Male mouse

Question
QUESTION: Hi,  i have 3 pet mice and 2 sisters well each of my sisters has their own mouse. All 3 mice are males and i guess are related because i don't usually  see any negative conflict but i do know that my mouse is the son of my sisters mouse and they get along great.Because my mother mouse just died recently due to a cat:( i want to take her son out of the boys cage and put him in my room. if i take him away from the others will he get depressed? i frequently take all three out to play so if i just let them interact every once in a while will that be ok for him?

ANSWER: Thank you for your question.

Mice are social creatures and will get depressed if kept alone. I wouldn't recommend taking him out of the group for more than a few hours as reintroducing him may be difficult.

It is great that these males all get along. This is quite unusual so removal of your male may upset the balance. Especially if they have lived together for a while.

If you wish to keep your mouse in your room then you should get a friend for him around the same age and size. The older they are the more unsuccessful the introduction will be. If not done right, one mouse will try to kill the other.

I think the best thing is to keep them together as this is what is best for the mice.

Please feel free to ask any more questions.



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

QUESTION: than you so much for that! But i just put him and the other 2 males in my room and i now how BAD they smell is there any way to keep the tank from stinking?

Answer
I'm sorry to say there isn't. Cleaning them out fortnightly may help as they won't need to mark their territory as much.

There is also the option of castration which significantly reduces the smell. You may have difficulty finding a vet and it could be expensive. I am fortunate to have who does this, he has castrated about 10 mice with no fatalities.

The smell may reduce as they get older, they may not feel the need to mark their territory as they know each other well. Even if they don't their urine still smells bad.

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