Orphaned mice and foot in mouth...

Question
QUESTION: For the past two days my girlfriend and I have been caring for two orphaned mice that we found in our backyard. So far they've been eating very well and going to the bathroom every two hours. Today they have just started to open their eyes. After I first noticed this, I left them alone for a minute or so to grab my phone and take a picture, but when I returned I found them sleeping curled up together and one of them had the other's foot in its mouth. It wouldn't let go even when it woke up until I introduced food and distracted it. Then, as soon as I put them back down again, it happened again. Are they fighting? Is this just some sort of cute sibling behavior? They are both males, so I've been watching carefully...

ANSWER: Dear Britt,

I would not worry. It may be a forerunner to later learning how to wash each other...or maybe it's like sucking your thumb. In any case it's not bad.  I doubt it will continue, and if it did it would be a cute habit...

They won't start to fight till much later. No worries.

squeaks n giggles,
Natasha
<:3  )--~

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey! Thanks for answering. We ended up separating the mice, though, because it turned into what definitely seemed like fighting. They were biting each other, refusing to let go, squeaking, and rolling around. It happened twice, and the second time was frightening because one of them went limp. We assume it was an act of submission, but it still scared the crap out of us. I keep reading that they shouldn't fight until much later, but I'm too afraid to leave them alone together now. :(

Britt

Answer
Dear Britt,

WOW, mice that fight before they are weaned. That is completely bizarre. I stand extremely corrected. My specialty is tame mice, so it is possible that field mice have different habits than tame ones? I wonder. There are birds which push their siblings out of the nest, so it isn't completely unheard of. Maybe it is an instinct in baby wild mice when they sense there may not be enough mother's milk for all the pups. That is very interesting. It can't be territorial, since the pups are only at advantage to stay in the same place before they are weaned. I'm going to go with the theory of the insufficient milk. That doesn't mean you aren't feeding them enough. It would just be an instinct that had some sort of trigger.

If you can keep them near each other they will still be able to communicate. Even though males fight, because they are used to having a female partner and kids, they are still social. Believe it or not, they do communicate all the time, but it is too high for us to hear. This should keep them healthier.

If you write back, tell me how tame they are. I'm interested in what age foundlings must be to become good pets.

Squeaks and giggles,

Natasha