Tiny Alpha

by MouseLover Thu 26 May 2016, 5:50 pm

Okay, so thought I'd do a little update for you guys.

I mentioned a while ago about Violet having a few sneezes. Well they went away, so it was probably just a bit of box shock Dance

Three sneeze-free weeks passed so it was time to meet Aunt Honey!

I was super happy and eager to introduce them, because Honey was becoming more shy and less confident on her own. Poor girly. Introductions went well. On seeing Violet, Honey immediately grabbed Violet, causing Violet to squeak loudly... until she realised that Honey was just grooming her, and she just relaxed Laughing

It made me really happy, because Honey was always the main "hairdresser" of her previous colony, so it must have been nice for her to resume her role.

They slept in the same house together straight away, and everything's been going really smoothly. The only thing is, Violet is very clearly going to be the alpha. This really baffles me... I must get a picture so you guys can see, but their size difference is huge. Violet is absolutely tiny compared to Honey, so I certainly didn't expect her to be the dominant one. She chases poor Honey off the wheel and steals her food from her mouth (there's two wheels, and plenty of food, so it's just showing dominance from the sake of it).

I'm not concerned about it, I know it's just normal mouse behaviour, establishing a hierarchy. There's been no aggression or anything. I just find it funny when the alpha isn't who you'd expect it to be!

In other news, I should be getting 3 more girlies in about a month's time Confetti

by CinnamonPearl Thu 26 May 2016, 7:04 pm

How sweet! I'm happy for both Honey and Violet. Violet sounds like a real handful. Laughing

by MesaMouse Thu 26 May 2016, 10:57 pm

In any of the colonies I've had, it's never been the largest mouse who's assumed the alpha spot. In this last group, the quintet, Bunny was the initial alpha of the original trio but when the duo joined them, the significantly smaller Anya emphatically usurped the alpha role and ruled the four larger girls with an iron paw! The quintet has dwindled down to a duo over the past six months, leaving alpha Anya and Cordelia: both are 2 years old now and showing their age but Anya's still in charge Wink

.

by scaredymouse Fri 27 May 2016, 2:27 am

I'm usually pretty good at spotting an alpha mouse and judging personalities in my animals pretty well but every now and then, something unexpected happens and I always get a kick out of it, too. Like when I just introduced my Jellybelly to the group. I would have never expected a peep out of my tiniest most timid mouse in the colony. When I first got her, I doubted that she could even be tamed. She could jump so far, and so fast. Anyway, she has come a long way but I wouldn't have guessed that she would ever attack another mouse!

by MouseLover Sun 29 May 2016, 6:14 pm

Things are still going well, but the flying saucer wheel still seems to be the cause of 90% of the squabbles... maybe I'll have to get two, as Violet has decided that it's hers Rolling Eyes

There is 1 flying saucer wheel and 1 regular wheel. They both use both wheels, but both prefer the saucer.

by CinnamonPearl Sun 29 May 2016, 6:40 pm

Maybe take the saucer out for a few days so they learn to get along before making them share.

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