Brief information about the dormouse animal. Squirrel Sonya is the star of Novosibirsk: how a girl saved a wild animal from certain death

Forest dormouse - from lat. Dryomys nitedula is a rodent from the dormouse family, small in size (about 10 cm in length) and light in weight (about 40 grams). The fur color is usually gray, but in different habitats there may be different shades. The fur is short, soft and dense. The forest dormouse has a long fluffy tail (tail length - from 50 to 115 mm), which changes its color in case of danger, since it contains a large number of blood vessels. The sharp muzzle and the shape of the ears resemble a squirrel, but without ear tufts and, moreover, the forest dormouse is much smaller in size than a squirrel.

The forest dormouse lives mainly in trees or bushes, but it can also be seen on the ground. The average life expectancy is three years, but in good home conditions the forest dormouse can live for five years. The forest dormouse loves berries and fruits, nuts and acorns, buds and bark of young shoots, tree seeds, insects and sometimes small animals: chicks, mice, voles and their young. Leads a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle and is active in the evening and at night, but at home it can change its mood. In winter, as a rule, the forest dormouse hibernates. Males wake up earlier than females and feed heavily at first, trying to restore winter losses in weight. After about a week, the females wake up and prepare to reproduce. Basically, this occurs in the spring, once a year, but, depending on the habitat, a second stage in the fall is possible. The gestation period for females takes about a month; childbirth, like other activities, mainly occurs at night.

Below - interesting photos forest dormouse:

Interesting facts about the life of the forest dormouse

The forest dormouse is a rather rare animal and therefore most of the species were listed in the Red Book, and some specimens appeared in living areas educational institutions and from private owners. But, despite the lively character of the forest dormouse, it is still not recommended for children as a pet. Taming the dormouse is a rather complicated process and the forest dormouse is unlikely to become an absolute domestic animal.

Video: Forest dormouse on bait

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 leave their cage can be dangerous to smaller rodents, small birds and lizards. Cats, dogs, ferrets and large birds are dangerous to 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, hazel nuts, pine and walnuts, melon, watermelon, and pumpkin seeds is suitable. 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 they can be pampered with 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 due to its very small size, is also well suited for keeping as a 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 it is better to keep the garden and forest dormouse in an aviary, where you can create a landscape for them that resembles natural environment a habitat.
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 unpleasant odor, which impregnates 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 dormice 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 appliances 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 cage from the sun's 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 in winter period in an enclosure they can only survive in a properly made shelter, built in the ground in the form of an artificial burrow, 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 of 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.

Sonya is not only a characteristic of a person who loves to sleep, it is also the name of a cute animal, which begs the adjective “kawaii”. As a pet in Lately Sonya confidently pushes aside such stars as chinchilla or dwarf. We will try to understand the peculiarities of keeping this rodent.

What does it look like?

The family Dormouse or Dormice (Gliridae) belongs to the order of rodents. These are mostly small animals, but the body length is the most large species can reach 20 cm. Their tail, as a rule, is slightly shorter than the body. Some species lead a predominantly terrestrial lifestyle; they are distinguished by a half-naked or naked tail and are very similar in appearance to ordinary mice. Species that prefer life in trees have bushy tails and resemble in appearance. Sometimes these animals are called rat squirrels, but they are completely different from rats. These small rodents are distributed over wide areas. They can be found in Europe, northern Africa, Malaya and Central Asia, V Altai mountains, in Japan. There is also a South African species.

Did you know? The Japanese dormouse is the tiniest in the dormouse family (body size up to 8 cm, weighs about 20 g) and has the ability to run upside down along branches. Feeds mainly on nectar and pollen.

Hazel

Of all the dormouse species, this species is best suited for life in trees. The body length of the animal reaches 15 cm, the tail is fluffy, with a tassel at the end. The animal's fur is red, with an ocher or reddish tint. It is lighter underneath and has a fawn tint. The hazel dormouse prefers deciduous and mixed forests. She usually makes several nests on branches or in hollows. He likes to capture birdhouses, and can expel the birds that occupy them. The diet consists of plant foods: hazelnuts, chestnuts, acorns, beech and linden nuts, berries and fruits. In autumn, when the air temperature drops to +15 °C, the hazel dormouse goes into hibernation, from which it awakens in April or May.

