Is the dormouse animal dangerous? Attitude towards children Dormouses are not very suitable for children as pets

This small animal is very similar to an ordinary mouse, but with a fluffy “squirrel” tail. Externally, there are two types of dormouse - mouse-shaped and squirrel-shaped. The former have a bare tail and live on the ground, the latter live in trees. Dormice are very small animals; an adult animal can easily fit in the palm of your hand. They are active mainly at night. These animals began to be domesticated relatively recently, in the last century, due to a decrease in the number of individuals of the species. Thanks to the technological progress of the last century, the number forest zones, where these animals live, decreased significantly, 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 Latin name subfamily of dormouse, Graphiurinae. On English language"dormouse" sounds like Dormouse, and in German it sounds like Siebenschlaefer.

Classification:
Dormouses belong to the animal kingdom, the phylum of chordates, the subphylum of vertebrates. Dormice are mammals of the placental subclass. Of course, these are rodents that belong to the squirrel-shaped ones, the dormouse family. In total, 9 genera and 28 species of these animals are known in nature.

Dormouse habitat:
These rodents are mostly found in steppes and forest-steppes. The main regions of their habitat are the northern part of Africa, China and Japan, Altai, and Asia Minor. And in southern Africa there is even a separate species of animal, which is called the African dormouse. Other genera of this rodent prefer cooler climates. The most common dormouse are those that live in trees. For example, a dormouse can live its entire life on a tree. Tree species settle mainly in hollows or nests, while terrestrial species dig burrows near tree roots or fallen trunks. There are also garden species of these animals; they cause great damage to gardens, destroying cultivated plants.

Sony Description:
Mouse-like animals, as the name suggests, look like mice, and squirrel-like animals look like squirrels. On average, dormouse grow up to 10 cm, sometimes 20-centimeter individuals are found. They have cute round ears and beady eyes. Dormouses, thanks to their sharp claws, can cling well to tree bark. Some members of the family may be missing one claw on the hind paw. If you place the animal in your palm, you can feel the hard pads on the animal’s paws. The dormouse's fur is reddish-gray, very soft and long, the hairs are smooth and reach 17 cm in length. The squirrel-like ones have a very prominent fluffy tail. Winter for dormice is a period of hibernation. As for a rodent, the dormouse lives relatively long - in nature up to 5 years, in captivity no more than 3 years.

Sony power supply:
Tree dormouse feed on what mainly grows and lives in trees. These are nuts, seeds, tree fruits, small insects. Ground dormice are more herbivorous; they love various grasses, dandelion leaves, clover, and nettles. Dormouses living in trees destroy birds' 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 the dormouse is kept at home, it is preferable for her to diversify her diet. plant foods- grains, seeds, fruits, nuts, sometimes bread and carrots. There is also no need to exclude animal foods. You can occasionally pamper your pet with boiled meat, milk, cottage cheese, chicken eggs. And for some species, animal products are even more important in the diet than vegetation. Insects and eggs should always be present in the feeder of garden and African dormouse. It is also possible for good nutrition Dormouse breed special mealworms. If you add dormouse to food fish fat, the animal’s body will receive even more vitamins and nutrients.

Reproduction of dormouse:
Already from the first month of life, dormice are ready to reproduce. Their mating season begins in the spring. Females produce offspring mainly once a year. Almost all types of dormouse, except the common 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 a litter, and they feed on mother’s milk for up to 3 weeks. Little sleepyheads are very attached to their mother, so it is impossible to tear them away from her ahead of time, this can become serious stress for the babies. It is curious that dormouse care for their young together with their fathers, a “full-fledged” family.

Maintenance and care of the dormouse:
Sonya are known for their unpretentiousness and peacefulness. They calmly get along with several animals in one enclosure 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 weight. excess weight. It is best for a dormouse to equip a home that is as similar as possible to natural environment a habitat. You can lay moss or a layer of peat on the floor of the enclosure, and lay out twigs, bark, and stumps on it. You can grow dormouse right in your home edible plants, grass, gooseberry or currant bushes. For hibernation These small animals need to be equipped with a cozy corner. A pipe leading from the hole to a small box insulated with dry hay is suitable for this. If a dormouse lives in a cage, it must be equipped with all the necessary attributes for rodents - a drinking bowl, sawdust on the floor, a bowl, a tray, toys. Dormouses love to tinker with their nests, so in the cage you can hang a small wooden box with a set of “building materials”: ​​twigs, hay, etc.

