What does a weasel or white marten look like in the photo. What weasel eats in nature A small white animal that looks like a weasel

Weasel is a bloodthirsty and aggressive animal that commits robberies in the private households of the population. It is surprising that nature endowed this bloodthirsty animal with such a name as weasel, and he himself is a cute and tiny creature. The length of her body reaches approximately 16 cm to 18 cm.

Description of weasel
Weasel has a thin, long, quirky and flexible body. She is one of the small animals from the squad of predators. Outwardly, the husky looks like an ermine, reminiscent of its fur color and body structure. The differences between them will be that the weasel is much smaller, a short tail of the same color, its length reaches up to 9 cm without a dark brush. At the base of the tail are special glands that secrete a secret with a sharp, disgusting odor.

Weasels have small paws, they are armed with very sharp claws. Her ears are small and rounded, her head is oblong in shape. Weasel's nose, slightly forked and blunt at the end. The neck is powerful and long. The eyes are dark, large, slightly protruding. Outwardly, females do not differ from males, only in the size of their body, it is 30% smaller. The length of the weasel's body ranges from 11.4 cm to 21.6 cm. Body weight is from 40 grams to 100 grams.

The animal's fur is tight and short. The color depends on the season. The weasel has a white color in winter, and in summer period as before, the throat, chest, belly, edge of the upper lip, inner part paws, a brownish-brown color is present on the sides, in the upper part of the head, on the back, on the tail and on the outer side of the paws. According to the density of the fur, the fur coat of the weasel is the same in winter, and in the summer during the warm season, the hair of the weasel is thinner and shorter than in winter. In the southern habitats, the weasel does not change color, it remains mostly brown.

The habits of the animal
Weasel swims well, climbs, it is a very dexterous and agile animal. But what distinguishes her habits is her courage, bloodthirstiness and audacity in attacks, so she can be found near human dwellings, into which she penetrates through very narrow holes, cracks. It hunts at dusk or at night, although it is active at any time of the day.

Weasel moves by jumping, leads a terrestrial lifestyle. Prefers to stick to man-made or natural covers and bushes. Avoids unprotected space. Covers two kilometers per day. In winter, it moves in snow voids. Due to their small stature, weasels often die, crushed large animals, but often they manage to gnaw through the throat of their opponent. Males at the time of fights emit a loud squeal.

Weasels live territorially and lead a rather secluded lifestyle. The size of their zones is very small and extends within 10 hectares, it depends on the abundance of food and weather conditions. As a rule, the boundaries of the zone are marked by odor traces. Sometimes the areas of females overlap those of males.

This is a rather dangerous animal, but, despite the size of its body, there are no barriers for it, because it climbs trees perfectly, jumps and swims. And at the same time, it benefits a person, as it exterminates voles and mice.

This animal can be found on all continents of the planet. The weasel does not make holes, masters what it has, equips its lair under stones among voids, in tree roots, among deadwood, in rock crevices, in wood masonry, in low-lying hollows, in rodent burrows, in barns. The nest is lined with any dry vegetation, mosses, chestnut or fern leaves.

If her nest is disturbed or discovered by outsiders, the weasel immediately leaves the nest, and transfers her cubs to another place. In case of sudden danger, the weasel will defend and defend its lair to the end, sacrificing itself. Several permanent dwellings can be built on the site.

Nutrition
The weasel's diet consists of small mouse rodents, this includes mice - field, house, forest, rats, moles and shrews. She does not bypass her attention to chickens, partridges, young rabbits, chickens, pigeons, chicks. Not averse to eating any eggs, she makes several holes in them and thus sucks out all the contents. When food is scarce, it eats all kinds of amphibians, small fish, lizards, vipers. As well as copperheads, snakes, small snakes, large insects, crayfish.

Despite the fact that the weasel is a robber and a predator, it can attack a small animal, its need for food is 40 grams per day. By exterminating rodents, the weasel does not allow them to multiply, regulates the number on its territory, which helps a person. In one place she stocks, often you can find from one to 30 voles and mice in it.

The smallest fluffy predatory animal is weasel. Possessing a completely calm appearance and a kind look, it also has aggressive qualities. It is a mouse hunter, from where it got its name in Latin.

