Are there any recommendations on how to maintain aggressive mice?
Some strains of mice are inherently more aggressive than others. Signs of aggression in communally housed mice may range from patchy hair loss and whisker eating to swollen or bloody bite marks, particularly on the ears, tail, back, feet and genital areas. In some instances the wounds are severe enough to cause death of the weaker animal. Male mice tend to be more aggressive than female mice. Aggression can occur if sexually mature male mice are housed together. If the males have been housed as a group from a young age, aggression is less likely to happen. If aggression occurs in a cage of males, verify the gender of each animal to make sure that no females have inadvertently been placed in the cage. The dominant animal in a cage is frequently identified by the lack of fight wounds. Removing this animal may, at least temporarily, resolve the problem. In other cases, individual housing of the animals may be needed to control the situation and avoid harm to the mice. Mice are social anim
