Sonya is a beast. Sonya is an animal with an unusual way of life. Description and types. Hazel dormouse: the most touching

Dormouse or dormice belong to the family of mammals, to the order of rodents. This mammal looks very much like a mouse and a squirrel at the same time, it has a long fluffy tail resembling a squirrel.

They got their name for a reason. The first reason can be called the nocturnal lifestyle of the animal; and the second reason will be a long period of hibernation in the cold. Some species hibernate for 7 months a year.

They are very small and fit perfectly in the palm of a person.

Description

All representatives of the family of these animals have a similar structure of the body and organs. . They all have large dark eyes, long whiskers and rounded ears. The coat is only fluffy and soft, and the tail is long, squirrel.

Trees are considered habitat for dormouse. If they are absent, then the rodent can be found in the branches of the bush. Some species are on the ground almost all the time.

Three types of dormouse are known that live in Russia and are listed in the Red Book:

• hazel;
• garden;
• forest.

These rodents are very interesting to watch, besides the fact that they are small, they are very funny and funny. Compared to other rodents, they live a long time and do little to no harm.

It makes no sense to buy a dormouse as a pet. And all because they activity in nature starts at night. It has to do with their lifestyle. Not every animal lover will be interested at night, instead of sleeping soundly, watching this little rodent. They are extremely rare for sale. It is known that in captivity, being in a cage, they can change their lifestyle, adjusting to the life rhythm of the owners. But few people know about this fact.

Despite the fact that the rodent leads an active night life, in the daytime he sees no worse. The mammal has a special skeleton, which can be compressed in the vertical direction. This allows the rodent to crawl into the narrowest gaps that exist on tree trunks. So they find the safest place to rest and build a future nest. Thanks to such an important quality, the animal still lives and reproduces.

Crawling out of its hiding place in search of food, despite good eyesight, the dormouse relies on its unique hearing. The role of locators are small, round ears that can change their position on her head. The movements of the ears are not synchronous, independent of each other. The garden rodent has the largest ears; slightly smaller size - hazel; well, the third place is occupied by the forest. Photos of these wonderful and unpretentious animals can be found on the Internet.

While eating hard foods, sleepyhead can be compared to a squirrel. She holds her prey with her front paws and quickly rotates it. Thanks to such actions and its sharp incisors, it can easily open the hard shell of a nut and various seeds.

These mammals cannot be called fertile. First, they ripen quite late; secondly, they never have more than 5 cubs. The third reason is the number of matings per year - there are only two of them. Well, the main reason is their love of sleep and its duration.

If we talk about all these reasons at the same time, then the dormouse species would have ceased to exist long ago. But in reality, everything is different. The maternal instinct, which is very strongly developed in females, allows you to take care of each cub with special tenderness and care. Added to this is good health and a long lifespan. It turns out a stable population, the security of which is not threatened.

How to draw Sonya? Photos from the Internet will help with this.

At home, such a rodent should only be kept in a metal cage with a fairly strong metal tray. It is no more difficult than keeping other, more famous rodents at home.

cage requirements quite serious ones are put forward, since Sonya will deal with wood and even plastic very quickly. Therefore, the cage should only be metal. You can buy it at the pet store, order strictly according to your size, or make it yourself. While the cage is being made, the rodent can be kept in an ordinary terrarium, the main thing is that such a room is well ventilated.

Mammal cage should be equipped with a feeder and a nipple drinker. The material for their manufacture must be the same metal.

There should always be food in the feeder, and water in the drinker. While awake, they eat and drink a lot.

As bedding sawdust or pelleted wood can be used in the cage. It needs to be changed regularly to keep it from getting wet. In the cage, you need to equip a secluded corner where the dormouse could hide. Only in a secluded place can she sleep.

For temporary shelter, a wooden house or a house made with your own hands from a cardboard box is suitable. The shelter will indeed be temporary, as the rodent will quickly destroy it. But with a cardboard box, as a house, you can experiment, and each time make everything better and more beautiful.

In a cage for a rodent, you need to make all the conditions, as in nature. He must have ladder, shelf, tree, on which he can run. This must be done in order to ensure good health. The thing is that the animal does not control its appetite, and a special metabolism contributes to the accumulation of fat reserves. He just needs to move more.

Since rodents are very clean, their "house" must be constantly kept clean. Regularly wash the drinker and feeder, every 2-3 days you need to change the litter in the cage. Rodents pay great attention to their soft and smooth fur - they clean it several times a day.

Where the cage is there should be no drafts. There should be enough sunlight, and the height of its location should be at the level of the human eye.

Dormouse varieties

Consider three types of rodents that are found in our country. Each individual species can be kept at home, but you need to familiarize yourself with them in more detail.

This type of rodent is endowed with the smallest size. In length, they reach no more than 10 cm. They are found in nature. in bushes:

• hazel;
• cotoneaster;
• hawthorn.

Rodents build strong nests for their offspring from leaves and grass, and they are located on the branches of shrubs.

This species of rodents can also be found on trees, if suddenly there is an empty, unoccupied hollow. Sonya can also live in a birdhouse, if only it is free.

Trees and shrubs are used by the animal only in the warm season, and for winter they choose places that are safer and warmer. This is, as usual, a small, cozy mink, which is arranged at the roots of trees.

At home this species should be kept in tall cages. This is because the dormouse likes to climb trees, and in a low cage she will not have such an opportunity. In a high cage, you can arrange for her not one, but several cardboard houses, which will greatly increase her comfort of life.

A grain mixture is suitable as a feed, and nuts and sweets will be a delicacy.

Several reasons why this type difficult to keep at home

1. The animal is small and very fast. If it accidentally escapes from the cage, then it will be almost impossible to catch it in the apartment. That's just the furniture and all things will begin to suffer.
2. This type of animal has a specific smell, so the cage will have to be cleaned much more often. The smell in the apartment will still remain, so if there are allergy sufferers in the house, then it is better to refuse such an animal.
3. they need special feeding - they need insects.