Sadovaya

This type of dormouse can be identified by its pointed muzzle. The length of the animal's body reaches 16 cm. It has a fluffy tail with a tassel at the end, the fur on the upper part of the body is gray or brown, white below, and there is a black stripe from eye to ear. Favorite places The habitats of the garden dormouse are old gardens, parks and deciduous forests. This type It is omnivorous; its representatives, along with a variety of fruits and berries, eat insects, small rodents, chicks, and bird eggs. They prefer to make nests on branches or in tree hollows. Hibernation lasts 5–6 months.

Lesnaya

Externally, this species is similar to the garden dormouse, but is smaller in size. The body length of an adult does not exceed 12 cm. The tail is fluffy, the color of the upper part of the body is brownish or gray, the lower part is light gray or white. The head is decorated with a strip of dark fur that runs from the nose to the ear. The forest dormouse settles in broad-leaved or mixed forests, makes homes in hollows, on branches, in abandoned bird nests. The animal is omnivorous; in addition to plant foods, such as various fruits, nuts, etc., it feeds on insects, destroys bird nests, eating eggs and even chicks. In autumn, hibernation begins, from which the animal emerges at the end of April or May.

Polchok

This species is the largest of all dormouse. It can be mistaken for a small squirrel. The body of the animal can reach 20 cm in length, its tail is fluffy, slightly long. smaller sizes bodies. The fur on top can be gray or gray-brown in color, while below the color changes to light gray or white. Dark rings may appear around the eyes. Dormouse loves deciduous and mixed forests. Prefers areas of the forest where there are a lot of wild fruit trees and shrubs with edible fruits (hazelnut, hawthorn, honeysuckle, etc.). As a rule, nests are made in hollows. Sometimes it can build a nest among stones or under fallen trees. It often settles in birdhouses, driving birds out of them. The shelf feeds exclusively on plant foods - fruits, seeds, berries. It goes into hibernation in the fall, awakening only in May, or even in June.

Did you know? Aristotle described the dormouse and the garden dormouse. He called these animals “eleos,” which can be translated from ancient Greek as “beautiful” or “graceful.”

Features of home maintenance

The necessary conditions

A spacious cage, or even better, an aviary, is suitable for keeping this animal. If the size of the enclosure allows, then you can create elements of a natural landscape in it: line the bottom with moss, place thick branches inside, or even plant fruit bushes in pots. It is necessary to take care of the conditions for hibernation of the animal in advance - put a path in the form of a piece of pipe into the prepared hole.

Important! The cage or enclosure where the animals are kept must be cleaned daily. Disinfection must be carried out periodically. Without these procedures, animals may get sick, and the cage will become a source of unpleasant odor.

Requirements for the cage and its placement

The minimum dimensions of a cage suitable for keeping a dormouse are 50x30x30 cm. It must be made entirely of metal, otherwise a rodent will easily damage it. Best form The cages are rectangular, which is easier to clean. The cage needs to be equipped with an automatic drinking bowl, a feeding trough, and it is advisable to install a running wheel. Sawdust can be used as a filler. When placing a cage with these rodents, it should be taken into account that they are very active at night and the noise they make can interfere with people's sleep. In addition, the cage should be in a place well lit by daylight, but should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Electrical devices and heating devices should not be placed nearby.

Feeding your pet

The basis of the diet of domestic dormice is plant foods. These are various fruits, nuts, cereals, grains. Animal food should be given periodically: eggs, cottage cheese, boiled meat, insects. Among insects, animals prefer mealworms. Animals eat often and in large quantities, this can even lead to unwanted obesity. However, on the eve of hibernation, extra fat will not hurt the animals.

Reproduction of dormouse

The reproductive instinct of dormice awakens in the spring, immediately after hibernation ends. Females bear children for 3–4 weeks. From 2 to 10 cubs are born. The feeding period lasts approximately 3 weeks.

Important! Already at the age of 1 month, the cubs become sexually mature; at this age it is better to remove them from their parents. Otherwise, uncontrolled reproduction of animals may begin.

Sonya at home: pros and cons

The benefit of keeping dormouse at home is their good looks and simple rules care The disadvantages can be considered a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle, the need for daily cleaning of the cage and falling into hibernation. As we have seen, the dormouse is quite easy to keep as a pet. These cuties can be a good alternative to such “stars” of zoo corners as chinchillas.

Dormouse (Glis glis) is a common inhabitant of European deciduous forests, however, little known due to its natural secretiveness and nocturnal lifestyle. Today, dormouse can also be found at home, although quite rarely, because the animals spend 7-8 months a year in deep hibernation, and during the active period of their lives they are awake only at night and are not too inclined to communicate with humans.

