# Is neutering male mice successful?



## Perluna (Oct 1, 2013)

Basically, I have a little girl called Luna who is about 7 weeks old. She lived with her brother Perry until she was 5 weeks old (the breeder didn't separate them...) We split them up as soon as we brought them home. Luna was originally going to be a friend for my other mouse, Maisy, who recently lost her sister due to congenital illness. Unfortunately, upon introducing them on neutral territory over a period of time, Maisy attempted to take a chunk out of Luna's tail. Fortunately, I managed to separate them before any damage could be done. Luna simply squealed and scrambled into my hand. I don't want to make her feel scared, so I didn't try introducing them again after the first several times.

Anyway, Luna was born very weak and I'm not sure of her genetic background (it doesn't sound good - her mother orphaned her and her foster mum munched all the babies except her and Perry). I know this doesn't necessarily mean the trait will be passed onto Luna, but I don't want to risk breeding her because of this.

Since she lived fine with Perry - yet was so intimidated by other females - I was wondering if perhaps I could have Perry neutered and allow them to live together after introducing them? It doesn't necessarily have to be Perry - more so just a young boy that Luna won't feel intimidated by. She is not an aggressor and she likes hiding a lot and squeals when confronted by another mouse. It's kind of heart-breaking to see, I don't want her to be lonely. I just want to find her a suitable playmate before it's too late.

So, my question is, what are your opinions on neutering male mice? Is it wrong to take away something that isn't ours to take away? Will it actually improve his quality of life, as it means that he will have company too? As most male mice can't live together, does it mean that if Perry is neutered, he won't have to be alone anymore?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. It means a lot to me.


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## Serena (Dec 29, 2011)

neutering males works fine. They can live with females, other neutered males or an intact male (company for stud bucks)
You just have to find a vet who's willing to do the job. small mammals are a bit tricky during anaesthesia and when waking up.
They can die during this time- you always have to take that into consideration. But if it works out, the result is well woth it imho.


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## Perluna (Oct 1, 2013)

Serena said:


> neutering males works fine. They can live with females, other neutered males or an intact male (company for stud bucks)
> You just have to find a vet who's willing to do the job. small mammals are a bit tricky during anaesthesia and when waking up.
> They can die during this time- you always have to take that into consideration. But if it works out, the result is well woth it imho.


Thank you for the advice! What about the after care - I've heard that they can get infected on the wound-site if they don't have antibiotics or something of the sort?


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## AnnB (Jan 14, 2011)

I've had a number of my bucks neutered now. There is always a risk with surgery and you should talk it through with your vet but none of mine have had any problems with infection. The incision was so small the vet just glued it together rather than stitching.


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## Perluna (Oct 1, 2013)

AnnB said:


> I've had a number of my bucks neutered now. There is always a risk with surgery and you should talk it through with your vet but none of mine have had any problems with infection. The incision was so small the vet just glued it together rather than stitching.


Awh. I'm glad to hear that they made it through. The trouble is, where I live we don't have vets who are specialised in 'exotic' pets such as rats and mice. The nearest one is about 50 miles away, which makes things difficult...


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