She is the most beautiful. The fur coat is dark red, shimmers in the sun; there is an interesting "mask" on the muzzle, which provides a mysterious and cunning image. The abdomen of almost all is snow-white; at the end of the tail - a brush; on a cunning muzzle - large eyes and ears. Not everyone can draw such a beautiful animal.

The animal is very mobile, moves quickly through trees, shrubs and on the ground. Its main food is insects. It can also eat vegetable food, but gives preference to the animal.

If such an animal is housed, then you need a special cage, and preferably a terrarium. From the feed it is preferable - insect larvae and flour worms. A boiled egg is suitable as a complementary food.

Garden dormouse The Red Book is a unique specimen.

forest dormouse

This is the sister of a garden animal, that's just habitat must be deserted. At home, experts do not recommend keeping it. There are several reasons for this:

• complex diet;
• each individual loves something of his own, there are gourmets among them;
• it is very difficult to buy or breed special food for such rodents.

hazel dormouse, or mushlovka (lat. Muscardinus avellanarius) - a mammal of the dormice family of a detachment of rodents.

In the deciduous forests of Europe and northern Turkey, one can often find very pretty rodents resembling squirrels - hazel dormouse. The animals got their name due to their constant love for the fruits of hazel and daytime sleep in cozy nests. They also feed on a variety of seeds and berries.

It is worth noting that it is possible to check the presence of these rodents in a particular territory in a very simple way: for this, it is worth finding a hazel nut gnawed in a manner characteristic of hazel dormouse. Their houses are located in the hollows of trees or on the branches of shrubs. Hazel dormouse spend the winter in hibernation in nests underground.

hazel dormouse- an animal resembling a miniature squirrel. It is the size of a mouse: body length 15 cm, body weight 15-25 g. This is one of the smallest dormouse. The tail is long, 6-7.7 cm, with a brush at the end.

The muzzle is slightly blunt; ears are small, rounded; whiskers are long, up to 40% of body length. Hazel dormouse is the most arboreal species among dormouse, which is expressed in the structure of their limbs. 4 fingers of the hand are almost the same length; The first toe is smaller than the others and is perpendicularly opposed to them. When moving along the branches, the brushes turn to the sides almost at a right angle.

The color of the upper body of the hazel dormouse is ocher-red, sometimes with a reddish tint; the lower side is lighter with a fawn tint. There may be light, almost white spots on the throat, chest and abdomen. The fingers are white. The tip of the tail is dark or, conversely, light, depigmented.

hazel dormouse lives in deciduous and mixed forests, settling in places with rich undergrowth and undergrowth of hazel, wild rose, euonymus, mountain ash, bird cherry, viburnum and other fruit and berry trees and shrubs, which provides the animals with a food base (in particular, the alternation of ripening food) and good protective conditions.

It can be found along forest or country roads, along the edges of glades, in overgrown clearings. In the mountains it rises up to 2000 m above sea level. In the Yaroslavl and Vladimir regions, dormice prefer deciduous forests with a predominance of linden, ash, and oak. In the Volga region, hazel dormouse can also be found in coniferous forests with an abundant admixture of deciduous and broad-leaved species.

Hazel dormouse lives mainly in the undergrowth, skilfully climbing bushes, even the thinnest and most flexible branches. Active from dusk to morning.

The nest is located on a branch at a height of 1-2 m above the ground or in a low-lying hollow. Sonya also willingly occupies birdhouses, titmouses, nest boxes, and regardless of whether the house is already occupied by a bird or not. To a greater extent, redstarts, pied flycatchers suffer from dormouse, to a lesser extent, great tits and blue tit, capable of repelling this small rodent.

The fodder diet of hazel dormouse consists mainly of seeds of trees and shrubs (nuts, acorns, chestnuts, beech, linden nuts) and a variety of berries and fruits.

Hazel dormouse's favorite food is hazelnuts. In early spring, the animal uses young shoots and buds for food. Animal food in his diet, according to some sources, is absent; according to others, it is believed that hazel dormouse attacks small passerine birds, ruins egg laying. Dormouse avoids food with a high content of cellulose, because it lacks a caecum, where cellulose is digested.

These animals are easily tamed and can even produce offspring in captivity.

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Under natural conditions, the dormouse prefers wooded areas, preferably oak, wild fruit trees or beech. He feeds on the fruits of these trees, and in their hollows he makes a comfortable dwelling. It does not cause sympathy among southern farmers, as it harms the vineyard.

hazel dormouse

Rodent characteristics

There are several types of them, but they are divided into two groups - terrestrial and woody. Woody ones resemble small ones, and terrestrial ones are more like mice. All species adapt well to life in captivity, but there is an important requirement - frequent cleaning in the cage is necessary. These animals, although small, very quickly pollute the home, causing unpleasant odors.

Sonya polchok

Characteristics of the animal:

• Hazel dormouse (arboreal) has an orange fur coat, dormouse dormouse (ground) is gray. That's right, squirrel and mouse;
• Body length - up to 20 cm. Approximately the same length of the tail;
• Weight - no more than 100 grams;
• Ears are round;
• Lifestyle - nocturnal;
• Life expectancy - no more than 5 years, but more often no more than 3.

Tree dormouse jumps very dexterously, and are able to fly over the tops of trees up to 10 meters.

Buying Sony

Buying a rodent dormouse is not difficult, it is a frequent pet in any pet store. Probably, there are specialized nurseries, but animals of this class can also be bought on an ad or in a bird market.

baby dormouse

When you buy, move your hand carefully. Perhaps this individual was caught in the forest, then a bite cannot be avoided. Wild rodents at home will no longer take root, and there is a high probability of becoming infected with all sorts of sores from a bite.

If the animal is just shy (this is normal), but not aggressive, then this means that it was born at home, which means it will be tame, you can take it.

The price for the animal starts from 1000 rubles and above.

Even before buying an animal, you must prepare a cage for it. Dimensions are approximately 100x200x50 cm, so that there is enough space for installing ladders, houses, ropes and other game elements, as in the photo below. You can install a squirrel wheel.

Cell

Sonya is a very active rodent, at first they will be a little scared and hide, but over time they will get used to it, and running up and down with obstacles will be their main entertainment. It’s not worth letting them run to the floor, then it’s difficult to catch them, but if you are confident in your abilities, then let them go for a walk.