Hand weasel

Long gone are the days when a person kept familiar pets, such as cats and dogs, at home. Animal weasel, the description of which can be found in almost any special sources, is not tame by its nature. But the growing interest in everything new and unusual makes people acquire various exotic animals and tame them. Almost any representatives of the animal world are successfully kept at home by many exotic lovers, as this is currently at the peak of popularity. If you start taming living creatures from infancy, then such a predator as weasel will become your favorite pet. An animal at home shows very friendly feelings towards a person. It willingly sleeps with the owner in the same bed, hardly parted even for a short period of time with him and actively plays with other pets. A tamed weasel can live up to 7 years, while in the wild, due to constant danger, it lives only about a year.

Appearance of weasel

By their own external characteristics the weasel is very similar to the ermine, has an elongated and very flexible body. The size of the weasel animal in length varies between 18-28 centimeters, including the tail. The length of the latter does not exceed 9 centimeters. The weight adult can vary between 40-115 grams.

The weasel's coat is short, close-lying and silky. The length of the hairline is approximately 1 centimeter.

Depending on seasonality, weasel fur tends to change its color. The picture below shows a snow-white weasel (animal). The photo was taken in winter time of the year. Here the animal has a completely white color.

At other times of the year, its color changes to brownish-brown. Only the color of the lower part of the body remains unchanged - a limited number of predators have this unique feature, one of which is the weasel (animal). The photo shows that the paws with inside, abdominal region, chest and throat retain White color, and the rest of the skin has a brown tint.

Weasel habits

Animal weasel sufficient dexterous and agile, distinguished by courage and audacity. In order to hunt rodents, it adapts to almost any conditions of existence, overcomes water bodies without any difficulties, deftly penetrates into various holes and crevices. It shows the greatest vital activity during twilight and at night, but during the day it does not lead a calm life, staying most time on the move, exploring your own territory for tasty prey. Prefers to be in an artificially protected space than in an open area. During the coming danger, the animal weasel will stubbornly defend its nesting site, while risking own life. In case of urgent need, he transfers his cubs to safe place, and when attacked, it can gnaw through the throat of even a larger predator.

How to feed affection at home

Living in nature, petting in literally they hunt for their food, that is, they do not just get it among the wooded and desert riches, but chase it. In order to provide themselves with food, they catch various mouse-like rodents, frogs, therefore domestic weasels are animals that need to be provided with the most similar diet to the one they live in the wild. Also in the menu of the animal in natural conditions there is poultry meat - larks, chickens, pigeons, as well as various seafood that are thrown ashore by the surf, for example, small fish. Weasel needs such portions so that she can get enough at one meal. On average, the food of the animal per day is approximately 30-40 grams. In addition to animal products, weasels can be fed with special dry food. vitamin feed that ferrets eat. It can be purchased at any pet store.

Conditions for home care

The domesticated weasel does not differ much in the way it is kept at home from other animals. Her constant presence in the apartment space can aggravate her state of health and change her behavior not in better side. That is why the best option would be to create the most similar living conditions in the house with the conditions that she needs due to her natural nature. During walks of affection through the home space, it is necessary to close all doors and windows through which she can escape into the street. If the animal runs away, there is a high probability of losing it forever.

house for affection

In order for the weasel animal to feel free and comfortable, in no case should its freedom be limited in the owner's living space. But at the same time, he should have his own separate house - a cage. It is quite easy to equip a caress cage, it needs to be equipped with various snags so that it can climb on them, cover the bottom with straw, build various shelves in it, put a drinking bowl with clean water and of course a litter box. The bars of the cage for affection should be frequent so that she does not have the opportunity to escape from there. The constant maintenance of caress in a cage is not recommended, from such imprisonment the animal can become aggressive.

Weasel care

Weasel is a completely independent animal, so caring for it will not be difficult. Mandatory conditions are:

• Regular feeding and a varied diet.
• Walking on fresh air and in an apartment outside the cell.
• Periodic consultations with the veterinarian on the state of health of the animal.

If the pet weasel gets dirty while walking on the street or turns over a bowl with some contents on itself at home, you can bathe it. To do this, you need to create a reservoir condition, for example, simply draw water into a bath. Weasel willingly swims, and at the same time cleans its fur from unnecessary elements. During seasonal molt the carpets and furniture in the house need to be vacuumed and cleaned more often. But combing the animal's fur is not at all necessary, but with special desire With wet hands, you can remove falling hairs from the fur of the caress with light massage movements. If the veterinarian detects any deviations in the health of the weasel, immediate action is required to recover it. It is necessary to follow the recommendations of a specialist, and everything you need can be purchased at a special veterinary pharmacy or pet store.

