pet mice

Question
Hi tamarah we have just got two pet female mice at eight weeks old. We have had them for two days and Lucy keeps atacking Libby, taking her food off her and chasing her around the cage until Libby is back into her bed area.Is Lucy an aggressive mouse or will they settle?

Answer
Hi Linda,

It's still pretty early, so I would give them a little more time to settle down.  It sounds like they are just figuring out their pecking order.  The exception would be if you see any biting (you can blow the fur backwards on Libby to check for scabs or ouchies), tail rattling (buzzing the tail against something hard that signals the situation may go south), or boxing (defensively standing on back legs and "punching").  The last two are clues that they should be watched very, very carefully for violence.  Biting, however, or any kind of drawing blood is a sign they should be separated immediately.

The good news is chasing and bothering is totally normal for a new introduction, and there are things you can do to help.  Until they have calmed down, try removing the food bowl and scattering the food across the cage. This ensures Libby can get something to eat anywhere without Lucy guarding the food source.  Second, if you give them treats, be sure and only give each mouse one at the same time. Then they will argue less over who gets to enjoy the yummy stuff.  If they don't settle down, and Lucy is still chasing Libby everywhere in a few days, feel free to write me back and we'll see if we can't try some other techniques to get them to play nice.

Congratulations on your new pets!
-Tam