Round cages are not suitable for rodents, they do not feel well in such! Only square or rectangular.

We have already mentioned that they are not distinguished by cleanliness, and a couple of times a week, or even more often, you will have to carry out a complete cleaning of the cage. It will be necessary to clean the bottom covered with sawdust or sand, wash the rods and all decorative elements.

Rodent nutrition

The diet consists of:

• seed;
• Orekhov;
• tree fruits;
• Vegetables;
• fruits;
• Insects.

Be sure to keep an eye on the drinking bowl, and change the water daily to fresh.

fruit lunch

They are not prone to overeating, you can limit yourself to 40 grams of food per day.

Sometimes, a couple of times a week, you can feed them with bread, various herbs (this is for gray dormouse), or eggs (this is for tree dormouse).

reproduction

Puberty occurs within a month of life. They give birth once a year, usually in the spring. Pregnancy lasts a month, and the female gives birth to up to 10 babies. This is a mammal, and they will drink mother's milk for up to three weeks. Next up is self-catering.

Both mother and father are involved in the upbringing of children, this is a full-fledged family.

It should be noted that for guaranteed offspring, the animal must hibernate in winter. To do this, you need to equip the cage with a warm house, filling it with dry sawdust, wrap it with rags, and transfer the cage with the animals to +5 degrees. There they will sleep for 3-4 months, and in the spring there will be offspring almost guaranteed. Be sure to pay special attention to nutrition before and after hibernation, it should be varied, healthy and natural.

And remember - we are responsible for those we have tamed!

Dormouse rodent, cute creature, video

Dormouse family

(Myoxidae)**

* * Dormouse is one of the most ancient groups of modern rodents. A large number of subfamilies and genera with a low species richness indicates the relict nature of the group. Arboreal forms are more like squirrels, terrestrial ones look like mice, arboreal forms have developed plantar calluses for better climbing, outer toes can be opposed to the rest. In nature, dormice live 2-6 years. Skins of large dormouse are considered minor furs.

In their appearance and lifestyle, dormouse are close to squirrels, but differ significantly from them in some features in the structure of the body. They have a narrow head with a more or less pointed muzzle, rather large eyes and large bare ears, an elongated body, small limbs and thin legs, on the front paws of which there are four fingers, and instead of a large one there is a wart with a flattened nail, and on the hind legs five fingers. The tail is of medium size, thick and feathery; the fur is also thick and soft. The front teeth are flatly rounded, the lower ones are laterally compressed, the four molars of each jaw have sharply prominent roots and several fairly evenly turned transverse grooves deeply cutting into the enamel surface. The skull looks more like a mouse than a squirrel.
Until now, no more than a dozen individual species of this family are known, all of them belong to the inhabitants of the Old World. They choose hilly and mountainous areas, forests and shrubs, groves and gardens as their residence. Dormouse live in trees and in hollows, less often in earthen burrows dug by themselves, as well as between the roots of trees "whether in crevices of rocks and stone walls, and they try to hide as deep and far away from eyes as possible. Most sleep during the day and only early in the morning and in the evening twilight they go out for prey.Therefore, it is rather difficult to get this animal and you can only see it by chance.But, having slept, they become extremely mobile: they run excellently and climb even better, although they cannot make such big jumps as squirrels.
In temperate countries, with the onset of the cold season, dormice fall into a stupor and spend the winter in a sleepy state in their nests. Many of them collect food supplies for this time and eat them in breaks from sleep; others do not need this, since they are fattened during the summer and autumn and can survive at the expense of accumulated fat. Their food consists of fruits and various seeds; many also eat insects, eggs, and young chicks. While eating, they sit like a squirrel on the back of the body and bring food to their mouths with their front paws.
Some dormice are kept in societies, or at least in pairs; others are eminently quarrelsome. In summer, the female tosses in a beautiful nest from 4-5 cubs, which she brings up with great love. Caught young, all dormice become quite tame, only they do not like to be touched by hands, and old animals cannot stand it at all. Dormouse do not bring significant benefits, but rather even harm, since they are engaged in predation in our gardens; but their prettiness makes us forget various faults and wins our favor, which most of them do not deserve.
The dormouse family is divided into four genera, of which three have their representatives in Europe, while the fourth belongs to Africa *.

* Six species of African dormouse of the genus Graphiurus inhabit sub-Saharan Africa, the rest live in extratropical Eurasia: 7 species live in Europe and the Mediterranean, 4 species live in the arid interior of Asia, 1 in the mountains of China and 1 in Japan. dormouse mountains rise up to 4500 m above sea level. In Russia - 4 species from 4 genera.

belongs to the first genus dormouse(Myoxus glis)**.

* * Shelf is the largest member of the family. Body length up to 19 cm, tail up to 16.5 cm, weight about 170 g. Soft, rather thick fur on the back is one-color ash-gray, sometimes with a lighter, with a darker blackish-brown tint; on the sides of the body it is lighter. On the belly and inside of the legs, the coat is milky white with a silvery sheen. There is a dark brown ring around the eyes. The dense and feathery tail is brownish-gray with a white longitudinal stripe below.

