Sonya is an animal with an unusual way of life. Description and types. Sonya is an animal. Dormouse lifestyle and habitat What does dormouse look like
This small animal is very similar to an ordinary mouse, but with a fluffy "squirrel" tail. Externally, there are two types of dormice - mouse-like and protein-like. The former have a bare tail and live on the ground, the latter live in trees. Dormouse are very small animals, an adult animal easily fits in the palm of your hand. They are active mainly at night. They began to domesticate these animals relatively recently, in the last century, this was facilitated by a decrease in the number of individuals of the species. Thanks to the technical progress of the last century, the number of forest zones where these animals live has significantly decreased, and the dormouse was listed in the Red Book, and also began to be bred in artificial conditions in order to prevent the extinction of the species.
Titles in other languages:
The name of the dormouse in Latin sounds like Myoxidae or Gliridae. There is also a Latin name for the dormouse subfamily, Graphiurinae. In English, "dormouse" sounds like Dormouse, and in German - Siebenschlaefer.
Classification:
Dormouse belongs to the animal kingdom, a type of chordates, a subtype of vertebrates. Dormouse are mammals of the placental subclass. Of course, these are rodents that belong to the squirrel-like, dormouse family. In total, 9 genera and 28 species of these animals are known in nature.
Dormouse Habitat:
These rodents are mostly found in the steppes and forest-steppes. The main regions of their habitat are the northern part of Africa, China and Japan, Altai, Asia Minor. And in southern Africa, even a separate species of animal lives, which is called the African dormouse. Other genera of this rodent prefer cooler climates. The most common dormice are those that live in trees. For example, a dormouse can live all its life on a tree. Tree species settle mainly in hollows or nests, terrestrial ones dig minks near tree roots or fallen trunks. There are also garden species of these animals, they cause great damage to gardening, destroying cultivated plants.
Sony description:
Mouse-like animals, as the name implies, look like mice, and squirrel-like animals look like squirrels. On average, dormice grow up to 10 cm, sometimes there are 20-centimeter individuals. They have cute round ears and beady eyes. Dormouse, thanks to their sharp claws, can cling well to tree bark. In some members of the family, one claw on the hind paw may be missing. If you put the animal on the palm of your hand, you can feel the hard pads on the paws of the animal. The wool of the dormouse is reddish-gray, very soft and long, the hairs are smoothed, reaching a length of 17 cm. In squirrels, a fluffy tail stands out very much. Winter for dormouse is a period of hibernation. As for a rodent, dormouse lives for a relatively long time - in nature up to 5 years, in captivity no more than 3 years.
Sony nutrition:
Tree dormouse feed on what mainly grows and lives on trees. These are nuts, seeds, fruits of trees, small insects. Ground dormouse is more herbivorous, they love different herbs, dandelion leaves, clover, nettles. Dormouse living in trees destroy bird nests in order to feast on their eggs. This breed of rodents is also characterized by a predatory trait, they can eat other, smaller animals. If dormouse is kept at home, it is preferable for her to diversify her diet with plant foods - grains, seeds, fruits, nuts, sometimes bread and carrots. Also, do not exclude animal food. A pet can occasionally be pampered with boiled meat, milk, cottage cheese, chicken eggs. And for some species, animal products are even more important in the diet than vegetation. In the feeder of garden and African dormouse, insects and eggs should always be present. It is also possible to breed special flour worms for the full nutrition of dormouse. If you add fish oil to your food, the animal's body will receive even more vitamins and nutrients.
Dormouse reproduction:
From the first month of life, dormouse are ready for reproduction. The mating season begins in the spring. The offspring of females appears mainly once a year. Almost all types of dormouse, except for the dormouse, reproduce well both in natural and at home conditions. The female carries the cubs for a month, after which naked and blind babies are born. There are up to 10 of them in the litter, and they feed on mother's milk for up to 3 weeks. Little sleepyheads are very attached to their mother, so you can’t tear them away from her ahead of time, this can be a serious stress for babies. It is curious that dormice take care of their cubs together with their fathers, a “full-fledged” family.