Weasel - a little brave robber

Weasel, or common weasel(from lat. Mustela nivalis) - predatory mammal mustelidae family, species of the genus weasel and ferret (Mustela). In the CIS, 8 subspecies of the common weasel are distinguished:

Northern weasel Mustela nivalis nivalis - lives in the northern and middle parts of Eastern Europe, in the steppes Western Siberia and from southern Siberia to the Pacific Ocean.

Southern weasel M. n. vulgaris is common in Western Europe and in the southern part former USSR, with the exception of Crimea.

Crimean weasel M. n. nikolskii inhabits the Crimea and adjacent parts of Ukraine.

Greater Caucasian weasel M. n. dinniki and the Lesser Caucasian Weasel M. n. caucasica are characteristic of the Caucasus and Transcaucasia.

Turkestan weasel M. n. pallida lives in the mountains Central Asia, in the Tien Shan, Pamir and Kopet-Dag.

Siberian (tundra) weasel M. n. pygmaea - inhabits the Russian Far East. She is very small in size with a short tail. The summer fur on the back is pale brownish, with a dull rusty tint.

From Latin weasel is translated as "snowy". It comes from the Slavic laska "love, affection". Akin to bald - "affectionate, flattering, greedy, greedy for goodies." Further here lat. Lasc-vus - “frisky, playful; unbridled, voluptuous."

It lives on all continents of the Northern Hemisphere. Range Europe, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Asia Minor, northern Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia, China, Korean Peninsula, Japan, North America, Australia. Lives in fields and forests, in mountainous and low-lying areas, not avoiding populated areas. Settles under stones, in hollows, ruins, burrows, barns.

Weasel is the smallest representative of the order of carnivores. Body length 10-25 cm, tail about 5 cm. Weasel weighs 50-100 grams. The weasel's body is thin, flexible, elongated, with very short legs armed with sharp claws. On a long powerful neck, an oblong narrow head, with small rounded ears. The weasel has a pretty, blunted muzzle, a sharp mustachioed nose at the end of a blunt and slightly forked, eyes shining like beads. The tail is short, at the base there are musk glands that secrete bad smell. The structure of a long, flexible body and the color of the fur are very similar to the ermine, but it differs in small sizes and a shorter one-color tail; it does not have a black tassel on the tail.

The weasel's fur is short and tight. The density of fur in summer and winter is the same, but summer wool is shorter and thinner than winter. Summer weasel fur from dark brown to baked milk color. The throat, chest, belly, edge of the upper lip and the inner surface of the legs are pure white. Behind the corners of the mouth - a sharp border of dark spots. In autumn, in cold areas, the weasel changes its summer brown outfit for snow-white winter fur, only the eyes and nose remain black. Only in the southern areas of habitat, where there is very little snow, the animal does not change its coat color.

Weasel fur, unlike many other mustelids, has no industrial and hunting value, so it is not currently hunted. Weasels only accidentally fall into traps or traps when catching other animals - ermines, polecats, minks, moles. Earlier, in the post-war period of the 20th century, the weasel was considered a valuable fur-bearing animal, from 3 to 20 thousand weasel skins were harvested every year.

Weasel is very agile and agile, runs fast, climbs and swims well, is distinguished by great courage and bloodthirstiness and is a dangerous enemy for all small animals. The ability to crawl through the narrowest gaps and holes is its main strength.

Weasel is an unusual pet

To date, affectionate relationships with people are quite complicated. On the one hand, she is disliked for her tendency to brazen robberies and robberies, on the other hand, she is respected for her ability to quickly exterminate rodents. It is curious that if she settles next to a person, she never harms her immediate "owner". But all the neighbors in the district suffer from her daring tricks. However, if the poultry houses are sufficiently well protected (they do not have slots, manholes or windows), then the weasel switches to house mice and rats, which helps the locals a lot.

They escort the weasel from the farm plot, starting a goat or a goat in the barnyard. Like any underground animal, the weasel is sensitive to earthquakes. Therefore, it is enough to install a pair of windmills that transmit vibrations through the pole to the ground. Along the way, such a device will protect the site from moles, shrews, the same rats and mice. In summer, you can also stick mole repellers and all kinds of vibrators into the ground.