Additionally:
Dormice are not only loved to be kept as pets. They are also valued for their good fur as fur-bearing animals. The skin of the dormouse was especially prized; at one time special hunts were organized for them. In general, this is a very curious species; the dormouse has an excellent appetite and autumn period gains a lot of weight, but still makes large reserves for the winter in its nest.

Just look at these cute little orange-brown animals. Although they belong to the rodent family, they are easily distinguished from their cousins ​​by their bushy tail.

Dormouses are nocturnal animals. They hold the palm in terms of sleep duration, carefreely sleeping during the day in a hollow, or a cozy and well-hidden nest. As soon as dusk falls, these funny animals wake up for 2–3 hours to move around and eat. If she smells a predator nearby, she will go back to sleep. Bad weather It is unlikely that the little “sloth” will be able to get out of his hiding place. It’s better to stay warm and dry, even if not completely full.

In autumn, the animals hibernate as a friendly family in underground burrows or hollows. The animals lie on their backs, covering their bellies with their fluffy tails, like a blanket. Dormouses sleep for a long time - up to 8 months. During hibernation, the animal's heart rate slows down and the animal's body temperature drops, which helps conserve energy.

They wake up hungry in the spring and go for food to gain weight and replenish lost energy. Animals are good at climbing trees. They happily eat swollen buds on trees and young green shoots. Dormice feed on a variety of foods: nuts and berries, insects and aphids, and destroy the nests of small birds, feasting on delicious eggs.

The habitat of the animals is Europe (except the North) and Africa. They prefer broad-leaved and mixed forests. They spend most of their life above the ground, on tree branches.

In appearance, they are similar to squirrels, only smaller in size. The body length is 7 – 18 cm, and one animal weighs about 50 grams. The tail is quite long, 6–7 cm. The muzzle has small rounded ears, a long mustache, and large, round, black eyes. On the paws long fingers with sharp claws. The nose is pink-brown. The dormouse's belly and neck are lighter than the main color.

These are territorial animals. The animal's well-developed hearing will let its owner know about encroachments on the property. They are solitary animals, and create a pair for procreation. Offspring are born 1–3 times a year, depending on the species. After winter sleep Having found each other, the female prepares to become a mother. She looks for a secluded place, then builds a nest, lovingly covering it with down and soft grass.

The pregnancy will last about a month, and the little cubs will be born. Usually there are from 3 to 10 babies in a litter, they are born naked, blind and completely helpless. They will feed on mother's milk for about a month; the eyes open only after 2.5 weeks. Mom's care and affection will not last long, after 35 - 40 days, the children should leave native home, and after some time find a suitable territory for yourself. It should be noted the efforts of the father of the family, he also takes care of the offspring.

In the wild, dormice live for about three years.

I would like to say right away that the dormouse animal is called a dormouse for a reason. This animal received this name for two reasons. The first reason is mainly night look life of the animal. The second is a long period of hibernation in the cold. Selected species Dormouses can sleep for 7 months a year.

Dormouse family

All species in this family have similar structure of bodies and organs. All dormouse are united by large dark eyes, rounded ears and long antennae. The fur of all animals is fluffy and soft. The tail is quite long and also covered with hair.

Dormouses mostly live in trees. If there are no large trees nearby, then dormouse can live in the branches of bushes. At the same time, there are species of dormouse that prefer to be on the ground most of the time.

Gardeners consider some varieties of these animals to be pests. The fact is that rodents can cause quite significant damage to gardens and berry fields. However, it is not so serious that farmers begin to consider dormouse as the enemy of man.

They live in Russia three types of these animals:

• Sadovaya
• Forest and dormouse.

