Are my mice fighting or something else??

by BlueFoot Mon 27 Nov 2017, 11:42 pm

I am a new mouse owner and I was just sitting next to my cage watching them tare around and have fun when they both went into the hide I heard a lot of squeaking, I immediately picked the hide up because I was worried they were fighting, and they stopped right away. They left the hide and played a bit and then went back and then the squeaking started again and I peaked in and one of my mice was mounting the other. Were they fighting or were they getting it on, should I separate them? they seem to get along fine other wise. Undecided

by Peachy Mon 27 Nov 2017, 11:57 pm

Welcome to the forum! Mouse Wave

Are these mice both females? How long have you had them? Mounting is a typical display of dominance among females, and usually settles down in a few days once they've worked out whatever problem they were having.

If they're males, they should be separated into their own cages because males are territorial and this can quickly escalate into something much more graphic and heartbreaking.

If it's a male and female, they should be separated because... well, babies. If babies are what you're after, then the female was probably squeaking because she isn't ready to mate.

by BlueFoot Tue 28 Nov 2017, 12:22 am

I just got them today, they are a little to young to be 100% sure on the genders, but I'll be checking as soon as they will let me pick them up. I don't mind baby mice so If they are opposites I'll let them be lol. I just don't want to pick them up and end up with them freaking out and getting scared.

by stephlisa Tue 28 Nov 2017, 1:41 am

I'd check the genders otherwise I agree with dominance behaviours.

If they are male and female I want to make you aware of a few things:
You will want to separate the male and female eventually even if you want babies otherwise your female will likely end up doing back-to-back litters which isn't great for her. (Responsible breeding...)
Also make sure you are prepared to either home all the babies yourself or be able to find good homes for them. That could be quite a few and you'll be wanting separate cages for any boys (as in one cage per boy) once they're old enough to leave mum.

by BlueFoot Tue 28 Nov 2017, 1:47 am

stephlisa wrote:I'd check the genders otherwise I agree with dominance behaviours.

If they are male and female I want to make you aware of a few things:
You will want to separate the male and female eventually even if you want babies otherwise your female will likely end up doing back-to-back litters which isn't great for her. (Responsible breeding...)
Also make sure you are prepared to either home all the babies yourself or be able to find good homes for them. That could be quite a few and you'll be wanting separate cages for any boys (as in one cage per boy) once they're old enough to leave mum.

Thanks I'll be checking them ASAP, should I break the 48 hr no touchy rule to check, or should I just strategically separate them??

by stephlisa Tue 28 Nov 2017, 7:10 am

I'd break the rule personally or what I'd do is to get them to go into a toilet roll tube or similar to bring them out and put them in a clear tub (I've used a clear lunchbox before now). That way its less terrifying to them. Then you just lift up the tub to see underneath to check the genders.

If you've not got much experience with sexing mice then grab a photo while you're at it and someone on here will be able to help. Remember that you can't always see a male's testicles as they can withdraw them. Personally I'm not very good at sexing mice...but other people on here are!

by BlueFoot Tue 28 Nov 2017, 11:42 am

stephlisa wrote:I'd break the rule personally or what I'd do is to get them to go into a toilet roll tube or similar to bring them out and put them in a clear tub (I've used a clear lunchbox before now). That way its less terrifying to them. Then you just lift up the tub to see underneath to check the genders.

If you've not got much experience with sexing mice then grab a photo while you're at it and someone on here will be able to help. Remember that you can't always see a male's testicles as they can withdraw them. Personally I'm not very good at sexing mice...but other people on here are!

Thanks a lot, I've heard that males don't have any nipples so I'll look for them.

by BlueFoot Tue 28 Nov 2017, 12:48 pm

So unfortunately I couldn't get any clear pictures since they were too squirmy. When I looked at them they seemed to me like one was female, while the other was a male, but the pet store I bought them from just told me they think they are both males and that males are fine together as long as there is no female, which I highly doubt they are fine together. Should I let them be with each other unless I see things get worse or should I just separate them until I can tell 100%?? they are 8 weeks old.

by scaredymouse Tue 28 Nov 2017, 1:22 pm

If you are able to separate them, you should. Males cannot live together. They can and will fight to the death. If it turns out they are female you can put them back together. And if they are opposite sex, they will need to stay apart anyway and you may have babies in your future.

by BlueFoot Tue 28 Nov 2017, 1:23 pm

Sonic -

Are my mice fighting or something else?? H0D2PkL

I think looks like a female because of "its" lower genitals.

Unnamed yet- Are my mice fighting or something else?? JcsWM4u

I think looks like a male because of the higher up genitals

by Peachy Tue 28 Nov 2017, 1:55 pm

They're both female.

Are my mice fighting or something else?? Adultl10

by BlueFoot Tue 28 Nov 2017, 2:11 pm

Peachy wrote:They're both female.

What a huge relief fewwwf, thanks alot Very Happy

by stephlisa Tue 28 Nov 2017, 3:15 pm

I glad that's worked out well for you!

by BlueFoot Tue 28 Nov 2017, 3:44 pm

thanks

, i just hope they get over the mounting lol

by Peachy Wed 29 Nov 2017, 10:12 am

It can take mice up to two weeks to establish who's boss, and then you should notice less dominance behavior. Every now and then you might notice them acting up again, but this is usually due to one needing to keep the other in her place.

If you don't notice any improvement, you could look into getting a third girl to help balance out the relationship. A third will give your dominant girl someone new to focus on, so her attention will be divided and your other girl won't be taking the brunt of it all anymore. This will all depend on their personalities; you'll have to wait and observe. Smile

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