changing behaviour help!

by jazjazjaz on Thu Feb 16, 2017 3:30 pm

Hi all,
Hoping some more seasoned mice owners can help me with this one!
I bought two mice a month ago, Patty and Lego. I was told they were sisters and so far they have been the best of friends, sleeping together, grooming etc. They have the odd fall out, usually over the wheel but they never get really aggressive with each other.

The last couple of days Lego (who I had identified as the alpha) has been chased away from the ground floor of the cage. Everytime she goes downstairs Patty (who is usually more timid and gets bullied a bit by Lego) chases her away.

Patty has stopped sleeping in their house and has built a nest in a new part of the cage. Lego isn't staying in the house either, she is staying on the top floor of the cage with no bedding. I've also noticed that Lego seems to have some pretty sizable balls for a female mouse....

I'm no expert at all but I've been thinking maybe Lego is male and Patty is pregnant and her aggression and new nest are to keep her babies safe?

Any ideas? I've read through the forum and seen the "no blood no separation rule" so I am following that, but I'm scared of more tensions and want to get to the bottom of this power shift/behavioural change!

Thanks in advance micey pals

by AnonONIagent on Thu Feb 16, 2017 9:10 pm

If you have any suspicion that one of them is a male, separate them immediately. Especially if you believe one may be pregnant.

Has Patty changed in size recently? Have you checked over the cage thoroughly for babies? If there is any chance there are babies in the cage, Lego should be removed immediately, regardless of Lego's actual gender.

Place Lego in a clear glass/plastic jar or cup and take pictures of the genital area and post them here.

by jazjazjaz on Fri Feb 17, 2017 2:00 am

Couldn't get Lego to sit still in a plastic box and my camera is terrible so sorry for the awful pics. Hopefully they aren't useless. This is Lego:

This is Patty as well for comparison:

She hasn't got noticeably bigger, her behaviour has just flipped completely over the last three days. Though maybe I have two young bucks? My untrained eye finds it hard to tell. But Lego's bulge is noticeably bigger than Patty's. Any thoughts?

by AnonymousMouseOwner on Fri Feb 17, 2017 4:04 am

Are the pictures of different mice? They all look like pictures of males to me.

by jazjazjaz on Fri Feb 17, 2017 4:23 am

yep, different mouse. Perhaps they're brothers rather than sisters! Guess I'm going to have to go buy another cage!

by **scaredymouse** on Fri Feb 17, 2017 4:34 am

The mouse in the the photo is male. Or if those are different mice, they are both male. Females do not have any kind of a bulge whatsoever. If they are both male, thru need to be separated immediately, because they can fight to the death. If you have a male and female on your hands, they also need to be separated immediately and additionally, you should prepare for the likelihood that your female in pregnant.

Actually, now that I typed all that out, I see that you posted pictures of both mice. The print in so tiny on my phone, but I see their names. Yeah, those are both males. Separate them and keep them alone. Sorry you were given wrong information from the person that sold them to you.

by jazjazjaz on Fri Feb 17, 2017 4:39 am

Thanks for your help, I'll get myself to the pet store today

by jazjazjaz on Fri Feb 17, 2017 4:57 am

ill they still be able to play together outside of the cage environment or is that too risky?

by **scaredymouse** on Fri Feb 17, 2017 5:31 am

Nope, no playing. Too risky and confusing for them. I know is seems like they enjoy each others company (and they probably do) but they are happiest alone, in their own territory, with all their own stuff. King of the castle! Young mice need each other to social and build life skills but there comes a time where the need to be alone grows so great that they fight to the death, regardless of whether the live together or just see each other on occasion.

by jazjazjaz on Fri Feb 17, 2017 5:45 am

Thanks for all the info. Yeah it is such ashame right now, they look so cute cuddled together. But I know it wont last, heading out the door to get a nice new cage for Lego to move into now.

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