Dormouses are very interesting to watch. They are quite funny, attractive, harmless, and long-lived compared to other rodents. It would seem that they should be kept at home as pets, but this does not happen. Why? It's all about the sleepyhead's lifestyle. Animal lovers are well aware of these animals, but acquire them quite rarely, since dormouse become active in nature only at night. Who has a wish instead healthy sleep watch for rodents? That's why there are very few dormouse on sale. But these animals can change their lifestyle, adapting to the life rhythm of their owners when kept in a cage, but few people know about this.

Externally Sonya resemble proteins. Although they are active mostly at night, daytime these animals see no worse than in the dark.

Nature has endowed the dormouse not only with excellent vision, but also with a special skeleton capable of shrinking in the vertical direction, which allows the animals to crawl through the narrowest cracks in tree trunks and get to the safest places for resting and building nests. This is a very important quality of these rodents, ensuring their survival.

When dormouse go out in search of food, they are very rely on your own hearing. Round, fairly large ears serve as locators. They constantly change their position on the animal's head. In this case, the ears move independently of each other. The largest “locators” are those of the garden dormouse. Her photo can be found on the Internet. The second largest ears are the hazel dormouse. Third place was shared by the dormouse and the forest dormouse. Photos of these cute creatures can also be found on the Internet.

Dormouses feed mainly on solid food. Above we compared them with proteins. This comparison is especially noticeable when the dormouse is eating. She, like a squirrel, holds food with her front paws and quickly rotates it. Such actions allow the rodent to quickly open various seeds and nuts. Sonya literally cuts the shell with her sharp incisors.

Unlike most other rodents, dormouse cannot be called fertile animals. They mature for breeding late, their litter never contains more than 5 cubs, and they mate only twice a year. It would seem that such conditions should threaten the dormouse population, but in reality everything is a little different. Females have a very strong maternal instinct. They carefully care for each cub. Combine this with good health and a long lifespan, and you get a stable population whose safety is not threatened.

Keeping a dormouse at home is no more difficult than other decorative rodents. You just need to remember that these animals require an all-metal cage with a very durable tray. It is desirable that it also be made of metal. These rodents will destroy plastic in five seconds. You can buy a similar cage. True, such models suitable for keeping dormouse appear on sale quite rarely, so the cage is most often made to order or made by hand. If desired, the cage can be replaced with a spacious terrarium. The main thing is that it is well ventilated.

A dormice cage must have nipple drinker and feeder. These rodents drink and eat a lot. It is best to purchase drinkers and feeders made of metal, since dormouse will certainly chew other materials.

The bedding for dormouse can be made of sawdust or granulated wood. The cage must have a secluded corner in which the rodent could hide. This is very important, because dormice sleep only in a shelter. You can use a wooden house or a cardboard box as a secluded corner. The last option is cheap, but short-lived. Rodents will quickly make short work of the box.

Due to their metabolic characteristics, sleepyheads are prone to overeating and accumulation of fat reserves. Naturally, excess weight poses a threat to the health of rodents. This means that we need to provide them with the opportunity to actively move. To do this, you need to install floors, shelves, ladders and other elements in the cage so that the animals can run along them.

Sonya is very clean. They spend a lot of time cleaning their fur. They need to be kept clean. Change the bedding in the cage regularly. Wash the feeders and change the water in the drinking bowl at least once every 2 days.

The rodent cage should be located in a room with sufficient natural light. The height of the cage is at human eye level.

Types of dormouse

As mentioned above, there are three types of dormouse in our country. Rodents of all these species can be kept at home as pets, but before deciding to take such a step, it is advisable to learn about the characteristics of each species.

Rodents of this species are the smallest in size - no more than 10 centimeters. In nature, hazel dormouse live in bushes. Most often this hazel, cotoneaster or hawthorn. In their branches they build quite strong nests from grass and leaves.

The hazel dormouse can also settle in trees if it manages to find a suitable unoccupied hollow. If an unoccupied birdhouse turns up, the dormouse will certainly settle in it.

