Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that.

In my own experience, my harvest mice have been known to nibble on their cagemates who have died of natural causes. To date though I haven't experienced it in my fancy mice does.

 

Ugh wow, that really sucks. Sorry I don't really have anything helpful to say about this but you have my condolences. I've heard of it happening too.

 

Eating the remains of dead cagemates is their way of removing smells that will otherwise attract predators. It is extremely likely that the doe died first, then the cagemate tried to 'clean up'. So sorry you had to come home to that, that is not nice to find

Sarah xxx

 

I've also experienced both mice and rats consuming the remains of their dead cagemates. Indeed, it's most likely that the poor doe died prior to her consumption by the others. It's normal, it doesn't mean the remaining mice will be any more aggressive than they were before, and while it is kinda gross, it's nothing to be too worried about. You have my condolences on your loss.

 

I've found plenty of partially consumed corpses to.Those that don't get eaten are gas filled and stinking which I think is probably worse.They are already dead when eaten.

 

Multi Mammate mice can eat there cage mates and eat parts of themselves too its a shame that has happened.

 

- Certainly horrid and a real shock to return home to
Sorry for you and your loss - but sometimes 'nature' takes over: they just don't have the sensibilites we humans have at all!

 

@Geordiesmice: Parts... of themselves? :shock:

 

err ... not sure we really want to go there .... could be a bit too much knowledge ... :?
- But we learn from each other, and sharing experiences can be helpful as well as cathartic ....

 

I had a rat who ate his own tail once. No idea why :? :roll:

Sarah xxx

 

Yes they can laigaie

 

It is a bit disturbing finding things like this, but i have also experienced this, i do believe them to be dead first as i have never seen nor experienced such aggression till death, although i am sure it happens

 

I had a mouse, one of the first ones I got, who was found lying on it's side with the hide peeled back showing the intestines all neatly still in place, and the other four meeces in the cage just standing around looking at the dead and looking at me...the patch of skin appeared to be neatly chewed and I didn't quite know what to think except that maybe they were drawing lots to see who would get the tasty parts. :shock:

Too bad I didn't have a camera at that time. It's an image that never fades in my memory. It was an old mouse who had been sick and was thought to have recovered, so I don't think the others killed her. She looked fresh as a daisy other than for the being dead part....

 

Oh no, I`ve just read this and wanted to reply. Your two girls are my Maisy`s daughters. I had the chance to take them along with Maisy but opted just to take Maisy at the time as a friend for my other mice but sadly that pairing never came off, so Maisy is on her own until I can find her a friend or two.

I`m sorry to hear this sad news lochsong. I hav`nt been on the forum for a while as I`ve been otherwise busy. I`ve never had anything like this happen to mine but it must be a shock when it does happen.