Any fancy mice experts around please?

[Crunchycrouton]

Hello

DD16 recently started keeping fancy mice, the first pair were very chilled out but then she opted to buy a bigger enclosure and take on 2 more (all female).

Unfortunately the biggest (old, alpha) mouse keeps chasing and grabbing the smallest (new) mouse and trying to fight (no injuries yet). New small mouse is terrified and bolting all over the enclosure whenever she sees big mouse.

Is there anything we can do to integrate them or are we screwed? They can be separated as the enclosure is huge but DD wants to keep them together. She moved the old mice temporarily into their old cage but was in floods of tears worrying about them last night as she just wants them all to be happy!

Any advice would be appreciated as we are new to mice!

I'd keep them separated for now, but transfer some bedding from new mouse into old mouse's area each day.

Clean the cage out thoroughly with detergent and then introduce the mice in neutral territory - plastic or cardboard box - for an hour and see what happens. Old mouse isn't liking a new mouse in her territory, but might grow to tolerate new mouse if she doesn't feel like she's being invaded.

@BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation

I'd keep them separated for now, but transfer some bedding from new mouse into old mouse's area each day.

Clean the cage out thoroughly with detergent and then introduce the mice in neutral territory - plastic or cardboard box - for an hour and see what happens. Old mouse isn't liking a new mouse in her territory, but might grow to tolerate new mouse if she doesn't feel like she's being invaded.

Thanks a lot. We will give the bedding thing a go, that’s brilliant.

I used a dab of olive oil on mine, it's a strong smell so they don't know there is a new mouse.

But I'd do everything Barrow said but add something smelly and edible to all mice.

@sashh

I used a dab of olive oil on mine, it's a strong smell so they don't know there is a new mouse.

But I'd do everything Barrow said but add something smelly and edible to all mice.

Sorry to sound like a total idiot, but by smelly and edible, what do you mean?

They just eat their standard dried food at the moment so I’m not sure what would be suitable?

When you reintroduce, put a shelter in for small mouse which big mouse can't fit into. Possibly tube from inside cling film? Allows small mouse to be safe while they acclimatise. Also I'd clean out the cage thoroughly to remove scent and then once the fresh bedding is in put small mouse in first for a few hours. Hopefully even up the power balance if big mouse moves into small mouse's house rather than vice versa!
Keep the small mouse shelter/cling film tube until small mouse doesn't use it at all.

Sorry by smelly something that masks their natural smell and edible because they groom themselves so something that won't harm them.

I just put olive oil on my finger and dabbed each mouse on the back of their head.

If you want to see something really cute put some strings of cooked spaghetti in their cage, I used to drape it from the top of the cage, you end up with a mouse at each end.

They also like peas, I'd take a few out from the freezer and let them defrost, mice eat them like humans eat apples.