By the way, the hazel dormouse lives in bushes and trees only in the warm season. In winter, she prefers to sleep in a cozy hole located near the roots of trees.

At home, hazel dormouse should be kept in high cages. This is explained by the fact that animals love to climb. In such a cage you need to put not one, but several houses. A variety of resting places significantly increases the animal’s comfort of life.

The hazel dormouse needs to be fed with a grain mixture. Various nuts and sweets can be given as treats.

The hazel dormouse is satisfied difficult to maintain at home the following reasons:

• She is very small and nimble. If the animal gets scared and runs away, it will be very difficult to catch it and return it to its cage.
• The hazel dormouse has a rather specific smell. Therefore, you will have to clean the cage much more often. These rodents are contraindicated for allergy sufferers.
• This type of dormouse needs to be regularly fed with insects.

garden dormouse

This species is considered the most beautiful. They have a black “mask” on their muzzle, making the image of the dormouse mysterious and cunning. The fur coat is dark red, shimmering with gold. The fur on the belly is snow-white. The ponytail ends with a charming tassel. Add touchingness to the animal big eyes and ears.

garden dormouse very mobile. Feels good both in trees and shrubs and on the ground. It feeds mainly on insects. It can also eat plant food, but gives preference to animal food.

At home, garden dormouse should be kept in spacious cages, or better yet, in an aviary. It is advisable to feed insect larvae and mealworms. A boiled egg can be given as complementary food.

In my own way appearance and in behavior she is quite similar to the garden sister. But unlike the last one tries to live away from people. It is not recommended to keep this type of rodent at home. There are several reasons for this:

• They have a very complex diet.
• Each individual has its own food preferences. Among the forest dormice there are notorious gourmets.
• It is quite difficult to obtain and breed the necessary live food for these animals.

African dormouse

The most popular type of these animals. The African variety is most often found on sale. Many articles on the Internet are devoted to this animal. You can also find many photos of him there.

This is a relatively small animal with a body length of about 16 cm and very long tail– 13 cm. The fur coat of the animal has an ash-gray tint. The abdomen is often white, but can also be grayish with patches Brown. The muzzle often has black markings. The tail is two-color. Dark brown along the main length, whitish at the tip.

The diet of the African dormouse is extremely varied: grains, greens, insects, fruits. At home there will be no problems with feeding this animal. But most importantly, this is the most sociable and cheerful type of dormouse. The animals easily get used to people and run to their hands. They even begin to respond to the nickname.

Dormouse animal

Class: mammals.
Squad: rodents.
Family: dormouse.
Genus: the classification includes 9 genera.
Habitat in nature: in nature there are 28 species of dormouse, most of which live from North Africa and Asia Minor to Altai, Northwestern China and Japan, in sub-Saharan Africa some species of the genus Graphiurus are found isolated, in Europe they are distributed to southern Scandinavia. Most dormouse are forest animals, preferring deciduous and mixed forests; they can be found in forest-steppe areas and in the mountains, where they live at altitudes of up to 3500m. There are 5 species of these rodents found in Russia.
Lifespan: in nature 2-3 years, at home 4-6 years.
Averages: body length 8-20cm, tail 4-17cm. Weight depends on the type of animal, but does not exceed 70g.

Description
Dormouse is a small and medium-sized rodent, with terrestrial forms more like mice, and arboreal forms more like squirrels. The muzzle is sharp or slightly rounded (depending on the species), the ears are small, round, the eyes are bulging, round, large. The tail is usually densely furred, although there are species with a semi-naked tail. The coat is thick and soft, but short. Color depends on the species.
The fur on the back and sides can be from gray to buffy-brown, the belly and paws can be lighter or white. Long, up to 20 percent of the body length, extremely mobile vibrissae, growing like a fan near the nose, are the main tactile organ for the dormouse.

Character
Dormouses are very sociable, lively, active and social animals. They prefer to live in the company of their relatives, but at home it is better to keep them alone or in pairs. These rodents are very cautious and timid, afraid of loud or unexpected sounds, sudden movements. Hazel, African and dormouse quickly get used to people; taming other species requires more attention and patience.

