I'm new to mice and got two males

by Eli993 Mon 24 Aug 2020, 4:17 pm

Hello, my name is Eli. I've always loved animals and currently have fish and budgies. I decided to get a few mice. I usually do a lot of research before I buy pets, but this time I figured, I've owned dogs, cats, budgies, fish, and frogs, I should have pretty good instincts on set up and everything and I'd look into details later. When I went to the pet store, I bought two male mice. I didn't think much of it because I figured the employee would warn me if I had made a deadly mistake and when I looked at the group of male mice in their tank, I didn't see any missing fur or weepy eyes and everything looked good. To my horror, I've found that I have made a few big mistakes. So now I have two little males in a ten gallon tank with not enough bedding. I fixed the bedding issue, but it will be a few days before I can return one of the mice. I have a few questions. They seem to get along fine now, but I just got them yesterday, will they be okay for a few days, or should I separate them now? Will the ten gallon tank be okay for the remaining mouse? On a lot of websites it says it's okay, but I know from keeping budgies that a lot of websites will give you cage sizes that your pets will survive in, but not thrive in. I do spend a lot of time with mypets so I don't know if that will change the answer at all. I really appreciate the help, thank you

by SarahAdams Tue 25 Aug 2020, 9:57 am

There's no way of knowing if they will be okay until you return one. Male mice can fight ferociously and even to the death. Can you put something in to divide the tank for now? When I had a male and female rat, I put a piece of plexiglass in the middle of their cage to separate them until I got the male neutered.

IMO, 10 gallons is big enough for one male. Lots of bedding, a wheel, stuff to climb on and hide in and a well-fitting, screened lid should be okay.

P.S. Forgot to say this: I'm sure there are some reputable pet stores out there with knowledgeable staff (although I've never found one) but in general, never ever take any advice on pet care from a pet store employee. They will recommend whatever is on the shelves in their stores - food, cages, toys etc. and most of these things are useless if not downright bad for pets. I saw a Petco employee telling someone it's fine to keep two rats in a tiny Kaytee hamster habitat!

I'm new to mice and got two males

I'm new to mice and got two males

Re: I'm new to mice and got two males