This animal is well known by name, but not many have been able to take a close look at it. Everyone who has studied ancient history knows this dormouse as a favorite of the Romans, who even had special institutions for raising these animals. Oak and beech groves were surrounded by smooth walls, on which dormouse could not climb, and various burrows were arranged there for nesting and sleeping. Shelves were fed with acorns and chestnuts, and subsequently, for the final fattening, they were planted in clay vessels or tubs called gliraria. The excavations of Herculaneum acquainted us with these gliraria with our own eyes: they were small, semicircular bowls with partitions in the form of protrusions on the inner walls and closed with a grate at the top. Several regiments were planted in them, which were given food in excess. Having fattened properly, the animals were killed in order to be served as a particularly tasty dish to the table of rich gastronomes. Martial even sang of these little animals, into whose mouths he put these words: "Winter, we wake you up and boast of our stature just in those months when nothing but sleep feeds us!" Shelf has a length of 16 cm and a tail of 13 cm.
The real homeland of the regiment is southern and eastern Europe. The area of ​​​​its distribution covers Spain, Greece, Italy, southern and middle Germany; in Austria, Styria, Carinthia, Moravia, Silesia, Bohemia and Bavaria, this animal is very numerous, and in Croatia, Hungary and southern Russia it is definitely distributed everywhere. In the north of Europe, even in northern Germany, England and Denmark, it is no longer there. He lives mainly in mountainous areas; dry oak and beech forests are his favorite habitat. All day long he lies hidden in hollow trees or in clefts of rocks, in holes dug in the ground between the roots of trees, in abandoned holes of hamsters, or, finally, is placed in the nests of magpies and crows; in the evening he leaves his shelter and prowls all night, looking for food; from time to time it runs into a hole to digest the food it has eaten and rest a little, after which it again sets off for prey and only in the morning, rarely after sunrise, usually united with a female or with some comrade, returns to its shelter to lie in him for the whole day. During night trips, the regiment shows great mobility, quickness and lively activity; he climbs trees and rocky ledges with the dexterity of a real squirrel, confidently jumps from branch to branch, from top to bottom, and quickly hops along the ground. However, all this can be seen only in those places where its location has already been discovered in advance, since the night completely hides it from the eyes of a person and many other enemies.
There are few rodents that would surpass the regiment in gluttony. He eats as long as he can. The main food is acorns, beech and other hazelnuts; does not refuse walnuts, chestnuts, sweet and juicy fruits. In animal food, the regiment also, apparently, feels the need, because it attacks every small animal that it can overtake, kills it and eats it, ruins, destroys nests, strangles chicks - in a word, it shows its predatory inclinations. He drinks little water, and when he has juicy fruits, he does not use it at all.

During the whole summer, the regiment every night, unless the weather is very bad, prowls for prey in their possessions. During such trips, he constantly sits like a squirrel and puts something edible in his mouth with his front paws. You can constantly hear the clicking of nuts, which the polchok gnaws, or the fall of the eaten fruits, which he throws down. By autumn, the animal collects food stocks and stacks them in their burrows. At this time, he still eats while he can; then he begins to take care of the arrangement of a winter dwelling, prepares a deep hole or finds a suitable place in the cracks and crevices of rocks and old walls or in deep hollows of trees, where he builds a warm nest from tender moss. Here he curls up in company with a few companions and falls into a deep sleep long before the time when the thermometer drops to the freezing point; in harsh mountainous areas, this time comes already in August, in warmer plains - around October. At this time, the regiment exhibits the same insensitivity as other hibernating animals; his sleep may even be stronger than that of all the others. You can safely take him out of the nest and take him anywhere: he will still sleep and remain in an insensible state. In a warm room, gradually awakening, he begins to move his limbs and gradually begin to move, although he still looks sleepy. In freedom, sometimes he wakes up himself and, as if unconsciously, begins to eat supplies *.

* Dormouse do not make any food supplies for the winter, they only get very fat. Their winter hibernation is very deep - a real suspended animation with a strong decrease in body temperature and a sharp decrease in the level of metabolism. Only such hibernation allows dormouse to "hold out" on fat reserves for more than six months.

The regiments that Lenz brought up, keeping them in a cold room in the winter, woke up almost every four weeks, ate and again fell asleep so soundly that they seemed dead; others, brought up by Galvania, woke up only every two months to eat. In freedom, our regiment wakes up only in late spring, rarely before the end of April. Thus, the duration of their winter hibernation reaches a full 7 months.
Shortly after awakening, the litters mate, and after about six weeks of pregnancy, the female will give birth in a soft nest of a hollow tree or some other hole (in the vicinity of Altenburg it is very common in birdhouses that are arranged on high poles above or on fruit trees) 3-6 naked blind cubs that grow up unusually quickly and feed on mother's milk for only a very short time, and then begin to forage for food themselves. The regiment never nests openly in trees, like our squirrel, but, if possible, in a hidden place. Where there are many beech trees, this animal breeds very quickly, since its well-being depends on the harvest of fruits.
Numerous enemies inflict significant damage to regiments. Their most formidable persecutors are pine martens and ferrets, wild cats and weasels, owls and owls; although the regiment bravely defends itself against the most powerful enemies, snorts at them, bites viciously, and even puts its weak claws into action, nevertheless it must finally surrender *.

* For passive protection from enemies, the regiment, like other dormouse, has one remedy. The skin on the tail is very fragile and easily breaks off with a "stocking" when a predator grabs a dormouse by the tail. The bare tail dries up and dies, the animal, having lost its balancer, becomes more clumsy, but saves life.

A man also diligently pursues a regiment in those places where there are many of them, for the sake of meat and for the sake of fur; the animal is lured into artificial winter dwellings, that is, into pits arranged for this purpose in the forest, between bushes and slopes of rocks in dry, south-facing places; these pits are treacherously covered with moss, covered with straw and dry branches, and stocked with beech nuts in abundance. In addition, other traps are set. In Bavaria, peasants catch a regiment in ordinary tit traps, in which hemp seed is scattered for bait. In other places, peasants catch polchkov with traps, which they either hang on branches, or set in front of the hunted holes of these animals, putting a juicy pear or plum in them for bait. In addition, sometimes tubs filled with fruits are buried in the ground, which have only one exit from above, covered with an iron wire mesh so that the animal can slip inside the tub, but will not come out in any way. In such traps, regiments come across so many that some hunters recruited them during the autumn from 200 to 400 pieces.
Shelves are relatively rare in captivity. It could be foreseen in advance that such a glutton would not show a special development of mental abilities and any good qualities. His lifestyle and character traits are not pretty; the greatest virtue in him is his cleanliness; otherwise he is insufferable. Eternally irritated, he does not approach his teacher at all and angrily, with some special snoring, grumbles at everyone who dares to approach him. The one who awkwardly grabs him, he bites painfully several times in a row, which makes it clear that he does not intend to allow his person to be disturbed. At night, like a madman, he begins to frantically jump around the cage, and by this alone he can get bored to the point of disgust. With all this, he requires the most careful supervision and abundant food, otherwise he will gnaw through the cage or eat one of his comrades. As soon as the regiment does not have enough food, without further reasoning, he attacks one of his relatives, kills him and eats him with complete equanimity. Even regiments born in captivity do not lose the unpleasant properties of their relatives and constantly remain as unsympathetic as the old ones.
forest dormouse(Diyomys nitedula) is the link between the polka and garden dormouse, has a length of 17 cm, of which almost half falls on the tail**.

