Male mice are fighting

Question
Hi, I bought a pair of male feeder mice a while back (almost a year)from a petco, and they have gotten along really well for the most part.  However, as of late they've been having really terrible fights and one of them has a lot of wounds that actively bleed.  I don't have the means to separate them right now, but I've tried giving them more toys, food, etc. to see if that might stop, since I figured they might be fighting over resources. This has not turned out to be the case, however, and I'm really afraid one of them might get seriously hurt.  Please help!
Thanks,
 Lorraine

Answer
Hi Lorraine,

Once males have started fighting there is no way to fix the situation.  You will have to separate them, and will be unable to reunite them without more fighting.  In the end, this is a much better solution for everyone, as male mice can and will fight to the death.

It's important that you treat all wounds on either of them.  You can add betadine (from your pharmacy or general store) to warm water until it turns the color of tea, then dip a clean cotton swab in the solution and dab it gently around any breaks in the skin.  Wait a couple of seconds, then dab it back up with a new swab.  Don't worry if you can't get it all back up, just do the best you can.  Then, take a very small amount of triple antibiotic ointment and cover each open wound (NOT on the face) with a thin film.  Don't use too much, just enough to cover the area, as most of it will be licked right back up.  You can repeat this whole procedure up to one to three times a day to keep infection away.

Best of luck,
-Tam