Maintenance and care of dormouse:
Sony are known for their unpretentiousness and peacefulness. They calmly get along with several animals in one aviary or cage. The animals feel good in spacious enclosures, because in a cramped cage the dormouse will not be able to move actively enough and will begin to gain excess weight. It is best for dormouse to equip a home that is as similar as possible to the natural habitat. Moss or a layer of peat can be laid on the floor of the enclosure, twigs, bark, stumps can be laid out on it. Edible plants, grass, gooseberry or currant bushes can be grown right in the dormouse's dwelling. For hibernation of these small animals, it is necessary to equip a cozy corner. For this, a pipe leading from a hole to a small box insulated with dry hay is suitable. If a dormouse lives in a cage, it must be equipped with all the attributes necessary for rodents - a drinking bowl, sawdust on the floor, a bowl, a pallet, toys. Dormouse are very fond of messing with their nests, so you can hang a small wooden box in the cage with a set of “building materials”: twigs, hay, etc.
Additionally:
Dormouse is not only very fond of starting as pets. They are also valued for their good coats, like fur animals. The skin of the sony regiment was especially highly valued, at one time special hunts were organized for them. In general, this is a very curious species, the dormouse has an excellent appetite and gains a lot of weight by the autumn period, but still makes large reserves for the winter in its nest.
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 dormice 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 construction 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 kidneys; 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 emit 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
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One of the oldest rodents is the dormouse - an animal that has much in common with squirrels and mice at the same time. Features of its structure depend on the lifestyle and habitat. Life expectancy in nature is from 2 to 6 years.
Appearance
Sony are small. Their body is slightly elongated, on a narrow head with a pointed muzzle, round shiny eyes stand out. The ears are rather large, bare, with rounded tips.
On the muzzle of the dormouse there are very sensitive long mustaches - vibrissae. Their length is about 20 to 40 percent of the entire body length. Each antenna can move due to the contraction of the subcutaneous muscles. This is a kind of with which the animal probes the space surrounding it. The limbs are thin and short, with four toes on the front paws and five on the hind legs. The dense and very soft coat of the animal has a small and uniform length throughout the body.
habitats
Sonya is an animal that prefers to live most often in trees, in hollows, sometimes in earthen burrows dug more often under tree roots, under stones and in rock crevices. These animals live mainly in forests, gardens and groves.
Lifestyle and nutrition
Most representatives of this family sleep during daylight hours, and only at dusk they get out of their shelters. Thanks to this feature, they got their name. With the onset of cold weather, dormouse falls into a stupor and can spend the whole winter in this state. During this period, their body temperature drops, metabolism slows down. Some animals wake up during the thaw period, eating their stored food during the break from sleep. Others do not make stocks and survive the winter due to the fat accumulated over the summer and autumn.
The basis of the diet of these animals is the fruits of plants and various seeds, less often insects. They also do not refuse, on occasion, eggs and young chicks. It is interesting to observe how the dormouse eats (a photo of the animal involved in this process is posted in this article). Holding the food firmly with its front paws, the dormouse brings it to its mouth. These animals may well become tame, but only if caught at a young age. The main thing that is not recommended to do is to touch them with your hands. Sony doesn't like this.
Dormouse species
On the territory of European countries there are 4 genera of these animals - hazel, forest, garden and dormouse. In total, the Dormouse family includes 9 genera and 28 species. They mainly inhabit the northern part of Africa, Japan, China. They are also found in Altai and in
Hazel dormouse - of all rodents, this is the cutest, and among the representatives of this family - the smallest animal. The length of its body is 7-8 cm. The animal differs from its relatives in its yellowish-red color. A young hazel dormouse has a particularly bright coat color. The rodent got its name due to its habitat, a prerequisite for which is the presence of dense thickets of hazel, wild rose, viburnum and other shrubs. Refers to tree species that rarely descend to the ground. Thanks to tenacious paws, it moves very dexterously and quickly along trunks and branches.
Garden dormouse is a larger animal (up to 14 cm), with a very peculiar color. The upper part of the body and the abdomen are white. The eyes are surrounded by black rings, giving the muzzle a very intelligent and expressive look. Although mostly garden dormouse lives in deciduous forests of mountainous areas, they are often found in conifers, penetrating further north than other members of this family. Prefers to settle in gardens, near human habitation.
Sonya regiment is one of the largest. Its size can sometimes reach 19 cm. The fur of this animal is very thick, the back is colored dark, the sides are lighter, and the abdomen and the inner surface of the legs are silvery white. The eyes are surrounded by a brown ring. The tail is covered with thick fur, below it is decorated with a white longitudinal strip. Of all the rodents, perhaps the most voracious is this dormouse (see photo of the animal below).
She will eat as long as she can. Its diet is based on acorns, nuts, but often it has predatory tendencies, when a regiment attacks smaller animals, destroys nests, and eats chicks.
