# Housing mice with his male offspring?



## MoodyMouse (Aug 9, 2014)

So I'm wanting to breed a litter to keep all the females and have the opportunity to hand tame from an early age. I'm now worrying what I would do with the male as I will undoubtedly like the little fella when I pick him and bring him home, plus rehoming a single male may be difficult. Has anyone successfully housesd their male with his male offspring considering they will be about 4 weeks when they are removed from the does and not yet sexually mature so not a threat? Or alternatively how much does neutering cost so he can stay with him ladies?


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

Males will often fight when mature especially boys who have been bred. They may fight straight away or they may be fine untill something sets them off. Some boys can be kept together but it seems to fail more times that it works so it's not worth the risk in my opyion so bucks are housed separately even brothers.

If or how long it will work for depends on the individual personalities of each buck. I've had one successful male group in my 4-5 years, most start arguing at around 12 weeks with mine.

Your right males are harder to rehome.


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## Ruth (Jul 3, 2014)

I've got a group of males housed together and you get the odd squeak as someone is being told off but no damage is being done. I used to keep males together when I was a child too. They must not be able to smell females and need lots of hides as they seem to often choose to be in their own as well as huddle together. Also more than one food bowl or as I do sprinkle food about the place. Lastly a big enclosure so they're not too cramped and then plenty of enclosures should they need to be separated. If having males is a worry to you have you considered the possibility that your female may have a litter of ten and nine be male, its happened to me. You could easily end up with more males than females and if culling isn't an option for you you may have great difficulty finding new homes, no one wants the males even though to me they seem more out going and better pets.


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## MoodyMouse (Aug 9, 2014)

So how to breeders generally keep their mice? Do they have big groups of female mixed together or keep them separated into pairs of the same colour/breeding line. And then all the males are in a cage each? Are they in large cages being that they live alone or is a small/medium size ok, say 30cm by 20cm? I'm trying to work out how many cages I need and their sizes. I was thinking for this breeding I'd need 2 cages, one for the doe with bubs and her friend who she lives with and one for the male. But I guess I need a third cage for the male bubs that get separated out? If you have say more than 2 females living together and one or two gets pregnant do you remove them from the other females and then reintroduce after they have reared their litter? Thanks


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## Ruth (Jul 3, 2014)

I'm really new to breeding but how I do it is to keep a trio of females with a male . If the male is removed he lives on his own or he can be kept in with the females but you need to be aware of repeat breedings. I then grown on my females with their mums if male has been removed or grow them on in an enclosure with other females of the same age . I separate all males as soon as weaned and they leave together as they grow with the ocassional one being chosen to breed. I use RUB's and have spares as well as cages and a tank. I have a room spare in my house where all my breeders and females live as well as some rats. My males live else where in the house away from the smell of the females and these are actually played with lots by my children. I own snakes so males do end up being food when grown where as females tend to be sold to loving homes. I don't think I could breed them if I didn't have snakes as I have no idea what I would do with all the males. I believe all breeders cull as it would be a welfare issue if you didn't . better to cull than have them live in poor or unsuitable conditions.


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## MoodyMouse (Aug 9, 2014)

Thanks for the info. I'm getting an already pregnant female tomorrow so that should help me with the dilemma of what to do with dad. The male babies will get rehomed (hopefully) and I'll kept any females. I don't think I'll breed myself as id feel guilty about dad being tossed aside after the mating. I think the male babies should be adopted as they are cute babies, I guess the worst is someone adopts then for snake food but as you say that happens anyway, reptiles have to eat so I suppose it's the circle of life. I think one or two litters is enough for me though, I think breeding properly would give me a headache about where all the males go to.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

the way I have mine is a pair or trio of does in a box, the bucks goes in and comes out when there pregnant. If there are does waiting he will go straight in with them if not he will chill out in his own box. when the babies are 4-5weeks out come the bucks and brothers stay together till 8weeks when I make my pics on who is staying, the does stay with the mother until 8 weeks then they all go into my big doe box until its time to breed.
I try to only keep 3 adult bucks at a time. Spair mice go as frozen food.

so I have boxes for the adult breeding does, box for girls not currently bred, box for growing on brothers, then a box for each buck past 8 weeks old.

bucks are hard to find homes for due to the extra smell most want females as pets. personaly I allways prefur my bucks.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Be cautious; brothers can get along about 1/3 of the time. If you do it, keep a very close eye on them. Keep cages with more than one male as far awayas possible from cages where females are in first heat, are pregnant or in heat.

Never completely clean out old bedding, and if you to have to empy and wash a tank, make sure to smudge the insides with some dirty bedding. Mix the old bedding well, do not wash the out side of the water bottle. Conserve the smell. Meeces are ruled by smellmore than any other factor.

When my mousery was huge, I considered using a different storage room in the same basement. If I get started agin after The Greal Minneapolitan Mouseis'r' Us Mouse Exodus, I plan on trying more 'social engineering'. Behavior of the mousies is, to me, as interesting as breeding for show, watching them is a main pleasure. Seeing the different kinds of behavior in different strains is time 
consuming, but I find mousies tranfixing.


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