plug? scab? decapitated testies?

OK so this might sound bad/ignorant on my part but I guess its all about learning right? I had many snakes for many years but always bought mice or rats. My biddy began to breeds rats so I figured I'd do mice. Petco is a rip off on mice so even though they have them seperated by sex I passed. I went to a different pet shop where they are a buck fifty a piece. I bought 7 of them thinking I got 1 male. Well I failed and now they are older and the balls have dropped and I have 4 males (oh I forgot after having then 4 days I came home from work and saw they had ate one clean apart and turned the hide inside out all that was left was the skin fur and tail not even much bone) and yes I feed them and provide water every day. I also have two mystery mice now.

They two mystery mice I believe are females. There is one male in specific that keeps chasing these two around and to me sounds like fighting but maybe that is mouse squeeking part of mating? New the weird part is where the vagina is there is this big blackish scab thing. I'll post pictures of both of them and you tell me what it looks like? I'm worried for them and if its bad I will just feed them off. Thanks chris
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...164251_181.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...164234_660.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...164220_942.jpg

Thats so weird never seen that in pictures?

Looks like bite wounds from fighting to me.

mouse herpes.

jk.. i have no idea. the phrase "decapitated testies" brought me here.

Rodents 101. Male mice will try to castrate each other. Especially if they didn't grow up together from a young age.They are extremely territorial. Because they try to castrate each other, they've evolved the ability to pull up their testicles willingly.

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Originally Posted by satomi325

Rodents 101. Male mice will try to castrate each other. Especially if they didn't grow up together from a young age.They are extremely territorial. Because they try to castrate each other, they've evolved the ability to pull up their testicles willingly.

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Rodents 101? Thats humans 101 in mikes world!

Castrate is the word I was looking for! So is that what it looks like happened? Or are you saying that isn't the case because they are able to pull them up? As far as I would imagine all 7 of these mice grew up together.... but the two with this issue are constantly having the only non white (its brindle) mouse going after them. Should I just feed these two off? It doesn't look like a prolapsed uterus to me. I'm guessing male or female I won't be making babys with either any time soon?

Nah. I'm just saying they developed to pull in their testicles to counter the common occurrence of the castration behavior. Lol. Extra bonus fun fact.

But it does look like that's what happened to the mouse.

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Would males fight like that if there isn't a female present? Because if thats the case they were all males. Also the one brindle one is the culprit the rest are plain white. Does that mean he will give me issues when put with a female and babys are produces. Aka he will kill the babys. I'd like to keep him as a breeder but of he will mess things up he will be fed off tonight along with the two deformed ones tonight

Its difficult to say what he would do with females and pups, but males will definitely fight when put together with and without females. Not all males will fight, but its not uncommon.

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Well to the best of my knowledge. I now have 3 colony's. An entire new one with 2 preg females and 1 male that were together already I got my from my breeder buddy. My own with 6 females and 1 male. And then that brindle male and 1 female to experiment.

I am having a similar problem with my mice. This is the first time I have bred mice. I asked the breeder for 3 females and 1 male and they were all small (barely weaned). One day last week I noticed it looks like two of them have testes. I didn't worry about it. Then yesterday I found one that looked like it had something like the pics from the OP. 'Then this morning there is something hanging out of the backend of the mouse. Its pretty gross. I have separated it from the rest of them. Now I have no idea what to do.

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Originally Posted by blaz

I am having a similar problem with my mice. This is the first time I have bred mice. I asked the breeder for 3 females and 1 male and they were all small (barely weaned). One day last week I noticed it looks like two of them have testes. I didn't worry about it. Then yesterday I found one that looked like it had something like the pics from the OP. 'Then this morning there is something hanging out of the backend of the mouse. Its pretty gross. I have separated it from the rest of them. Now I have no idea what to do.

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I'd just feed that male off.

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Personally, I'd feed off both males. The injured one because he's not terribly useful as a breeder at this point, and the attack mouse because he could potentially go cannibalistic, although I'm not sure how likely that is from normal male territorial castration.

I also don't keep mice (yet) so my opinion doesn't count for much, but it's a thought.

Satomi, what's your experience with territorial males going cannibal?

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Originally Posted by Archimedes

Satomi, what's your experience with territorial males going cannibal?

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With my personal experience, I haven't had any cannibalistic incident yet. However, I don't keep males together either.

Castrating rival males is just part of being the dominant mouse and fighting for his right to breed. There is probably very little correlation between castrating and offspring cannibalism. Killing offspring is counterproductive for the male who is trying to pass on his genes, which is the point of breeding.

With that said, cannibalism/aggression could be genetic in some lines and sometimes its environmental. I just play it safe and keep males apart and feed off any that show cannibalistic tendencies.



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I'll usually raise up groups of males together that are all siblings from the same litter and they're 'usually' okay with their own littermates, but even then I've seen some start castrating each other. But if I produce one that I want to use as a breeder I'll raise him by himself or more usually with a group of females.

I have decided I am just going to feed off all of the mice to make room for more rats. All but 2 of my snakes are taking rats anyway and having two types of rodents just isn't practical with the space I have. Thanks so much everyone and sorry if I hijacked your thread OP.