Weasel is a very aggressive animal, known for its bloodthirstiness and daring robberies in human households. It is interesting that nature has endowed a tiny and cute animal with such courage. Despite its small size, weasel has earned the fame of a robber. The weasel has many enemies: wolves, foxes, badgers, raccoon dogs, hawks, golden eagles, owls and eagle owls - they all dream of eating a nimble animal. However, the agile and toothy beauty does not give up without a fight: she is able to gnaw through the throat of the offender, deftly twisting out of his paws at the last second.

When meeting a person, the weasel is absolutely not afraid, but rather takes an aggressive stance. If you approach her, she, without hesitation, will rush to the attack. More than once, weasel itself attacked a person, and it is not so easy to get rid of the sharp teeth of this small animal. It seems that the weasel holds the record for hooligan antics among animals. In a word, weasel is a real robber who attacks everyone he meets.

Weasels are fairly easy to tame, especially at an early age. Unfortunately, most of them die in captivity. But there are times when weasels live for 4-6 years. Hand caresses, unlike their wild relatives, fully justify their name. They are very curious, affectionate and loyal friends. They sleep with people, play with cats and dogs, and some of them never leave their owner's side. One Englishman was even forced to take a weasel with him to work, since, you see, she did not want to be left alone. Here she is such a sweet, cunning, kind and very cute little animal, quite corresponding to her name.

In ancient Rome and early medieval Europe, the weasel was a pet because it hunted mice. Weasel is very agile and agile, runs fast, climbs trees and swims well, is distinguished by great courage and aggressiveness, is a dangerous enemy for all small animals. Weasel in huge quantities, up to 2-3 thousand per year, exterminates mouse-like rodents, thereby bringing great benefits to nature and man. However, due to the poor tameness of the weasel and, to a greater extent, with the appearance in Europe of the gray rat, which was difficult for the weasel to cope with, other animals replaced it as a protector of stocks in this role - ferrets (ferret), cats and genets.

Weasel is an amazing affectionate animal

In the old days, a lot of superstitions and prejudices were associated with affection. In some places, it was believed that she brings happiness to the house, while in others she was treated very badly. Among many Slavic and other peoples, weasel is revered as the guardian of the house:

“A weasel lives in every house. She loves animals very much, and it is because of them that she comes to the house. She braids the manes of horses, runs on the backs of cows. However, if he dislikes the animal, he will tickle.

“Weasel, dove, or lax is a mythical beast, house. In the old days, they believed that weasel is the same brownie who, in addition to everything else, takes care of cattle.

Also in Sicily, they ask the weasel living in the neighborhood not to strangle the chickens: “Dove, dove, do not touch the hens, and I will marry you as soon as I have the opportunity. If you are a woman, I will give you a king's son; if you are a peasant, I will give you a king's daughter."

Among many Slavic and other peoples, weasel enjoys great reverence as the guardian of the house. Montenegrins, in order to lure affection, bring a nest with her cubs into the house. In Bosnia, it is believed that if the weasel leaves the house in which she lived for many years, this means misfortune for the house.

According to some beliefs, the soul of the hostess is embodied in caress, the soul of the owner is embodied in the snake. Therefore, no one can kill them. Among the Slavs of the Zilskaya Valley, they are most afraid of killing the white weasel. For Estonians, caress is a sign of happiness. "Each farm has its own caress." Among the many beliefs about affection, there are those in which it helps a person become rich. The Poles of the old Sącz believe that if you call “lady weasel” several times, she will appear, caress the person and show the treasure. The Greeks believe that as a reward for a good attitude towards her, weasel finds enchanted money and transfers it to the house. There is a belief among Polish Jews that the one on whose bed the caress ends up will be rich.

Weasel is the patroness of cattle, especially horses. In eastern Polissya there is a custom, in Maundy Thursday go with the consecrated Thursday candle to the barn to see the weasel there and determine by its color what color the cattle should be kept. In Ukraine, Belarus and Poland, they believe that cattle breed in the color of the weasel. “De in the stoic є lasici, there is thinness,” say the Rusyns of Galicia. To find a dead weasel among Estonians - unfortunately with cattle. In the Minsk region, it was believed that weasels protect cattle from witches. They tell how in one village all the cattle died, because the weasel was persecuted there.

The Ukrainians of Pokuttya believe that "weasel will bring happiness if it comes to the hut for the winter." The Poles and the French believe that the weasel brings only happiness to the house, and if you kill it, the weasel's brood will eat all the hats in the house and poison the food. Among all animals, no one kills weasels and swallows, the Hutsuls say. The Hutsuls also do not kill the weasel, fearing revenge from her relatives.

