having more than one male? neutering?

by JiminBeret Fri 28 Jun 2019, 12:38 pm

So I have heard that male mice can be more cuddly which I would love as I love cuddling my pets! However, Im worried a lone male would be sad and lonely..
What do people recommend? would people recommend getting 2 female mice and 1 neutered male? 3 neutered males?

Any and all advice is much appreciated. I have no plans so far on getting mice , I am trying to do lots of research first

Love

by Robin~ Fri 28 Jun 2019, 1:17 pm

I personally would do just a single male. The neutering process on such a small animal is super super risky to the point where vets will refuse to do it. Unless you have a very very experienced vet I wouldn't do it. Just be sure you can spend lots of time with your boy (at least a few hours per day) and give him plenty of things to do (they like their cages packed) and he can still live a very happy life.

As another note, you cannot keep male mice together, even if they are neutered. They still have those fighting instincts, bits or no bits.

by chiroptera Fri 28 Jun 2019, 8:18 pm

You shouldn't keep males together, as Robin said, they're still prone to fight.

However, a neutered male CAN be happily housed with females! Finding a vet that will do the neutering on such a small animal might be tricky, and sometimes the process is dangerous, so some don't recommend it. Make sure the vet you're going to has experience with small animals!

Though I would suggest that a lone male might bond with you better than one that has other females to bond with, since you'll be the only interaction he has.

by CallaLily Sat 29 Jun 2019, 12:19 pm

What they said. Neutering can be risky, especially if you don’t have access to a very experienced (with mice) exotic veterinarian. But if you were to decide to go that route, a neutered male mouse should be housed with a group of females. Even neutered males are often extremely territorial with other males, so it is not recommended.

But a lone male can be just fine with a lot of activities and attention from you. This is what most here choose when it comes to housing bucks because the of the risks.

by Moth Sat 27 Jul 2019, 10:12 pm

I have heard of people housing their males with female ASFs! They keep them company but can’t interbreed Smile

one thing to note is that ASF have a longer lifespan than mice, so she’ll probably outlive the male.

My male has always done very well alone. But I do spend lots of time with him.

by Honey102019 Fri 06 Dec 2019, 9:32 pm

Where can I find ASF mice? I can't find much on the internet other than research documentation.

Did more research...

Answer (just in case someone else wants to know): African Soft Furs. They are technically rats according to my source. But, they are best housed with mice than rats. They are usually bred as feeders.

by Robin~ Sat 07 Dec 2019, 8:12 am

Honey102019 wrote:Where can I find ASF mice? I can't find much on the internet other than research documentation.

Did more research...

Answer (just in case someone else wants to know): African Soft Furs. They are technically rats according to my source. But, they are best housed with mice than rats. They are usually bred as feeders.

I believe (and I could be wrong) but I think ASFs are banned in some countries. I forget if the US is on that list, but I remember some ball python owners saying how they loved ASFs as feeders until they couldn’t get them any more. So, perhaps it’s not as viable of an option as it used to be Razz

by AmyLynn Thu 19 Dec 2019, 3:48 pm

You are best to make the choice based on what you are looking for in a pet so that you and your new mouse/mice are happy.

I have multiple male and female mice and here is what I found:

With my ladies that are house together they are self-reliant. They are together as a family and I am an outsider to their mouse family. They will let me pick them up at times and they like to look at me and interact from the other side of the habitat. However, they don't exactly love it and want put back down pretty quickly. And these are females that we hand raised so they know me well and are very friendly. From an owner prospective they are fun to watch. They do amazing things and will even looks at you when you call their names. They are great pets for people that maybe enjoy watching and caring for daily and occasionally interacting.

My boys raised from the same litter are the opposite. They are each house separately. Some of them will taunt each-other from their cages even. So I would not suggest more than one male. However, that are so sweet. They are eager for attention and love. They wanted to be held, played with, and interact with me and my family. They are needy little companions. They are great for owner that want to spend time with them daily and have the time to do so in the evening. You will be your males mouse's family and his best friend. It can be a rewarding friendship. But they take more time.

As you can see they are very different to have as pets. Choose what works for you.