* * The body length of the forest dormouse is up to 11 cm, the tail is the same length. The tail is evenly pubescent, like a polka, but the hair on top seems to be combed into a straight parting. On the hind legs, not only the outer, but also the inner toe can be opposed to the rest.

The color of the fur on the head and back is reddish-brown or brownish-gray, on the belly it is completely white; a black stripe begins under the eyes, which, expanding, covers the eyes and continues to the ears; behind the ears lies a dirty greyish-white spot. The tail is dark, brown-gray above, slightly lighter at the end, and white below.
South Russia should be considered the homeland of the forest dormouse; from here it spread westward to Hungary, southern Austria and Silesia, but is quite rare there*. According to the way of life, as far as it is known, it does not differ in any significant way from regiments and garden dormouse.

* Forest dormouse has the widest range among dormouse, to the north and northeast it reaches Sweden, the Volga region, Altai, to the south - to Italy, the forests of Western and Central Asia, to the east - to Mongolia. In the west it reaches only Austria and Southern Germany. Prefers broad-leaved and hard-leaved forests of the Mediterranean type.

garden dormouse(Eliomys quercimts) reaches a maximum length of 14 cm, with a tail length of 9.5 cm. The head and back are reddish-gray-brown, the abdomen is white; the eyes are edged with a brilliant black ring that continues under the ears to the neck; in front of the ears and behind is a whitish spot, and above the ear - blackish. The tail at the root is gray-brown, and at the end it is two-colored - black above, white below. The hair on the abdomen is two-tone - at the roots they are gray, at the tips they are white, and in some places they come across yellowish or grayish. The ears are meat-colored, the whiskers are black, with white tips; claws the color of a light horn, the upper front teeth are light brown, the lower ones are light yellow. Beautiful dark black-brown eyes give the garden dormouse an intelligent, lively expression.
Garden dormouse, already known to the ancient Romans under the name Nitella, belongs mainly to the temperate zone of central and western Europe; France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Galicia, Transylvania and the Russian Baltic provinces** are considered her fatherland.

* * Garden dormouse is largely associated with coniferous trees, to the north it penetrates further than other species - to Karelia, the Vologda region, to the east - to the Urals, but it is absent in the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Asia Minor.

She lives both on the plains and in hilly countries, but still huddles more readily in mountainous areas and here mainly in deciduous forests, although she also comes across in coniferous ones, and sometimes goes into low shrubs and gardens. In Switzerland it rises to high glaciers. It feeds on the same as the regiment; but, in addition, he drags lard and butter, fat and ham from the houses of the mountain dwellers; it seems to eat young birds and eggs even more willingly and more than a regiment, which it certainly excels in climbing and jumping. Its nest differs from the nest of the regiment in that it is located in an open place; however, sometimes the garden dormouse uses cracks in the walls, old rat holes, mole passages and other depressions between stones and in the ground; she gently covers the nest with moss and arranges it as comfortably as possible. Especially willingly settles in empty nests of squirrels; if necessary, she herself can build a nest, which she hangs in a conspicuous place between the branches of a tree.
The time of love for garden dormouse comes in the first half of May. Several males often start a heated argument over the possession of a female, chasing each other, while hissing, sniffing and rushing through the trees like mad. As much as they are peaceful in ordinary times, they now become perky, angry and pugnacious; real battles take place between them, and, moreover, with such fury, which was difficult to expect from them; it often happens that one of the opponents is mortally bitten by another and is immediately eaten. After 24-30 days of pregnancy, the female lays 4-6 naked blind cubs in most cases in a nest perfectly prepared and openly placed on a tree; for this, she often uses the old nest of a squirrel, crow or black and common thrushes, which she sometimes seizes by force, then lines with moss and wool and tightly closes. The mother feeds the cubs for quite a long time and, when they grow up a little, brings them food in abundance. If at this time you approach her nest and try to take out the cubs from there, then the alarmed female with sparkling eyes begins to hiss at the enemy, bares her teeth, rushes right into his face and tries to bite him with a frenzy. It is remarkable that in everything else the clean garden dormouse keeps its nest extremely untidy. Stinky feces accumulate in the nest in whole heaps and spread such a strong stench that not only dogs, but even a familiar person at a far distance are able to recognize the presence of such a nest. A few weeks later, the cubs reach the size of their mother, and after a while they start running near the hole in order to find food under the supervision and guidance of the mother. Subsequently, they start their own dwellings and in the next year become already capable of reproduction. In especially favorable weather, the female gives birth twice in one year.
During hibernation, garden dormouse seeks out dry and sheltered burrows in trees and walls or settles in mole burrows, sometimes it enters forest gatehouses, garden arbors, barns, haylofts, coal huts and other residential buildings, where it hides. . Usually they are found in several pieces in one nest, so closely pressed against each other that they form, as it were, one ball. Dormouse sleep without interruption, but not as soundly as others; during a thaw, they wake up, eat from food supplies, and when the cold resumes, they again fall into hibernation. Unlike other hibernating animals, garden dormouse exhibits a certain sensitivity to external stimuli at this time. They rarely emerge from their burrows before the end of April in the spring; first they eat the entire winter supply of food and then resume their summer activities.
Garden dormouse is hated by all gardeners who breed tender fruit trees. It is enough to climb into such a garden with only one dormouse to destroy the entire collection of peaches or apricots. When choosing a treat, garden dormouse reveals a lot of subtle taste. She chooses only the best and juiciest fruits, which she recognizes not by sight, but by taste, so that she spoils much more than she eats *.

