I just got 2 mice yesterday and they are in an aquarium with the basics, ie food dish, water bottle, wheel, and a small mouse igloo. They appeared to do their own thing occasionally coming into contact with one another but now I noticed that one of the mice doesn't go into the igloo with the other. It's plenty big enough for them both but only 1 uses it. Do they not like each other or are female mice usually this way? I've seen the groups of mice in the pet stores sleeping in a heap in a corner and thought that they would want to huddle. If I need to I can go out today and buy a second igloo for the other mouse but I'd want her to use it. Sort of a silly question but we got 2 mice so that they wouldn't be lonely and I want to be sure of that.
2010-09-01T11:01:59Z
I just looked in on them and they were both in the igloo cuddled up and sleeping :) Thanks to everyone who answered, I guess I was just overly worried. I know that they aren't from the same littere because they look completely different but it appears that they are fine with one another.
Anonymous2010-09-01T08:12:06Z
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You have to understand that they were just plucked from their family, put into a box and then taken in a car for a while and then plunked back down in an environment that they've never seen or smelled before. They aren't going to be very interactive or lively for a couple of days until they have had a chance to get used to your house and their new cage. Go to the store and buy another igloo or put a small cardboard box in the cage for the other one to sleep in until they have a chance to get used to everything. Eventually they will start sleeping together but they are both probably quite distressed right now and don't want much to do with each other. Just be patient.
Occasionally mice that were in the same tank at the store will not interact with each other when you get them home. They could be from different litters. Do they look completely different? If so, they need to get acquainted with each other. As long as they are not fighting, or one does not keep biting the other, they should come around. I have had mice from the same tank but different litters who took up to two weeks to interact. It is not the norm, though. Usually the mice that come from the same tank, whether from the same litter or not, sleep together, huddle and so forth from day one. It is true that they are likely frightened being uprooted, but safety in numbers, as the saying goes. They are much more likely to stick together.
That said, they just need a little time to get used to each other. I would not get another igloo, as that would encourage them to sleep apart. You want them to seep together, so do not make it easier for them to keep their distance. You could put a little vanilla on their rumps. This masks their smell, so essentially they will both smell the same with the vanilla on them. It may help speed up the adjustment period.
I really do not think you have to worry. I would only be concerned if they were fighting. Good luck with them.
(To L: Males are the territorial gender, NOT females.)
I had three female mice, two of them got along, while one didn't like the other two. If you put a little extra bedding in a corner of the aquarium, one of the mice might make a little burrow if they really dont want to share the igloo.
Female mice are territoral. They probably do like eachother but one is more dominant therefore takes over the bed. Try and get another one and put it in another corner or something anf fill it with bedding. Females usually live better in a 3 but you cant really introduce another, as long as they don't fight they should be fine.