The forest dormouse has much in common with the regiment. She has the same fluffy tail, which fluffs out if the animal is angry. The gray-brown color of the fur coat is more reminiscent of garden dormouse. Only in individuals living in the southern regions, it is brighter - the neck has a yellow-orange color and spots of the same color are located on the cheeks of the animal. The body length is 11 cm, the tail is about the same.
dormouse animal is one of the representatives of the detachment. They are so small that they fit perfectly in the palm of a person. These tiny mammals have a long fluffy squirrel-like tail.
But only species that live on trees have such beauty of the tail. But another species of these animals is endowed with the usual naked tail. An interesting animal can be seen mainly in the steppe places and forest areas. Some of them like to bask in the sun and therefore they are found in the northern and southern parts.
habitats dormice animal also common in Altai and Asia Minor. But among these rodents there are species that prefer cooler air. More often animals with the name sony can be seen in dense tree thickets. So, dormouse most of his life lives among the branches of trees.
In the photo Sonya polchok
forest dormouse they construct their cozy dwelling in the hollow of trees or make a safe, strong nest, which, as usual, is arranged on powerful branches. Some prefer to use the land under a fallen tree trunk for housing, or dig a mink under the roots.
If such a baby settles in a garden plot, then cultivated plants are noticeably reduced in number. That's why people don't complain garden dormouse. To date, the number of dormouse has decreased significantly, so they began to breed at home, so as not to completely lose such funny unique animals.
Pictured is a forest dormouse
Character and lifestyle
Small rodents are mobile, they do not accept loneliness, they like to be among their relatives. They are always active and hardly get along at home. Sonya as pet gets along better when she has a mate, but some species prefer loneliness.
These mammals are very cautious and get scared of any unexpected sounds. Therefore, for a pet, a shelter must be arranged, otherwise the rodent may deserve a nervous shock.
The hazel dormouse and the dormouse are the fastest to get used to people, but it is necessary to have a cute pet at an early age so that there are less problems with addiction. Then these babies will be looking forward to your arrival to feast from your hands.
These species have a beautiful fur coat. Very thick and soft wool will not leave any adult indifferent, and a small child will be completely amazed. Look at this photo, where the dormouse animal looks with its black beady eyes so that you involuntarily want to touch this fluffy lump.
Despite the harmless appearance, it should be noted that dormouse can bite quite strongly, even if you have already made friends with him. This is because they are very shy and any rustle can provoke a defensive reaction.
More dormice animals are very nimble, so taking the animal in your hands you can not keep track of its instant flight. A split second and the dormouse will be on your head, and then, perhaps, on the curtain and eventually be free.
So you have to be on the lookout and not give the fugitive the opportunity to disappear from sight. I would like to warn you that this animal should not be grabbed by the tail, as it is able to rush forward and you will only have a thin fluffy skin in your hands. The trouble is that after that the tail does not grow back.
And these animals deftly crawl even into the narrowest vertical cracks, and it should be noted that not only in trees, but also in home dwellings. This is facilitated by the natural gift to shrink from the sides.
Under natural conditions, such a unique opportunity saves lives. Thanks to its excellent hearing, dormouse can hide from danger in time. The auricles, like locators, constantly rotate independently of each other. The garden dormouse has the largest ears.
Sonya is an animal nocturnal, but in captivity you can change their lifestyle. To do this, you need to illuminate the habitat at night, and during the day, arrange illumination with a blue or red lamp.
Watching their acrobatic tricks, you can get great pleasure and a great mood for the whole day. Often dormouse animal can be seen in a pet store, as well as in a specialized nursery, so there is an opportunity buy such a handsome man to every lover.
Nutrition
The nutrition of rodents is varied. In the main diet, they include sunflower seeds and all kinds of nuts. Dormouse's teeth are so sharp that by rotating the nuts in their front paws, they get inside the shell and feast on the wonderful fruit. Small animals are vegetarians, so their menu always contains all kinds of fruits and vegetables.
But for all species, the food is somewhat different from the standard. So for forest, garden and African dormouse, animal food is characteristic. Also, animals are not averse to pampering themselves with raw meat, cottage cheese and eggs. May bugs, crickets and cockroaches are also a favorite food for dormouse.
If they manage to escape from a forced dwelling, then small rodents, birds and lizards can be a wonderful meal. But tree dormice love everything that grows on trees.
Sometimes they prefer small insects. Dormouse, living on trees, seek out bird nests and feast on their eggs. This type of rodent can also attack smaller animals.
Ground dormice are herbivores. The diet traditionally includes dandelion leaves, clover and nettles. garden dormouse, having settled near the orchard, they eat large quantities of apples, pears and other fruits along with seeds.