Weasels cannot be beaten, but the way a person dies, so he can die, - they say in the Lviv region. Lasochka - such a mouse, black to the beast, from the bottom - a big one, - Belarusians say. Lasochka - out like a kitten, - they say in the Zhytomyr region. “Lasochka is God's mitten with right hand, dove - that's God's quote.

In ancient beliefs, under the guise of affection, a woman often appears - a fairy, a sorceress, a sorceress or seductress, a bride or a young woman. married woman depending on the circumstances. The word itself literally conveys the nature of female charms used to divert attention and achieve the desired result.

Aesop's fable tells how Aphrodite turned a weasel into a girl in love with a young man so that they could get married. But during the wedding, the bride saw a mouse, chased it and turned back into a weasel. In Spain, in Catalonia, there is a belief that if you see a caress and tell her “you are beautiful”, she puffs up, puffs up, turning into a person, showing her joy in every possible way. kind word, as they say, and it is pleasant to caress.

The Greeks, in order to protect their daughter’s dowry from affection, speak to her: “Little girl, we will give you gold and silver, we will give you a husband so that you get married, have your own house and become a mistress.” The Greeks in the house where the weasel settled put a spindle with yarn, because "she loved to spin while she was still a girl." Greek legend says that a girl who loved to spin turned into a caress.

Among the Hutsuls, weasel is dedicated to the day of St. Catherine - November 25 (according to the old style), because weasel is the patroness of spinning and marriages. It is believed that the appearance of affection helps a woman giving birth. As you know, a caress ran past Alcmene, who could not give birth in any way, and caused the birth of Hercules. According to another belief, Hera turned the servant of the mother of Hercules into a caress because she helped successful childbirth future hero.

The Serbs believe that if you do not give the pregnant woman what she asks for, then such a person will be gnawed through the clothes by caress. It is believed that a child, under whose cradle a weasel ran, will be healthy.

The southern and western Slavs have such an epic: mowers, plowmen and reapers, while working in the field, find a caress nest, and in order not to damage them, they transfer it to another place. Weasel, not finding her cubs, pours poisonous saliva into the vessels with water, but when she finds out that the mowers are moving the nest to its original place, she overturns all these vessels so as not to poison people. She never does evil in vain.

In European fairy tales, an insidious woman appears as a fluffy weasel, trying to seduce or knock the hunter off the trail. In Serbia, they say that if a hunter shoots at a weasel, the bullet will turn around and hit him. It is also said to protect people from being bitten by snakes.

Weasel should not be offended, she can gnaw off eyebrows or hair at night. If weasel is teased, she will spit in the eyes and the person will go blind. In some parts of Europe, the belief is rooted that the bite of a weasel is considered paralyzing.

Weasel is a kind brownie. What color she is - such and cattle are selected, a dog, a cat, and sometimes a bride. They turn to her: "Welcome, my sweetheart, welcome, my daughter-in-law."

Weasel is a symbol of intuition, it helps to easily distinguish between lies and truth, to understand the actions of people. Weasel is chosen as a talisman by those who lack attentiveness, acuity and reaction.

Among other things, the weasel is a well-known exterminator of mice. In different regions of Bulgaria, when they want to get rid of rodents in the house, they invite affection “to the wedding”. Serbs believe that weasels can exterminate mice original way She inflates them and they burst. Among the Estonians, those people are happy that they saw affection. In Thebes, the weasel was revered as a sacred animal.

In the old days, there was a legend that at night the brownie torments horses standing in the stable - braids their manes, and sometimes brings them to "white sweat". They fought with the brownie: they kept a goat in the stable, which, as it were, the evil spirits are afraid of. It turned out that the brownie is none other than a weasel. Weasel is often found near a person’s dwelling, if there is food for it there. She runs along the scruffs and backs of horses who are terribly afraid of her, trying to throw off themselves and sweat a lot from this. Weasel, clinging to the mane, so as not to fall off, licks the protruding sweat, receiving the necessary mineral salts. There is a belief that a weasel, having climbed into the ear of an elk, can bite him to death.

Weasel is a small predatory animal that has a tough temper. But appearance the animal is so cute that many people try to make it a pet. Consider in this article how to care for affection at home and what this animal eats.

