# Will brothers fight?



## Carla (Nov 18, 2010)

Hi, im going to get a mouse this weekend, i was planning on getting one male because i just wanted one mouse to be a companion but i've heard that they get lonely and can get depressed. I know i will handle him regurly but dont want to take the risk.
So i was thinking of getting 2 bucks to keep each other company.
However i know that male mice can fight over territory, will they fight despite being brothers and being born together?
thanks xx


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

They might live together for years or all of a sudden start fighting you just cant tell .Ive had two bucks(brothers) live together a few months now and another where I had to seperate them in a week as all hell broke out.It depends on the individuals if you here squeeking it could be the start of quarriling.Start breeding them its fun


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## Matt Haslam (Mar 13, 2010)

yes


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## kerryann (Oct 4, 2010)

yes they will eventually fight. all my bucks live on their own and they are all happy


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## Carla (Nov 18, 2010)

okay thank you so much for the advice 

xxx


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## bethmccallister (Mar 5, 2010)

I tested this theory just this week actually and yes brothers will fight and they had to be separated. I thought I had a good shot at them getting along for a bit because they were in a litter of 8, 6 does and these two boys. I then removed the 2 boys together into their own brand new cage and brand new everything at weaning time. They were fine and sweet together, nesting together for several days. Then yesterday I found the smaller of the two males looking thinner and he was bleeding from his behind. I removed him promptly and cleaned the wound and fed him some jelly (he loved the jelly part but it's not good for regular food - I did this because sugar helps during blood loss), the bleeding soon stopped and he's acting fine now. I guess I had to learn my lesson the hard way...poor little guy.


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## countrygall721 (Oct 26, 2010)

Yes, indeed they will fight...Most fights are probably over dominance, it's best if they're separated.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

When you take two brothers and put them in new bedding in a new tank they are very likely to start fighting right away because the new stuff smell new. I'd remove all the other meeces and leave them in their own tank, and they will be less likely to fight. I have had quite a number of males housed in in twos, threes, fours and five, and they got along pretty well most of the time. I change only half the bedding at a time mixing new with old. They are also less likely to fight if they have no accessories like housing, wheels, etc. Having them in a smaller tank will help too.

The other way to do it is to take some used bedding from the tank they were in to put in the new tank; enough that it can be mixed with new and still smell like 'home'.


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## m137b (Sep 22, 2010)

It's not a risk a pet owner should take. Especially with petstore boys. Unless you can find a vet to neuter them for you.


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## Matt Haslam (Mar 13, 2010)

m137b said:


> It's not a risk a pet owner should take. Especially with petstore boys. Unless you can find a vet to neuter them for you.


much sense


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## The Village Mousery (Aug 1, 2010)

only time i've heard of this working is with a pet type pair of bucks i give to Miss understood, was a blue satin and a nearly naked buck . I still cant undertand why they dont fight all i can think of is the nearly naked ones a he/she (has both sex organs). I've just had bucks at 6 weeks fight and bite to draw blood i wouldnt advice on putting them together.


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## zany_toon (Apr 3, 2010)

If you are intent on putting them together I agree wholeheartedly with the neutering if you can get a vet who can do it or with the advice that moustress has given. That's the advice I followed with my own group of boys (currently 6 living together, until last weekend there were 7 - one died due to a health issue  not as a result of any fights with his brothers) and they are now 11 months old. I always get two boys when i am buying them from anyone or from a petshop and keep them together as long as possible and have a spare cage and supplies around in case the worse should happen and I need to separate. I only separate them when fights start and have never had any serious injuries occur although one did end up with a small abscess from a squabble, easily sorted


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

It's true that my boys are bred on the basis of having a certain personality; less aggressive both with their brothers, and more tractable to handle. I cull the fightey bitey ones unless they are absolutely necessary to continue a particular line. Sometimes I also maintain certain bucks as singles because they are too beautiful to die. But I don't breed those.


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## Carla (Nov 18, 2010)

ok, thanks for all the advice  
xxxx


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

My mom said she was able to get a vet to neuter her gerbil about twenty years ago, but has never been able to find someone since then who does small animals like that. Is it more common in the UK?


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## SevenlevelsofDante (Nov 13, 2010)

My mom said she was able to get a vet to neuter her gerbil about twenty years ago, but has never been able to find someone since then who does small animals like that. Is it more common in the UK?


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## zany_toon (Apr 3, 2010)

SevenlevelsofDante said:


> My mom said she was able to get a vet to neuter her gerbil about twenty years ago, but has never been able to find someone since then who does small animals like that. Is it more common in the UK?


I don't know how common it is but there are a few rodent savvy vets here and there. There are a few in Wales and Bath that neuter some male mice for the mice and gerbil rescues quite successfully and kallan has neutered several. Not sure how many others there are though.


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