The dormouse family, or dormouse, is one of the most ancient groups of modern rodents, currently numbering 28 species and living in Europe, Asia and Africa. Four species of dormouse live in Russia: hazel dormouse, garden dormouse, forest dormouse and dormouse. Today we will talk specifically about the dormouse - the largest representative of the family.

Habitat of the Dormouse

The dormouse is found throughout most of Europe and Asia Minor. In Russia, this species inhabits the middle zone and more southern regions. It is most numerous in the Caucasus, Transcaucasia and the Carpathians. Lives in dense forests with a predominance of oak, beech, hornbeam, with an admixture of wild fruit trees and with a rich undergrowth of hazel, hawthorn, and dogwood. Often found in gardens and vineyards. Avoids forests with high humidity, young plantings and bushes, except walnut trees. Prefers large ones forested areas, very rarely found in island forests.

Description of Sonya Polchka, photo

Sonya the regiment is the most major representative Dormouse, looks like a squirrel, but without ear tufts. The body length is up to 18 cm, the tail is 10-15 cm, the animal weighs about 170 g. The head is rounded, the muzzle is sharp, the eyes are large and bulging, the ears are short and round. Their paws have sharp claws that help them climb trees better.

The fur of the dormouse consists of a shiny awn, the height of which ranges from 19 to 23 mm, and thick, rather high underfur. In different specimens, the color of the fur undergoes strong changes, which are also observed depending on the geographical habitat, the time of year and the degree of hairiness of the animal. The photo of the dormouse shows not long, but rather lush fur.

Typically the overall tone of the entire upper body is ash gray with a darker ridge. On the sides it is somewhat lighter, with a slight brownish tint. The underfur of the upper side of the body is colored in dark brownish-gray tones. The guard hairs of the back, excluding the completely dark hair along the ridge, are slate-gray, but many of them have brown tips. An abundance or insignificant amount of the latter changes the color from more uniformly gray to gray with a strong brown coating. The gray coloration of the entire upper half of the body and head with narrow stripes also extends down the outer side of the front and hind limbs. In contrast to the color of the back, the animal's belly, chest, throat, cheeks and the inside of the limbs are light gray, almost white. Through the general light and sometimes white tone of the lower ventral side, the slate-gray color of the basal parts of the hair is slightly visible. The long tail, densely covered with fluffy hair, on the upper side in its basal half usually matches the color of the back, while the rest of it is distinguished by either an intensely dark or, on the contrary, light brown tone. The lower part of the tail is much lighter with an even lighter stripe along the parting.

Lifestyle of Dormouse

A characteristic feature of the regiment's biology is the short active period - only 4 months a year (in some cases a little more), the regiment spends the remaining 8 months in deep hibernation. The animal goes into hibernation in October-November, and awakens in May-June, sometimes even in July.

The dormouse is more adapted than other dormouse to an arboreal lifestyle and rarely descends to the ground. They usually make nests in hollows or use old nests of squirrels; sometimes squirrels settle in old rotten stumps, under fallen trunks or in voids among stones.

Shelves prefer to lead a solitary lifestyle, but often spend the winter in groups, gathering in one hollow - it’s warmer.

Dormouse Polchok is a nocturnal animal. Unlike the “twilight” species, the activity of the regiment intensifies with the onset of complete darkness and continues until the first signs of dawn. As a rule, there is no interruption of activity during the night. Nocturnal lifestyle, i.e. the activity being confined only to the time of complete darkness makes the flight dependent on the length of the night, the value of which fluctuates quite sharply in the summer-autumn period. If in the second half of June the regiment can be active for an average of six and a half hours, then subsequently its activity gradually increases and already in mid-August it is 9 hours, and by the time it goes into hibernation, the time of possible activity increases to 13 hours. Can the dormouse be active in daylight? This question can be answered positively. Young animals are especially common during the day at the beginning of their independent life. A small wolf kept at home often comes out of its hiding place during the day and feeds.

The nocturnal lifestyle of the wolf, the short duration of its active periods and its habitation in the upper tiers of the forest determine that the wolf occupies far from the first place in the diet of almost all predatory animals and birds. Nevertheless, the dormouse has plenty of enemies: martens, weasels, ferrets, lynxes, and cats near human habitation. Among the birds, owls and owls hunt the animal.

