[Lizzle]

One of the people I have sold mice to is having a problem with a female mouse who is quite aggressive, she says.

She bought two of my mice and the two of them (females) grew up side by side for their entire life while they were here with me.

I breed for sweet personality traits, so this is a complete shock to me. This aggressive female never displayed her aggression while here, but she was under two months when she was purchased.

Are any of you familiar with excessively aggressive female behavior? I am completely stumped - my gut tells me it's either genetic or caused from exposure to certain substances via the air (such as cigarette smoke, Lysol, denatured alcohol, etc). Are any of you familiar with excessively aggressive behavior? Have you found a remedy?

Thanks in advance!

Sincerely,
Liz at FMH

 

[neurozool]

Most of the time with my does it has simply been friction between two individuals. But what woman has not had that happen with another girl at some point? Usually it just requires some colony switches until you find the combo that works. If it is more then this, I think your answer will be in this book:
http://www.amazon.com/House-Mouse-Aggression-Understanding-International/dp/3718648601

It is spendy, but you can check it out from your library though an interlibrary loan. Harvard has a copy that they lend out.

 

[Paziqi]

I've had 2 aggressive females so far. We're talking aggressive toward's their cagemates; not towards people. I'm not sure if that's what you are referring to or not though.

I don't really know what caused it with either, but the first one doesn't get along with non-related females. She had to live alone until she had her own litter, and she now lives very peacefully with 3 of her daughters. Her aggression does not seem to have been passed on to her children. Two of her daughters live in another tank with a mixed group of nonbreeders, and there are no problems there.

The 2nd became aggressive towards her daughters a couple months after giving birth. I ended up rearranging living situations, moving other mice in with her, and the most picked on daughter out, and now there is peace in that tank as well. But why she decided to start picking on her kids, and why she now has stopped I can't really say.

Probably not very helpful for your friend, if she only has the two.