* Vegetable foods do not occupy a leading position in the diet of this dormouse, the basis of nutrition is invertebrates and small vertebrates. More than other relatives, garden dormouse spends time on the ground in search of food. In a number of regions of Europe, it prefers to settle near a person, competing with rats and even displacing them due to its aggressiveness. In some places it really causes tangible damage to gardens. It is rare in the east of its range and needs to be protected.

There is no way to get rid of a harmful guest who has climbed into the garden, since he knows how to overcome all sorts of obstacles; climbs palisades and trees, slips through the loops of nets that protect trees, or gnaws through them if they are too frequent: and can even get through wire mesh.
Only late-ripening fruits can be saved from dormouse, since at this time the animals are already in their holes. The garden dormouse brings only harm and only the most insignificant benefit with its meat and skin, therefore it is diligently persecuted and exterminated, especially by gardeners who have to endure the most from it. The best traps are wire snares that are hung on fruit trees, or small traps. But the best defender of the gardens against these robbers is the cat. Martens, weasels, eagle owls and owls also diligently pursue the garden dormouse; therefore, landowners living near forests act quite thoroughly in protecting these natural enemies of harmful rodents.
For keeping in captivity, the garden dormouse is as little suitable as the regiment. She rarely gets used to a person and at each unexpected appearance she bites him so hard that the pain is very sensitive. At the same time, she has the same unpleasant quality that is inherent in the regiment - during the day she sits quietly, and at night she rebels in the cage; tries to gnaw through the bars and grate in order to break through it and, if she succeeds, she rages as if there were a dozen dormouse in the room; at the same time, everything that stands on the road is overturned and destroyed. A garden dormouse that has run out of a cage is not easy to catch again. It is easy to verify her predatory inclinations by making observations on animals in captivity. She shows the bloodthirstiness of a caress, combined with the voracity of a regiment; with fury pounces on any small vertebrate animal brought into a cage, strangles a bird in an instant, copes with a perky mouse in a few minutes, no matter how it resists, and does not spare even its equal ... Hunger entails an inevitable internecine struggle, which ends by the fact that one kills and eats the other, and hibernation leads to the triumph of the strong, who refrains from hibernation, and the death of the weak, who succumbs to it. It only takes one of several garden dormouse kept together to fall into hibernation while others are still awake, as she can consider herself already dead: insidious comrades attack the sleeping ones, bite them to death and eat them. The same thing happens when several hibernating garden dormouse begin to wake up one after another; awakened before the others, she kills her helpless comrades. Ordinary daytime sleep does not pose such a danger, because the sleeping dormouse wakes up quickly and protects its skin.
hazel dormouse(Muscardinus avellanarius) - one of the most pretty, cute and frisky European rodents; She is liked not only by her external beauty, but also by her cleanliness, good looks, and meekness of character. The animal is about the same size as our house mouse; its total length reaches 14 cm, of which almost half falls on the tail. Thick and smooth fur consists of a medium length of shiny and soft yellowish-red hair, the fur is slightly lighter below, white on the chest and throat; eye sockets and ears are light reddish, legs are red, toes are whitish, the upper side of the tail is brownish red. In winter, the upper side of the last half of the tail is covered with a light blackish bloom. This is because the new awn hairs have blackish tips, which are subsequently erased. Young animals are bright red. The homeland of small hazel dormouse is central Europe: Sweden and England, apparently, make up the northern border of its distribution, and Tuscany and the northern part of Turkey - the southern one; in the east it does not go beyond Galicia, Hungary and Transylvania. The hazel dormouse is especially numerous in Tyrol, Carinthia, Styria, Bohemia, Silesia, Slovenia and northern Italy, since it is found in greater numbers in the southern regions than in the northern *.

* This smallest species of the family (weighs 15-35 g), preferring broad-leaved forests, however, is absent in most of Asia Minor, in the Crimea and the Caucasus. The northern border in Russia coincides with the northern border of mixed forests. To the east, hazel dormouse is distributed to the Cis-Urals. The number of the species is low everywhere, high mortality of young is noted. Systematically hazel dormouse, close to the shelf, like him, is the most arboreal species of dormouse, relatively rarely descending to the ground.

Their dwellings are almost the same as those of their relatives; lifestyle is no different from the above. The hazel dormouse inhabits both the plains and the mountains, but it does not rise above the forest growth line, i.e. 1500 meters above sea level. The favorite habitats are low shrubs, blackthorn, and mainly walnut groves.
During the day, hazel dormouse lies somewhere hidden and sleeps, at night it gets food, which consists of nuts, acorns, hard seeds, juicy fruits, berries and buds; but most of all she loves nuts, which she skillfully gnaws and eats: she does not pick the nuts from the tree and does not take them out of the green shell. She loves rowan berries and therefore often falls into snares set up for birds *.

* Hazel dormouse feeds almost exclusively on plant foods, in summer it is mainly succulent food, by autumn - high-calorie hard seeds, nuts.

Hazel dormice live in small societies, however, not closely related to each other. Each dormouse separately or two dormouse together build a soft, warm, rather skillfully made nest of grass, leaves, moss, roots and wool in a very dense bush, and at night they come out of it in order to get food in partnership with others living nearby. Like real tree animals, they masterfully climb even the thinnest branches, not only like squirrels and other dormice, but also like monkeys; one can often see how it hangs itself behind a branch with its hind legs in order to get a distant nut and crack it, or runs along the underside of a knot with the same confidence as on the top, just like monkeys - forest acrobats of tropical countries.


Even on smooth ground, they run very nimbly, especially when in a hurry to return to their arboreal domains.
The mating time for hazel dormouse coincides with the middle of summer; rarely mating occurs before July. Approximately after four weeks of pregnancy, usually in August, the female tosses 3-4 naked, blind cubs in her round, very comfortable summer nest, skillfully built of moss and grass and lined inside with the hair of various animals. This dormouse tries to arrange a nest in a dense shrub at a height of one meter above the ground. The cubs grow up unusually quickly, but suckle for another month, until they are mature enough to run for food on their own **.