Reproduction

Soon after emerging from hibernation, the dormouse begins its breeding season. At this time, areas of the forest inhabited by a regiment are filled with noise and squeaks of running and fighting males. The lively state of the regiments is observed throughout July.

The duration of the gestation period in the dormouse can be considered equal to 20-25 days, which makes it significantly different from the other two forest rodents - (30-35 days) and squirrel (35-40 days). There are usually 3-5 babies in a litter. The average weight of newborns is 2.5 g, body length is 30 mm. Cubs grow and develop very quickly; on the seventh day of life, they increase in weight by more than 4 times and are already beginning to grow hair. Teeth erupt early: in a baby that is a week old, the lower incisors are already showing, on the 20th day the upper incisors are showing, the ears open and the eyes begin to open. At the same time, rapid growth of fur and growth of hair on the tail occurs. For approximately 25-30 days, babies feed on mother's milk, and then begin to feed on their own and differ from adults only in their small size, the nature of their hair, and the condition of the dental system.

What does the dormouse eat?

The basis of the regiment's diet is plant food - vegetative parts of plants, seeds and fruits (beech nuts, acorns, hazelnuts, apples, pears, cherries, grapes, etc.).

The animal begins to eat beech fruits while they are still unripe, during the period of kernel formation, and uses this food until they fall. Eating only the seed, the fly very characteristically gnaws the plus from its cone-shaped side. Acorns are also included in the animal’s diet, but to a lesser extent than beech nuts.

Dormouse eat apples and pears with appetite, and just like beech fruits, they can eat them completely unripe. In the second half of June in the southern regions, already ripe cherries serve as the main food for the chicks. Eating only the pulp of the berries, the grasshopper destroys them extremely quickly. Hazel nuts are eaten in bulk from the beginning of full ripening until they fall off. Dormouse eats walnuts and walnuts very readily. The animal also does not ignore the green parts of plants on which the shelf collects fruits. From animal food, the shelf sometimes eats slugs, caterpillars, beetles and centipedes.IN natural conditions Dormice rarely live more than three years; at home, their lives are somewhat longer.

In contact with

If you want to know more about the life of dormouse in nature, about their friends and enemies, then click here: Dormice in nature

Of all the types of dormouse living in the European part, the hazel dormouse is most suitable for keeping in a zoo corner - an animal that resembles a miniature squirrel, slightly smaller than a gray rat, with a long fluffy tail. The ears are short, with rounded tips, covered with sparse hair; the soles of the hind legs are bare, the heels are covered with short hair. The back is smoky-gray with a brownish tint and a silvery coating. The belly and chest are white; paws pale yellowish; the tail is gray on top, whitish below. The hair is long and lush. The dormouse inhabits predominantly forest areas dominated by oak, beech, walnut, wild fruit trees, and hazel.

Hazel Dormouse

The hazel dormouse feeds on acorns, walnuts, chestnuts, beech nuts, various berries and fruits. Animal food plays a secondary role in her diet.

Sonya is a fast, restless animal, active from dusk to morning. Lives mainly in trees; climbs well on trunks and thin branches; jumping from one tree to another Covers a distance of up to 7-10 m. Makes nests from dry leaves and grass in the hollows of old trees, in artificial structures for birds, much less often natural voids among stones and under roots. The nest has a spherical shape and is used for resting and raising offspring.

The breeding season begins in May and ends in October. The female brings 2 litters of 3-5 cubs each season. Dormouses are in hibernation from October to May. They rarely bite when caught.

Keeping hazel dormouse in a home zoo is not difficult. The cage, as for other rodents, must be metal, large sizes so that the animals have enough space to walk. A nest box or a tree stump with a natural hollow with a bedding of hay, straw, and dry leaves is installed in it.

Dormouses kept in an enclosure sometimes bear offspring. For hatching, the male and female build nests that are larger than for resting, 15-20 cm in diameter. Immediately after mating, the female expels the male from the nest and raises the offspring alone. Pregnancy lasts 21-24 days. Cubs at the age of 13-14 days become covered with hair, after another 3 days they open their eyes and after 4 weeks they begin to leave the nest. They become completely independent at 1.5 months. Puberty in young individuals occurs in the same year.

By autumn, dormice accumulate a thick layer of subcutaneous fat and enter winter hibernation, during which they lose almost half of their original weight. Mild winters end tragically for many animals: waking up frequently, they lose a large amount of energy and die from exhaustion.