Relationships with other pets
Dormouses that have left the cage can be dangerous for smaller rodents, small birds and lizards. Cats, dogs, ferrets and large birds dangerous for dormice.

Attitude towards children
Dormouses are not very suitable as pets for children.

Education
Dormouses that appeared in the house in early age, they quickly get used to a person, they will expect your arrival with food and may get used to taking food from your hands. They can be trained to go out for a treat when called, but they most likely will not become completely tame.

Nutrition
For all types of dormouse, a diet that includes sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, pine and walnuts, melon, watermelon, pumpkin seeds. It is useful to include apples in the dormouse's diet (an adult animal can eat a whole apple overnight), grapes, buds, branch bark, rose hips, dried rowan, viburnum, and dried apricots. In summer it is useful to reduce the amount of oil seeds. Forest, garden and African dormouse require animal food. Mealworms, butterfly pupae, crickets, chafers, snails, large cockroaches are suitable for them; sometimes you can pamper them raw meat, cottage cheese and eggs.

Care and maintenance
Of the species that live in Russia, the most commonly kept at home are hazel, garden, forest and dormouse. The African dormouse, which is called the dwarf dormouse because of its very small size, is also well suited for keeping as pet. The hazel and African dormouse are well suited for keeping in a cage; the dormouse can be kept both in a cage and in an aviary, but garden and forest dormouse are best kept in an aviary, where a landscape reminiscent of their natural habitat can be created for them.
When keeping dormice in a cage, it is easier to communicate with them, more convenient to observe, and they make contact better. It is advisable to choose a small-meshed, spacious and all-metal cage to avoid the unpleasant odor that permeates the wooden parts of the cage and various infections. Squirrel cages with a spinning wheel are a good choice for them, as these rodents have a very high need for movement. The presence of a retractable tray in the cage makes cleaning and cleaning much easier. You can use sawdust, dry sand or small shavings as bedding. In the cage you need to put heavy food bowls, a drinking bowl, preferably an automatic one, place various ladders, hollow pipes, a hammock, secure ropes and a wheel and attach houses to the lattice where the dormouse will build a nest. To make a nest, you can offer them hay, straw, unpainted strips of paper, and small twigs. Every day it is necessary to wash food bowls and drinking bowls, remove leftover food; The bedding should be changed two or three times a week, and the cage should be completely cleaned and disinfected twice a month. Disinfection can be carried out by pouring boiling water over the cage.
Dormouses do not like temperature changes, drafts and direct sunlight, so the cage should be placed at a distance of at least 40 cm from heating devices and away from windows and doors.
Dormouses are nocturnal animals and may disturb you with noise. However, often communicating with humans, dormice gradually switch to a diurnal lifestyle, especially if you feed them only in the morning and evening no later than 19 hours.
With properly equipped housing, dormouse do not need walks. If you decide to get the animal out of the cage, then be prepared for the fact that it can easily escape.
In summer, in dry weather, animals can be taken out to the balcony during the day or the cage can be placed on a table near the house on summer cottage, shading part of the cell from sun rays so that the animals can rest.
Dormouses living in nature hibernate in winter, which can last 6-7 months, but at temperatures above 10°C, dormouse can be active all year round.
Outside the city, these rodents can be kept in an enclosure, where you can recreate a piece of wildlife: make a bedding from moss or peat, place stumps and snags, secure strong branches with hollows, put grass and oats in pots, plant currant bushes, gooseberries, blackberries. Dormouses kept in an enclosure are less amenable to taming, because when a person appears, they hide in various shelters, do not make contact, retain the behavior characteristic of them in the wild, and do not give in to hands. Many owners are happy to talk about their observations of these lively, funny, active animals living in an enclosure. It should be borne in mind that all species of the dormouse family can survive in an enclosure during the winter only in a properly made shelter, built in the ground in the form of an artificial hole, well insulated and covered with a layer of sawdust on top. Before wintering, dormice gain 3-4 times their normal weight. However, you should carefully monitor waking animals: an awakened dormouse can eat a fellow sleeping nearby.

