brother mice

Question
Hello!

10 days ago we bought 2 fancy mice who were brothers. One was more active and curious (Spike), while the other(Angel) spent time in his house and when he did venture out there was much squeaking as he got picked on. Three days ago we found Spike happily in his wheel and Angel dead and buried in the connecting cage. We took back to Petsmart where they looked at him and said he had died from stress.  o we got another muse who was from that same litte and brought him (Buffy) home.

They seemed fine for the first few hours then Spike was contiuing to bug Buffy and now he was scared to come out of his house!

We went back to Petsmart and got a third brother from the litter and right away Spike was on him and they were fighting and squeaking. So we put SPike in one cage and the new one in another cage with Buffy. Well the bew one (ANgel2) and Buffy LOVE each other! They use the wheel together and are practically joined at the (tiny mouse) hip.

So..should we get anotehr mouse to live with Spike cuz he seems very lonely even though I know he will be fighting with the other 2 again.

Thanks
We love our mice!

Answer
Kudos on the names, I'm a fan of Buffy the vampire slayer too. Spike fighting? Surely not...

Mice are social creatures and are happiest when in groups. Spike will need a friend as human contact is no substitute for a mouse buddy. You could ask the Petsmart which mice he got on with before you adopted him.

Introduction of mice can be tricky (particularly males). Make sure the cage is big enough for each to have their own territory and there are plenty of hiding places such as toilet rolls or boxes. They may fight over their favorite bits of food like sunflower seeds etc. Feed them plain boiled rice for a few weeks instead of mouse/hamster food.

Spike probably killed Angel because he was weak. In nature, only the strongest are permitted to survive so it is common to kill the weaker ones in a group so the strongest have a bigger share in food, shelter, territory and females.

There is also the option of castration. You may not be able to find a vet who performs this operation and the charge may be high. However I have found that castrated mice are far more docile and live a lot longer. As a castrated mouse, he would need female company as to males he may no longer smell like a boy.

If you can't find Spike a pal, you may have to take him back to Petsmart. It is better for him to be amongst his own kind in the store than to live a life of solitude.

Please feel free to ask any more questions. Good luck.