* * In favorable years, hazel dormouse brings up to 3 broods, childbirth occurs at an interval of 2 months. The mating season begins in April, proceeds very peacefully, without conflicts and fights between males. At this time, hazel dormouse is more silent than other species, partners are guided mainly not by mating "songs", but by scent marks. There are usually 3-4 cubs in a litter, which, a month after birth, stop feeding on milk and become completely independent.

It is difficult to catch a hazel dormouse when she is awake; very rarely falls into traps that are placed in the favorite places of the animal, putting in them for bait - nuts or other tasty food. The easiest way to get it is in late autumn or winter in forests and gardens, while raking dry leaves and branches. Having climbed into a nest arranged under dry leaves for wintering, hazel dormouse are easily given into the hands of an experienced hunter, as they give out their presence with a squeak; then the hunter carefully digs out the nest, wraps it tightly with fur and carries it home, where he arranges animals in a cage or passes it on to some lover. If hazel dormouse fell into the hands, then it is easy to make it completely manual. It would never occur to her to use violence against her master, to defend herself and bite; with the strongest fright, it is limited to squeaking or hissing loudly. She soon submits to her fate, calmly gives herself into the hands and obeys the will of man, leaves all wildness, although she does not lose her innate timidity and fearfulness. In England they are kept as pets in ordinary bird cages and sold on the market. Animals can be kept in the most refined rooms, since they do not spread any bad smell, and only in summer they smell a little musk, and even then so faintly that they do not cause the slightest disgust.
In captivity, hazel dormouse undergoes hibernation if the room is not maintained at an equally warm temperature. Before hibernation, she tries to arrange a nest and curls up in it or falls asleep in a corner of the cage. If the sleeping dormouse is again brought into a warm place, it wakes up, but soon falls asleep again. Biological Encyclopedia Wikipedia

List of species listed in the Red Book of the Yaroslavl Region, published in 2004. 14 species of mushrooms, 173 species of plants and 172 species of animals were included in the Red Book of the Yaroslavl Region. The classification is given according to the edition. Contents 1 Kingdom Mushrooms ... ... Wikipedia

Below is a list of animals listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Mordovia. In square brackets after the name of each species, a numerical code indicating the rarity category is indicated: 0 probably disappeared on the territory of the Republic ... ... Wikipedia

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The origin of dormouse, known species and their features, tips on keeping and feeding a rodent at home, the correct purchase of dormouse and price.

It is a pleasure to keep such a pet, it is easily tamed, even goes to hand. Having brought such a pet into the house, you can be sure that he will never make you bored or sad. Sonya sometimes simply infects with her activity and perky disposition, and looking at this little "motor" one wants to live and work.

But before you run to the pet store in the neighboring area in search of such a fluffy friend, it’s better to get to know him better, because after all, he comes from the wild and he is not very used to home conditions.

The origin of the dormouse and its native habitats

Dormouse is a pretty tiny living creature that is a representative of the large animal kingdom. In the process of studying these tailed animals, scientists classified them into the class of mammals, the order of rodents and the dormice family.

The natural distribution area is quite wide and depends on the specific type of dormouse, but if you have such a desire to visit this rodent, then you won’t have to travel far, these animals are found almost throughout Europe and Asia.

Description of the varieties of dormouse and their characteristic features

According to some scientific sources, there are approximately 25–30 species of the most diverse representatives of the dormouse family in the world, including several varieties that, unfortunately, did not survive to our modern era. Here are a few species that live near us and are best suited as pets.

forest dormouse

This native of the genus of the forest dormouse of the same name lives in Europe and, as far as is known, settles near oak plantations. But on the territory of Transcaucasia and Asia, this animal is associated with a wide variety of trees and shrubs. It seems possible to see a miniature rodent throughout the Balkan Peninsula, in Greece, on the lands of the Apennine Peninsula, where this animal lives mainly in the Calabrian mountains. As for the Eastern part of the European continent, such a small animal is found almost everywhere there, it bypassed only the northern part of Poland and the Ukrainian lands, near the Black Sea. Large populations of dormouse inhabit the lands of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Turkmenistan and many other countries of Asia Minor.

On the territory of Russia, this forest rodent lives in the Tver region and in the western part of the Kirov region. On the lands of the Caucasus, these animals are distributed almost everywhere.

For their comfortable living, small mammals prefer broad-leaved forests with fairly dense undergrowth; occasionally they can also settle in mixed forests, dense gardens and in areas rich in shrubs. As their personal living space, forest dormouse chooses hollows made in advance by other inhabitants of the forests, abandoned bird nests, and if she has time and inspiration, then sometimes she can design a nest for herself with her small paws.

These tiny animals almost never have problems with food, they can be content with both plant foods and live food. The forest dormouse likes to eat fruits and seeds of plants, for example, acorns, a variety of nuts, apple seeds and even juicy fruits, if they are lucky to get them. As for products of animal origin, they eat various insects with joy and great pleasure, in difficult times they can afford to gobble up bird eggs and even small chicks without remorse.

If we talk about the appearance of this little animal, then this is a rather small animal. The length of its miniature body reaches approximately 10-12 cm, the caudal process grows up to 9-10 cm, body weight varies from 30 to 45 grams.

Forest dormouse, of course, is not a chameleon at all, but its color tends to change, depending on the territories in which the animal lives. Most often, the coat of these mammals is presented in grayish tones. But in some areas, dormouse can be painted in slightly brownish colors, there are locations where animals of yellowish-gray shades live, and on their bodies you can easily notice the border between the color of the upper and lower parts of the body. If this forest animal settles in a mountainous area, then usually their fur is decorated with a white and gray color scheme.

The caudal process is usually very fluffy, its color is most often represented by dark shades of gray. The tail of the dormouse has a very good blood supply, for this reason, if the animal gets into some kind of unpleasant situation, the hair on the tail rises strongly, and the blood rushes into the caudal vascular network, you can see how this part of the dormouse body gradually changes and becomes reddish.

On the cute face of the animal there is a strip of dark shades, which is located from the nose to the auditory organs. These animals have very well developed vibrissae and besides they are quite long, their length is approximately equal to the total length of the body.

dormouse

This representative of the world fauna differs from all its relatives in its dimensions - this is the largest dormouse. The body of an adult animal grows in length from 15 to 20 cm, their body weight ranges from 150 to 200 grams. The length of the tail is approximately 10–13 cm. If you don’t take a very close look at this fluffy, then you can suspect him of being closely related to squirrels and indeed they are somewhat similar to each other. Only the ears of small regiments are devoid of peculiar tassels.