Description and photo of the animal

The description of affection is known to many. This animal has body length is 10-24 cm, and the animal weighs 50-100 g. Bottom part the necks, belly and breast are white, while the rest of the body is colored chocolate brown. The fur is short and thick. On short legs are thin long fingers with very sharp claws.

This predator has a short tail, and the head is elongated, smoothly tapering towards the nose. The ears are rounded, the nose is small, the eyes are large, dark color. The neck is broad and muscular. This animal has very well developed eyesight, as well as hearing and smell.

Features of life in nature

Consider what weasel eats in the wild and where it lives. This animal lives in Europe, North America, Asia. It can be seen in fields, lowlands, forests. It can live in hollows, which are located low, as well as in minks.

In the wild, each animal has its own territory, which can reach up to 1 km. The lifestyle of the animal is solitary. In 24 hours, a predator can run about 2 km to find food. caresses swim well and climb trees. They lead an active life both during the day and at night. They prefer to hunt at night.

Did you know? In winter, weasels change their color to white, except for those that live in the southern regions.

This predator is very afraid of moles, mice, chicks, as the weasel loves to eat them. The main food of the animal are bird eggs. But it can also eat snakes, lizards, frogs.

This animal has a very bold and daring nature, but despite this, it has many enemies, such as wolves, birds of prey, foxes.

Did you know? In the wild, weasel does not live long because of the constant danger. A tamed animal can live up to 7 years.

Can it be kept at home?

In ancient Rome, these animals often lived in houses until they were forced out. They were assigned the same duties: catching rats and mice.

Weasel can become a pet if it tame it from infancy. The animal can show very friendly feelings towards people, can sleep with the owner in the same bed, miss him and play with other pets. But for the animal to become true friend, for this you need to work hard on his upbringing.

Some don't want to pass complex adaptation, therefore, they prefer already adult predators. An adult weasel can bite strongly, so it is difficult to train it. It is possible that the animal can run away.

Features of care

Weasel, which has become a pet, needs some care. Normal containment rules don't work for her.

How to tame?

You can tame any animal, because we are not talking about, but about building relationships. As already mentioned, small animals lend themselves most easily to this. The main thing - treat the baby with love, feed him, take care of and then he will become a devoted friend.

Housing for the animal

To make the animal feel comfortable, you can not limit its freedom. He should calmly move around the owner's home. But the predator must still have its own house.

It's best to use a cage. It should contain various snags, shelves, so that the weasel can climb on them. Straw should be placed at the bottom. The house should have a container with clean water for drinking and a tray where the animal can go to the toilet. The twigs of the cage should be located often so that the animal cannot climb through them.

Important!It is not worth constantly keeping the animal in a cage - in such conditions it can become aggressive.

Predator feeding

Consider what weasel eats at home. The diet of the animal should be as similar as possible to that which he adheres to in the wild. These predators prefer to feast on poultry, fish, and seafood. Eggs must also be present in the diet. The portion for the animal should be such that he can get enough. The average amount of food per day is approximately 30-40 g.

In addition to the listed products, pet you can feed dry vitamin for ferrets, which are sold in pet stores.

Weasel care

The animal is quite independent, therefore caring for him is not difficult at all:

• it is important to feed him regularly, observing a varied diet;
• it is recommended to walk with a predator on the street, as well as to let it out of the cage more often;
• sometimes you should consult with your veterinarian about your pet's health condition.

Important!If the veterinarian finds any deviations in the health of the animal, it is necessary to immediately take measures for its recovery.

If the predator is dirty, then it can be bought. To do this, create the conditions of the reservoir, for example, draw water into the bath. The animal will swim with pleasure, thereby cleaning its fur.

The animal may shed, but it is not necessary to comb it. It is recommended to remove excess falling hairs with wet hands using light massage movements.

How to catch affection?

To contain affection at home, you immediately need to figure out how to catch it. To do this, you can make a simple trap. You need to take a bucket or box, put a stop under them and leave the bait. The animal, being interested in the delicacy, will try to get it and thereby push the spacer and find itself in a trap. It is advisable to immediately arrive in time for affection, otherwise the predator can get out of such a trap.

You can try to catch a predator using a dog net. But in this case, it is necessary to have not only patience, but also dexterity. Before you start this animal at home, you must remember that this predator has a cute appearance, but his character is bold and nervous.

