# Young bucks



## pauly (Feb 21, 2013)

What age do you find young bucks start sparring up to each other ? I have two cream brothers in together, just over six weeks old, started scrapping tonight.


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## Frizzle (Oct 6, 2011)

I haven't had to keep males together for a while now, I got pretty good about figuring out who was keepable. When I first started, I did have a pair together for several months. I have a few males from another local breeder, only 1 generation out of Petco mice, and while some started squabbling & were seperated @ 6 weeks, two have been fine together now coming on 3 months of age.

If you've noticed scrapping, you should probably separate if you haven't already. It only gets worse!


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## bonsai (Oct 14, 2012)

Hello
I agree with Frizzle.
You can't say when they start fighting.
Some buck groups get along fine for days,some for weeks or even month.But it's always like a ticking bomb.The behavior can change within minutes esspecially if there are any changes of the territory or within the group,e.g.the death of a group member or a new mouse introduction.
I won't risk it and it's time to seperate with the first signs of fighting.
I made the experience that most buck groups get along fine when they have little space but that is no long lasting solution if you want happy mice which can live in a species-appropriate surrounding.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

How longs a piece of string?

I've just had to split up a bunch of brothers, first at around 8 weeks as a black Fox was picking on the chocs, so put the two blacks in a new box and kept the trio of choc together, then last weekend had to split all up as it was fight night out there after cleaning. Got no spare boxes now as got all them entered in a show. Only one is staying after the show.
Yet had brothers still ok at 12 weeks. I normally make my final pic by 12weeks.

But as soon as it starts its time to split.


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## pro-petz (Nov 14, 2012)

Agree with previous posts its difficult to state an age. However I am not totally convinced that males can not be kept together for longer periods of time if not permanently if no females are within their scent range, females coming into breeding condition may also be a trigger for the males sudden change in behaviour. Whether that be own kept mice or even wild mice.

My breeding is probably unique in that does kept with litters till 14 days old after initial reduction to 5-6 after that then separated again and split into sexes so several mums in a tub raising either all bucks or all does and any further reductions also done at this time allowing the does to raise no more than 4-5 per doe for the young does and 3-4 for the young bucks.

This method works well for me and generally able to keep bucks together till 4 - 6 months of age til any scrapping starts some lines even longer. Space is the main factor with the bucks so having spare tubs to house all bucks individually is not always an option immediately available to everyone. The need for heavier selection of only the best at as early age as possible is advised.


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## blackbirdmice (Oct 27, 2012)

I kept 5 males together for 10 weeks. They seemed happy and never fought once. I'm sure that I could have kept them together for much longer, but they needed to go to their own homes!


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## Rodentman (Feb 18, 2013)

Well I still have 6 bucks together since they were born last November.

So far, no problems, they adore each other.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

It can be done, it just fails more times that it works, when i first got into mice i had a male group who lived together happly for over a year. Untill i bred one and tryed to put him back with the other male (the others died off naturaly) and he attacked him so bad i had to have him put down.

But the group i had had a strict paking order with one mouse the top boy prince who was fantastic, firm but fair. when he told one of the other boys off it was a quick telling off and he left it at that. he himself came from a male group where the top boy (nasty piece of work) tryed to rip is tail off! Luckerly he healed up fine, he joined the left over males and everyone did as he said. However the one under him patch had a bit of a nasty streak in him and would if he told one of the lower males off he would chase after him to keep telling him off but the top boy kept him in check and no one got hurt, if he hadent been there to keep him in line im sure patch would have been trouble.


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