# Introducing two females of similar age.



## paddycat (Mar 25, 2015)

I recently bought two beautiful agouti females, one is brown and white with black eyes, the other is grey (sorta silvery blue) and white with pink eyes.

I cleaned out cage, and introduced them into a bare cage with just water and bedding, the grey went for the brown agressively, instantly. One of those "Rage" looking attacks.
So I separated them for an hour in smaller travel cages, then reintroduced them to the neutral bin and the same thing happened. The grey attacked the brown without drawing blood (thankfully). Repeat mousie segregation.

I'm thinking, if it's about smell while looking at my three males sleepily awaken from their often stinky nestbox because of the battlesqueaks, I had a thought. I grabbed the smelly male nestbox and plopped it into the females neutral cage. Then introduced the brown directly into the males nest. Brown ran out looking panicked, then shot back into the nest and started to kick about. I gave her a minute before i then introduced the grey to the new cage...Grey noses and slowly climbs into the cage, My heart stops beating!
There was a flurry of petrified squeaks, then the grey shot out of the box, and dived right back into the nest! Again a bout of squeaks from brown but it died down suddenly, now, I really was sweating bullets! Believing I had just killed a rather sweet lil' young mouse I was relived to find both grey and brown climb out of their box to explore the neutral cage. *PHEW!*

Brown still isn't sure of grey, and will squeak upon being approached, but after 2 hours of observation I can confirm they are both cuddled up in the males nest box sleeping.
I'm checking them every ten minutes.

Also, Has anyone else tried this? Cause the introduction of the males box made the agressive grey female just *click* turn off her want to drive off the brown. In seconds.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

I keep them separate for a few days, then weitch them to each others cages for about an hour Then I put them and the bedding from both tanks in one tank. Smell is the key. They pick up each others odor, and they then smell alike and the bedding smells like both.


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## paddycat (Mar 25, 2015)

moustress said:


> I keep them separate for a few days, then weitch them to each others cages for about an hour Then I put them and the bedding from both tanks in one tank. Smell is the key. They pick up each others odor, and they then smell alike and the bedding smells like both.


Aha! So the males strong odor made the females unable to distinguish the difference in their own scent. Like mousey camoflage. Well This would seem to be an instant way to get two females in the same cage. Will keep updating their progress, as I am skeptical if what i did was quicker and without too much stress on the mousers.

It's all about their wellbeing in the end.


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## paddycat (Mar 25, 2015)

Okay, my new females are snuggling up, theres no more scared squeaking from brown and the two act as if they've been buddies since forever.
I think the mice were under less stress than me on my mouse agression checks all through the night. I was panic, but i'm glad the lil' brown mouse is happy, no marks, no bites. Thank god for smelly male mice.


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