Weasel, or common weasel (Mustela nivalis) is a representative of the Weasel family (Mustelidae), the genus Ferrets and weasels (Mustela). She is the smallest of all predators: the length of the male is 13-26 centimeters, and its weight is 40-250 grams.

Weasel, or common weasel (Mustela nivalis) is a representative of the Weasel family (Mustelidae), the genus Ferrets and weasels (Mustela). It is the smallest of all predators: the length of the male is 13-26 centimeters, and its weight is 40-250 grams. The female is even less.

From Latin, the name of the animal - nivalis - is translated as "snowy": in winter, the weasel's fur coat turns snow-white.

Weasel in winter color (molting).

Why is weasel called weasel

The bloodthirstiness of this is widely known little predator. Why was he given an inappropriate name?

It turns out that these animals are easily tamed and turn into affectionate and loyal friends. They follow their master like dogs.

Another version of the origin of the name is known. There is an ancient belief that sorceresses often turn into weasels, using female charms to divert attention.

Weasel habitat

Weasel is a common animal that can be found throughout Eurasia (it is not only in Indochina), North Africa(except for the Arctic archipelago and southern deserts) and in northwestern Africa (in the Atlas Mountains). They also brought it to New Zealand.

You can meet affection in almost all landscape areas. The animals inhabit forests and tundra, steppes and forest-steppes, deserts and semi-deserts, shores of water bodies and the outskirts of fields; in the mountains, the places of distribution reach alpine meadows. She also lives in major cities. It is not only in polar desert and in mountain belts covered with snow.

Common weasel (Mustela nivalis). Author of the photo: Yersinia pestis.

The species is divided into several subspecies, which vary greatly in size. The smallest weasels live in the cold northern regions: in the north of Europe, in Siberia, on Far East and in North America. In the same area, a weasel competitor lives - an ermine. Therefore, the weasel hunts for the smallest mouse-like rodents and gets them in places inaccessible to the ermine. Larger subspecies inhabit hot arid regions: the Mediterranean, Central and Western Asia. They hunt gerbils, jerboas and small ground squirrels - prey beyond the control of small relatives. When there is a shortage of food, they can catch birds, young rabbits, amphibians, small fish, lizards, small snakes, insects. Often they raid country dwellings of a person and exterminate poultry - chickens, ducks and others. In such places, weasel is not liked and is often hunted for it.

The size of the predator's habitat does not exceed a hectare. These natural lands are quite enough for weasel to feed, as it is able to penetrate into any mink and get prey from there.

Shelters for the animal are the dwellings of mice and moles, heaps of brushwood and stones, stacks, wood-burning buildings, hollow trees.

Enemies of weasel

Like any animal, weasel also has enemies, often it becomes prey birds of prey(owls and even a large bittern), do not disdain to hunt for her and family brethren - stoats, and also more large predators- arctic foxes, martens, sables, predators of the cat family.

The weasel fell prey to the big bittern (Botaurus stellaris). Photo credit: Fausto Deseri.

Inhabitants ancient rome and early medieval Europe used the weasel as a pet for hunting mice. But when the Old World was inhabited by large gray rats, with which it is difficult for small animals to cope, weasels were replaced by ferrets and cats.

Feeding affection with milk from a syringe. Author of the photo: Armando Caldas.

If you still decide to get affection, then pay attention that babies are easier to tame, they will need careful care and will have to tinker with feeding them. Therefore, in practice, adult animals are often caught and gradually tamed. But in the process of taming, your hands will be bitten more than once. If you are willing to spend a lot of time adapting with an animal, then it will become a devoted and reliable friend.

Growing affection at home from the very early age. Author of the photo: Armando Caldas.

You will have to feed the pet with fresh and high-quality meat, eggs. The animal must always have clean water.

The weasel will choose a place to rest for herself. She can take the place of another pet. In addition, she easily takes food from cats and dogs.

Common weasel (Mustela nivalis). Photo credit: Gary Mann.

Your affection can bring a lot of problems if the neighbors live Domestic bird. She will exterminate all these birds, turning your neighbor into fierce enemy. But if the bird lives with you, the caress will not touch it, since it does not hunt where it lives.

Buy weasel

If you still haven’t changed your mind about having affection in your home, then the question will arise before you: “Where can I buy affection?” Unfortunately, weasels are very rare for sale. You will have to catch the animal yourself or find the right person.

Chub Natalia, Kirill Usanov