Pictured garden dormouse
To prepare for winter in autumn, garden dormice accumulate fat for themselves, and then sleep peacefully in a mink. In captivity, dormouse feeds on grains, seeds, fruits, and nuts. The pet likes boiled meat, milk, cottage cheese and chicken eggs.
Reproduction and lifespan of dormouse
Males and females live together for a very short period. In early spring, mating games begin at Dormouse. During this period, they amusingly "sing". The whistle is so loud that being nearby, you will probably not be able to fall asleep at night.
During the day, the animals behave very carefully and quietly. . After mating is completed, the female hurries to build her cozy nest. The mother takes care of the babies mostly herself.
As a rule, 3-5 cubs are born . Sleepyheads carefully cover the dwelling for their children with soft grass and tender leaves. Approximately 27–30 days after fertilization, naked and blind cubs are born.
Sometimes there are dormouse that live in a small group. In this case, not only the mother, but also all members of the mouse family monitor the newborns. Independence of children occurs in 1-2 months. The offspring is an exact copy of their relatives. They love to play and eat well.
In captivity, reproduction of animals begins after hibernation. For most domestic species, a cage is not an obstacle to reproduction, the main thing is that pets have a good, complete diet.
Only dormouse unable to breed in captivity. Interestingly, a month after birth, Sonya is capable of childbearing. Basically, the offspring appears 1 time per year.
There are up to 10 newborns in a litter. Feeding lasts about three weeks. Usually the animal lives in captivity in pairs. Therefore, both parents take care of the babies. funny dormice animals live from 3 to 6 years. At home, you can increase this period due to the correct maintenance of the animal.
Rodent dormouse is divided into two types - woody and ground. Ground ones look like little mice, while arboreal ones look like squirrels. But today we will talk about the forest dream, about where she lives and how to keep her at home, and we will start the article with a description.
Description of the forest dormouse
Sonya stands out for its small size. She has an elongated body, brilliant fur and big black eyes. Ears rodents are large enough, the shell is open, the tips are rounded. Vibris - long sensitive mustache located on the muzzle. Movements are made due to the contraction of the subcutaneous muscles, and for dormouse this is an organ of touch, which allows her to feel the environment. Paws small and thin, each of which has four fingers, five on the hind limbs. Wool the animal is thick, but very thin, and forest dormouse color brown-gray-white: brown-gray tint is on the head, back and part of the tail, while the muzzle, sides and belly are white . body length dormouse about 20 cm, and body mass 100 gr. Lifespan 3-5 years.
Forest dormouse habitat
Dormouse most often lives on trees, in earthen burrows, in hollows. On the ground, she digs a mink under stones, under tree roots, in rock crevices. In the daytime, the rodent sleeps sweetly, in the evening, it gets out of its house. It is for this reason that the animal got its name. And with the onset of the first frost, dormouse falls into hibernation, can sleep through the whole winter, at this moment, the body temperature drops, the metabolism slows down. But a rodent may wake up to feed on its reserves during the thaw period, and some do not store at all and survive only on their accumulated fat. Inhabit dormice northern part of Africa, Altai, China, Japan, Asia Minor.
NUTRITION AND HOME KEEPING FOREST SONY
What to feed the dormouse
Sony diet:
tree fruits
seeds
nuts
Insects
Fruits
Vegetables
Bread once a week
Herbs once a week
Per day, sleepyhead it is enough to consume 40 grams of food, but you definitely need fresh water in a drinking bowl. By the way, this rodent is not prone to overeating, and the content is simple.
Of course, it is better to bring into the house not a wild animal that will never become tame, but to purchase it in specialized stores, in a nursery or from a breeder. The first thing you need to do before buying a rodent is to buy a cage that doesn't have to be round. The approximate size is 100X200X50, so that there is enough space for installing ladders, ropes, houses and other toys, like a squirrel wheel. As dormouse an active beast, she needs a lot of space and space, and at first, she will be frightened of everything, any sound and rustle, therefore during this period, it is better to manage only by feeding the pet and a clean cage, which will often be done, because dormouse has specific smells. It’s still not worth it to freely walk around your house, there is a chance that you won’t catch the animal, or it will crawl through some kind of crevice and run away. And of course, you have to clean the cage two or more times a week, because the dormouse is not very clean.
VIDEO: ABOUT FOREST SLEEP
IN THIS VIDEO YOU WILL SEE HOW THE FOREST SONIA LOOKES