A little history
Unlike many other rodents, dormouse came into the homes of animal lovers directly from wildlife. In the 20th century, the number of dormouse began to decline rapidly due to destruction natural environment habitat of these rodents as a result human activity. Many species of dormouse were listed in the Red Book, and programs to restore the population of these cute animals began to be developed all over the world. In the wake of this popularity, dormouse first found their way into the living corners of youth circles, and then into apartments, where they feel very good.

One of the oldest rodents is the dormouse - an animal that has much in common with squirrels and mice at the same time. The features of its structure depend on the lifestyle and habitat. Life expectancy in nature ranges from 2 to 6 years.

Appearance

Sonya are small in size. Their body is slightly elongated, and round shiny eyes stand out on a narrow head with a pointed muzzle. The ears are quite large, bare, with rounded tips.

On the dormouse's face there are very sensitive long whiskers - vibrissae. Their length is about 20 to 40 percent of the total body length. Each antennae can move due to contraction of the subcutaneous muscles. This is a peculiar way with the help of which the animal probes the space around it. The limbs are thin and short, with four toes on the front legs and five on the hind legs. The animal's thick and very soft fur is short and uniform throughout the body.

Habitats

Dormouse is an animal that prefers to live most often in trees, in hollows, sometimes in earthen burrows, often dug under the roots of trees, under stones and in rock crevices. These animals live mainly in forests, gardens and groves.

Lifestyle and nutrition

Most members of this family are daylight hours They sleep for days, and only at dusk do they get out of their shelters. Thanks to this feature they got their name. With the onset of cold weather, dormice fall into torpor and can spend the entire winter in this state. During this period, their body temperature drops and their metabolism slows down. Some animals wake up during the thaw period, eating their stored food during a break from sleep. Others do not make reserves and survive the winter due to the fat accumulated over the summer and autumn.

The basis of the diet of these animals consists of plant fruits and various seeds, and less often insects. They also do not refuse eggs and young chicks on occasion. It is interesting to watch how the dormouse eats (a photo of the animal engaged in this process is posted in this article). Holding the food firmly with her front paws, the dormouse brings it to her mouth. These animals may well become tame, but only if caught in at a young age. The main thing that is not recommended to do is touch them with your hands. Sony doesn't like this very much.

Types of dormouse

In the territory European countries There are 4 genera of these animals - hazel, forest, garden and dormouse. In total, the dormouse family has 9 genera and 28 species. They mainly inhabit the northern part of Africa, Japan, and China. They are also found in Altai and

The hazel dormouse is the cutest of all rodents, and the smallest animal among the representatives of this family. Its body length is 7-8 cm. The animal differs from its relatives in its yellowish-red color. Especially bright color The young hazel dormouse has fur coats. The rodent got its name due to its habitat, prerequisite which is the presence dense thickets hazel, rose hips, viburnum and other shrubs. Refers to tree species, rarely descending to the ground. Thanks to its tenacious legs, it moves very deftly and quickly along trunks and branches.

The garden dormouse is a larger animal (up to 14 cm), with a very distinctive color. Top part the body and abdomen are white. The eyes are surrounded by black rings, giving the muzzle a very smart and expressive look. Although garden dormice mainly live in deciduous forests of mountainous areas, they are often found in coniferous forests, penetrating further north than other representatives of this family. Prefers to settle in gardens, near human habitation.

Dormouse 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 color, the sides are lighter, and the abdomen and inner surface of the legs are silvery-white. The eyes are surrounded by a brown ring. The tail is covered with thick fur and decorated with a white longitudinal stripe at the bottom. Of all the rodents, perhaps the most voracious is this dormouse (see photo of the animal below).

She will eat as long as she is able to do so. Its diet is based on acorns and nuts, but it often exhibits predatory tendencies when the wolf 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 up if the animal gets angry. The gray-brown color of the coat is more reminiscent of a garden dormouse. Only in individuals living in the southern regions is it brighter - the neck is yellow-orange in 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.