# Spiny mice and Fancy mice?



## Twotails (Nov 4, 2010)

I was wondering what would happen if you put together a spiny mouse and a fancy mouse. Would they breed? Would the get along alright? I am just curious if anyone else has thought about this or done this before. Thank you for your time!


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

They cannot breed, since they are separate species. The spiny mouse would possibly kill and/or eat the house mouse.


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Spiny mice seem aggressive towards fancy mice. However, they can live happily with ASFs.


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

No the spiny would attack it and come out on top every time


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## Roland (Aug 17, 2009)

I have kept an african pygmy buck together with two fancy mice does and they lived together for nearly a year in peace and harmony, cleaning and hugging each other. I put them together, when the buck was 6 weeks od, and the fancy does were just 4 weeks old.
Of course they never breed.

Regards, Roland
Chilloutarea Mousery - Tricolor , Splashed , Merle , Recessive Red


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## thamesvalleyexotics (Aug 2, 2010)

Spiny mice (both Acomys cahirinus and Acomys cahirinus dimediatus) *can* be kept with fancy mice. I did my dissertation at collage on cohabiting rodents and got some very interesting results. 
The only issues I had with any of the above mentioned species and fancy mice was the differences in breeding behaviour. Spinys like it rough....
Male A. dimediatus would chase and chase and chase female fancy mice (and on on occasion a male...) and A. cahirinus went for the 'suprise sex' approach :? 
All in all, I'd suggest that it is only viable if kept in single sex groupings and an EXTREMELY close eye is kept on them.

And of course you have no worry about hybridisation as the young of fancy mice are born helpless and of spiny mice precocial. interbreeding is not physically possible.

Kat


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Can you send me the name of the person who wrote the dissertation you cite and the college? I have access to a research university so even if it's overseas I can probably get a copy on Interlibrary Loan (they keep these things on file). I'm interested in reading it.


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## jessierose2006 (Dec 1, 2010)

So then they arent like Snakes as with snakes they have hybrids. of course they were tricked into it.

Carpall (Carpet Python x Ball Python)
BloodBall (Blood Python x Ball python) 
Burmaball (Burmese x Ball)
and a few others 
you just have to cross egg x egg/ live x live you cant cross live x egg

Are all mice like this? or would it be possible to take 2 generally close related mice and cross them?


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

This thread is a few months old, so I'm not sure to whom you're addressing your questions.

No two species of commonly-kept mice can interbreed. This includes house mice, spiny mice, deer mice, African pygmy mice, dormice, zebra mice, and others.

No on ever posted or sent me evidence of a controlled study of spiny mice (a predator) living with house mice (their prey), either. I'm interested in reading the results that are being cited.


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## jessierose2006 (Dec 1, 2010)

:shock: woah mice eat other mice?!?

sorry. I had just remembered about them crossing snake species and didnt know if it was possible. Yeah I would be interested in reading anything about that as well. i had tried to search it online but all i kept getting was hybrid rat/mouse questions.


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Mice of many species (especially the larger ones) are both predators and prey. They will gladly kill and eat smaller animals (and each other) when species are in mixed-housing.


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## jessierose2006 (Dec 1, 2010)

nice....


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## Laced713 (Mar 29, 2015)

I'm new here and I mean no harm but I dunno about all these claims of aggression I have a spiny and silky male and female respectively and they get along great. breeding is another story physically they should be capable and the silky is in season year round however the male will only be ready during the Egyptian summer which is winter here in the u.s. Familial hybrids are rare however and it's up to genetics for the possibilities. Generally same genus can breed so all spiny mice species should be able to interbreed because they are all acomys genus however whether or not one could breed with a striped grass (zebra) mouse from genus Lemniscomys can only be known by studying the genetics of the animals. I have contacted a lady taking part in genetically tracing the history of spiny mouse evolution she would have a gene map and the mus musculus gene map is of course available so she can say if they are able to and I am currently awaiting her reply.


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