The body of this mammal is wrapped in a rather thick lush layer of fur, but the coat is relatively short. Compared with its forest relative, the color of this animal is constantly the same and it is not affected by either geographical or climatic conditions. Usually the dormouse is painted in grayish-brown shades with a slight smoky tint. The area of ​​the abdominal cavity is usually lighter than the area of ​​the back and is traditionally painted in white-yellowish tones. On the cute face of this living creature, his “natural accessories” are immediately evident in the form of dark rings around the eyes, which are somewhat reminiscent of sunglasses, but in some representatives of their kind they are hardly noticeable.

For the first time, this medium-sized rodent was described in the UK, although the natural distribution area is quite extensive and goes far beyond Asia. These bushy-tailed oddballs can be seen traveling through France, Italy, Spain, and even coastal Mediterranean regions.

For the reason that by nature these beautiful animals are the strictest vegetarians, they choose wooded areas for their living, where a large number of fruit trees grow, they can’t eat acorns and nuts all their lives, they don’t mind eating some juicy fruit. Shelves can settle near agricultural holdings, such as vineyards or orchards. The animal does not eat so much, so it will not bring a significant loss to the crop, but it will remain full and satisfied. He loves apples, pears, dogwoods, plums, cherries and even raspberries and blackberries very much. Before eating, the animal must first make sure that its food is ripe, it will never eat if its dinner is not ripe enough.

The period of activity for these fluffies falls at night, with the onset of twilight on the earth, these nimble little animals come out of their small cozy houses and start looking for a variety of goodies. They spend most of their time in the trees; ground walks are extremely rare. But they are not active at all for a long time, since already from mid-September they begin to lie down in a winter dream. It is very interesting that adult males are the first to leave for winter holidays, and then by seniority.
For wintering, regiments usually dig deep holes, which reach a length of approximately 180–200 cm. But if they have no desire to engage in construction, and there are human settlements nearby, then these cunning people can winter in haylofts and even under the attics of houses. They never make stocks for the winter, for this reason, in times of cold weather, a large number of animals die, who did not have time to properly feed themselves over the summer, because if their sleep is disturbed, they wake up immediately, but they have nothing to eat in winter.

garden dormouse

This is a medium-sized rodent, its muzzle has a slight pointedness, rounded large ears noticeably narrow near the base. The caudal process is also remarkable - it is covered with fairly thick fur throughout its entire length, and ends with a wide fluffy tassel. The dorsal part of the body of the garden dormouse is painted in gray-brown colors, but the neck, abdomen, chest, limbs and ears are usually white. Several stripes are drawn from the visual organs to the ears, which are painted in dark shades.

On the territory of Russia, this mammal is widely distributed not only in dense wooded areas, but also on different edges, in orchards and even city parks.

By nature, it is an omnivore, it can satisfy an attack of hunger with a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, but still its favorite dishes are animal products, for example, dung beetles, beetles, nutcrackers and other insects. With pleasure, this fluffy cunning devours small defenseless chicks.

If they are very lucky in life and people live near their place of residence, then garden dormouse can also make their way into their premises. Of course, they do not climb onto the bed and do not turn on the TV, but they can afford to treat themselves to various products. Bread, milk, sour cream are some of the favorite delicacies of little thieves.

These cunning representatives of the dormouse family are not at all afraid to die during the fierce winter cold, since they are the most voracious among all their relatives, therefore their fat reserves are enough for the entire winter period, some individuals even practically do not lose weight during hibernation.

Spectacled, South African dormouse

This species is distributed far beyond the borders of our Motherland, they mainly inhabit rocky locations, located in the western part of the hot African continent.

The African dormouse is a small animal, the length of its miniature body does not exceed 15 cm, and its weight is approximately 25–45 grams. The coat of this eccentric from Africa is very pleasant in texture, soft, colored in smoky grayish shades. The projection of the tummy of this mammal is painted white, occasionally with a slight ash tint. In some individuals, against this background, it seems possible to notice a certain pattern formed by small spots of brown-reddish color. The same drawings can be on the face of the animal.

Unlike their domestic relatives, this African rodent does not tolerate loneliness at all, for this reason, in the wild, they usually live in fairly large social groups.

Bringing into the house such a pet as a sleepy mouse, first of all, you need to take care of his personal roof over his head. As a house for such a friend, a nickel-plated cage is perfect, it is desirable that it be spacious enough. As for the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe dwelling, these cute animals do not put forward special requirements, they feel great even in modest conditions, but the larger their personal apartment, the more active your pupil will be. And since movement is life, physical activity will not only cheer up your furry friend, but also strengthen his health.

At first, you may experience some inconvenience associated with the nocturnal activity of this rodent, in order to avoid lack of sleep, it is best to take out the dormouse cage at night to the place furthest from the bedroom. In the event that you pay enough attention to your friend, he will easily change his usual schedule for you. And if you also spoil him with goodies throughout the day, you can be sure that your rest will not be disturbed by a well-fed and happy pet.

Usually, dormouse quickly get used to a person and after some time after the start of living together they are happy to make contact with their owners, especially if they have prepared something tasty for them.

In the animal's house, it is necessary to put a feeder, a container with drinking water, and also make a place to rest, preferably in the form of a shelter. This little tenant also sometimes wants to retire.

Cleaning in his home must be done regularly, not only to avoid unpleasant odors, but also in order to prevent various diseases of your friend.

In the event that you stay at work for a long time, think about your furry friend, he will be bored, if you cannot allow this, then make sure that your pet has something to do in his free time. As entertainment, you can install a jogging wheel in the cage, believe me, your sleepyhead will drive like crazy in it. In addition, it is desirable to build a place for climbing from different branches and trunks. It is recommended to put some straw or dry leaves on the animal, suddenly he will have a desire to build a place for himself to sleep with his own paws.