying. I think that could help as she wasn't always this cruel. I separated her overnight to give my injured mouse a chance to heal. She was not very happy about it. I've reintroduced her without fighting but I will try a longer time out if she decides to be mean again.

by CallaLily Sun 01 Oct 2017, 10:20 am

stephlisa wrote:I haven't had female mice so this based on what I've read on the forum but, if you separate the offender (I think for a week or so - someone can correct me if that's wrong) and then go through the introductory stages (neutral ground, then into a bare-ish tank, then gradually add toys and things) it might help. Always remove the mouse who drew blood not the one who's suffering or any of the others.

The time alone gives the mouse time to realise that actually she appreciates her sisters and may help her to get along with them better. Think of it as a timeout (like I give to unruly children when helping my mum out!)

This obviously isn't guaranteed to work but might help.

In addition to this, when you do reintroduce them I recommend starting out in the minimum space recommended for the group. In this case with 4 girls the minimum is a15 gallon aquarium or 20 gallon tall (both are 24 inches × 12 inches). I would keep them there to bond for several weeks before trying to move them up to a larger space again, keeping in mind that the larger space may never work for them.

I see you've already reintroduced them but if fighting continues, this may help.

by SkittishElf Mon 02 Oct 2017, 11:23 am

Thank you for your reply. They started fighting again so I've put the aggressor in two critter trail like cages (it's the best I have right now). I'll take your advice and wait a week before reintroducing. Perhaps having the two of them share the critter trails by themselves for a while might help?

by Sponsored content

Bully mouse and when to separate

Bully mouse and when to separate

Re: Bully mouse and when to separate

Re: Bully mouse and when to separate

Re: Bully mouse and when to separate

Re: Bully mouse and when to separate

Re: Bully mouse and when to separate