Introducing two female mice

by clio_brie_percy Sun 10 May 2020, 9:17 pm

So basically, I got 2 new mice from the same litter a little over a week ago believing they were both female. I quickly realised one was actually a boy, so I separated him and went looking for a new female mouse to pair with my girl. My original female (Clio) is almost 5 weeks old and the new one (Brie) is 6 weeks old, and a little bit bigger than her.

I cleaned out the cage really well so that it would be as neutral as possible. At first, they were just sniffing each others rear ends, but then Brie must have started nipping Clio because there was really loud squeaking. Brie continued to chase Clio and bite her, but no blood was drawn. Clio would stand up on her back legs and show her stomach, which I think is a sign of submission but if someone could confirm that? Clio would avoid Brie and if Brie even touched her she would squeak and run away. After a while of not paying attention to each other, Clio had made a little nest and Brie came in and started fighting with her. For the night, I put a separator in the cage and gave each some new or very well cleaned toys so they wouldn't be bored. I didn't trust them alone together while I wasn't watching and I thought that it would be good if they could still smell each other.

This morning I decided to let them be together again, but in a smaller space. So I put them together in a small pet carrier and there was some fighting in the beginning, but then it mellowed out and they seemed fine. I'm not sure if I should continue to separate them at night until I trust them together? Also is this normal behaviour for an alpha female or is she really bullying Clio? Is there anything else I could do to help them bond together? I've never had to introduce mice so i'm not sure.

by Hugz Kuddles Mon 11 May 2020, 4:22 am

I have never had to introduce females however I have heard that three mice have a better group dynamic. Don’t know if that’s helpful but I hope you succeed in the introductions.

by Robin~ Mon 11 May 2020, 9:53 am

This article details a few methods: https://www.petmousefanciers.com/t19-keeping-mice-together-introducing-them
However, do keep in mind it is a little outdated (ex do not put vanilla on your mice), so take things with a grain of salt. Hopefully someone with experience with this will be around soon.

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Introducing two female mice

Introducing two female mice

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