# Males...the unanswered question.



## mus-muris (Nov 9, 2010)

Okay so I've kept mice for a while, sometimes just males, sometimes just females, at the moment i have a mixture. 
Can males live together or not?!
I had a litter earlier this year and for a while three bucks were living together and were fine, then one day, BAM, they started fighting and I've had to separate them.








Luckily, I have the space to do that but I'm not using my space very productively now because I've got all the males split up.
I've had males live together before without a problem.
Any tips for getting them to get along? At the moment two of my bucks, Del-Boy and Byron go at it hell for leather and I believe if left alone they'll fight to the death. Any suggestions?


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

Unfortunately most males are just like that. :roll: Sometimes they will live harmoniously, but if they are left together after they start fighting they will eventually fight to the death. There's nothing that can be done except to separate them.

Sarah xxx


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## Erica08 (May 20, 2009)

I've been very fortunate in that I have been able to keep males together for long periods of time without them fighting. Even my adult breeding males have been together for a time when I wasn't breeding any does. All I do is give them a nice large cage with plenty of toys and hiding spots and two sources of food and water then I just keep an eye on them and I have never (knock on wood) had a problem with fighting.


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## mus-muris (Nov 9, 2010)

Gah i'm so jealous! I give mine plenty of room, and they ALWAYS have access to food, water, hiding places, a wheel, a nest box with two storeys so if they want space it's there. I must be cursed  xxx


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

I find that you can often keep them together if they grow up together. but if they ever come in contact with a female mouse, or even smell a female mouse or another male mouse on your hand, then the heirarchy in their tank gets thrown off and they revert back to being boys. :roll:


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## mus-muris (Nov 9, 2010)

ahhh that would explain a lot! i had 4 bucks at one point living together all from the same litter but i've got a vivarium full of girls above them and a vivarium with their dad below them...dayum xxx


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## m137b (Sep 22, 2010)

My young unbred bucks will usually cohabitate to a point, usually 8 weeks to 12 weeks. But I have one pair of brothers who live together, and have even bred several does together without ever fighting. But they're kinda attached to one another like best buds, sleep together, eat together, clean each other.


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

I've had mice from many different lines and find that most don't cohabitate well...but occasionally some will get along swimmingly **shrug** I actually have 2 bucks together right now that did not grow up together, have been house with females together, and aren't even closely related! One of the bucks is much older (born Dec/Jan) and a bit wobbly..not sure why...the other is only a couple months old....but they sleep together and everything **shrug**


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## MouseHeaven (Oct 25, 2010)

I'm not really sure as to what you can do, but I'm glad I've only had that problem once. All my male mice live in small groups of 4 and they are very happy together  Except for one XD he's been separted from them all because of the same problem you're having. Honestly - buying all the extra stuff for one tank isn't worth it if you already have an area you can keep them seperated in. To prevent all risk, I'd definately keep them separated.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

It's not easy, a lot of the time, but I do have groups of males together. I have to keep a close watch on them, and they do scuffle occasionally. A few things that can minimize fighting:

1 Keep the boys in a separate area, if at all possible. Mine are on sections of shelving reserved for boys only.

2 Never clean out all the bedding at once. Clean half to two thirds one day, wait a couple days, do the other half.

3 No toys. No wheels. No housing. Only bedding and nesting material.

4 When feeding, watch them and be sure each one gets one of whatever the 'treat' is, no less, no more.

5 Remove a trouble maker right away. I have had some success using a tiny plastic kritter karrier as a time out box within the original tank.

6 Euthanize any male that seriously injures another mouse, whether it be a male, a youngster, or a female. Bucks do assault and rape both does and fellow bucks. Get them out of there, don't breed them, and find a new home for them unless you can keep them separately for the rest of their lives. It sounds cold, but pts'ing them is often the only way to go.

7 Keep young does, pregnant ones, and especially ones that are due or have just delivered as far from the boys area as possible.

8 To punctuate what has been said: Nobody but you will know what the right decisions are as far as these matters are. concerned


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## kerryann (Oct 4, 2010)

same thing happened to me. when i first got some male mice as babies they lived together peacefully until they were 4 months old then SQUEAK, SQUEAK!! I separeted them right away.since then ive tried but with no luck im afraid


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

Even brought up as brothers , Bucks can get to a stage where they will show agression,spiny mice which I keep as well as fancy Mice however Males live quite happily in a colony as long as they have plenty living space I have two males 3 females.I also have two satin bucks a champagne and a fawn but there still young so plenty time for the 'squeak squeak' to start


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

It's usually impossible to put bucks who have been separated from a group back with the group without trouble. Measures must be taken if you do this. Even 20 minutes outside the tank will make the buck start to smell different. Even does sometimes have a problem with 'strange' smelling does.


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## mus-muris (Nov 9, 2010)

thanks for the advice guys  Del Boy and Hudini don't fight too much but there is a bit of bullying going on so i broke it up, i've got some new vivs on the way for each male so shouldn't be a problem  one day i hope to find a pair of bucks that can live in sweet, sweet harmony :love


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## Twotails (Nov 4, 2010)

:shock: I think there is something wrong with my mice if males usually fight. I have had no trouble with males fighting! I keep all my males together and I can take one out for breeding and put him back in 15 days later and there is no fighting. I only have trouble with some of the girls, when I put a female back in with the "herd" of other females after she had weaned her babies the others try to keep her away from them, no fighting or biting though, just chasing.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

There's a lot of variation in behavior in different lines of meeces. Even unrelated males sometimes do fine together; there's no set pattern unless you set it, or another breeder has. I eliminate males who are aggressive and violent, occasionally I do so with females as well. I hate seeing mousies getting hurt, and it's hard even to listen to meeces fighting.


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## mus-muris (Nov 9, 2010)

I guess we should just accept that mice are like people in the respect that some of them just don't get along with others!
and yeah me too moustress  even if theyre just squabbling i hate hearing them shout at eachother! xxx


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## Bella (Aug 15, 2010)

moustress said:


> 6 Euthanize any male that seriously injures another mouse, whether it be a male, a youngster, or a female. Bucks do assault and rape both does and fellow bucks. Get them out of there, don't breed them, and find a new home for them unless you can keep them separately for the rest of their lives. It sounds cold, but pts'ing them is often the only way to go.


I am assuming that it is because this degree of aggressiveness is generally genetic?


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