In captivity, at temperatures above 10°C, dormice are active all winter, but, being nocturnal animals, they usually sleep all day. The average lifespan of this rodent is 4 years.

They feed the dormouse with a food mixture for songbirds, oatmeal, nuts, acorns, vegetables and berries. Diversify the diet with animal feed, minced meat, insects and their larvae. There should always be clean, room temperature water in the cage.

Garden dormouse. The animal is the same size as the hazel dormouse. The muzzle is pointed; The ears are large, rounded, narrow at the base. The tail is covered thick hair: in its main part - short, at the end - a wide, flat brush made of long hair. The back is bright, brownish-brown; neck, chest, belly, paws and ears are white; Black stripes run from the eyes to the base of the ears. In Russia it lives in the middle and southern zones of the European part. Inhabits mixed and broad-leaved forests with a predominance of oak, linden, maple and dense undergrowth of bird cherry, rowan, hazel and rose hips. Prefers to settle on the edges, clearings and old burnt areas; found in gardens, city parks and even in human dwellings located near forests. Omnivore. It feeds on various seeds and berries, insects, mollusks, and bird eggs. Settling near orchards, it willingly consumes large quantities of apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and grapes along with seeds. With the dexterity of a squirrel and the sneakiness of a mouse, dormice penetrate everywhere. Once in the room where food is stored, they do not disdain anything: they gnaw crusts of bread, remove lids from pots and feast on milk, cream and sour cream. Plant foods do not occupy a leading place in the diet of the garden dormouse, but the predilection for animal food is clearly visible in all parts of its range. The basis of nutrition is insects and other invertebrates, being easy and accessible prey. In mixed coniferous and mixed forests, dormouse prefer insects such as dung beetles, bronze beetles, beetles, and click beetles. Dormouse reacts very quickly to any moving object and strives to grab it, so small vertebrates and birds, especially hollow nesters, also become its prey. In dormouse nests you can always see bird feathers, wool, remains of rodent skins, chitinous cover and beetle legs in abundance.

At home, garden dormouse should be kept in fairly spacious enclosures made of fine and durable mesh. Moss, turf, driftwood, hollow tree trunks are placed at the bottom - all this can serve as a refuge, a place for rest and solitude while eating tasty food. Since these animals need to climb, jump, and run along branches, the enclosure can be small in width, but not less than 1 m in height and 1.5 m in length. Sonya get along well with each other, almost never quarrel and often rest in the same shelter. In addition to plant food, they should be given animal food: butterfly pupae, crickets, large cockroaches, mealworms, chopped meat and a boiled egg. These animals eat very well all kinds of nutritional mixtures with the addition of milk powder. They are given water daily, regardless of the availability of succulent food.

Garden dormouse breed in captivity and raise offspring. Females who have lived in a domestic zoo for several years can give birth to cubs in different seasons. Despite their “carnivory”, they are usually not aggressive, and even after a short period of time in a cage they become so fat that they lose their inherent mobility. The dormouse, taken in hand, makes itself comfortable, sits on its hind legs, and calmly allows any painless “manipulations” to be performed on itself. However, for greater safety, of course, it is best to handle animals with gloves.

Forest dormouse. A small, graceful animal with a long fluffy tail. The muzzle is sharp, the ears are round, the tail is noticeably thickened, evenly covered with elongated hair. The color of the back is reddish-buff, somewhat grayer on the sides, the cheeks, neck, chest and belly are grayish-yellow; the tail is dirty gray, often with a whitish tip, and there are black stripes on the head from the nose through the eyes to the ears.

Inhabits mixed and deciduous forests, gardens, and overgrown ravines. Distributed in central Volos and southern Russia, in the mountains of Central Asia, and Altai.

It feeds on berries and their seeds, fruits, nuts, acorns, seeds and buds of various trees, insects, and less often bird eggs.

The forest dormouse primarily lives in trees and bushes, but often descends to the ground. It usually builds spherical nests in hollows of trees, on the branches of bushes at a height of 0.25 m to 12 m. It settles in old bird nests and in burrows or natural voids under the roots. Males and single females usually build their shelters carelessly: the frame is loose, translucent, the lining may be absent. But brood nests have an outer frame made of thin twigs or the tops of the shoots of shrubs, between which leaves, moss and dry grass are placed. It is quite durable and well protects the inner chamber, built from soft, delicate material - split oak, plant fluff, wool. Brood nests are always well camouflaged. IN southern regions Dormouses place them on the shady side, and the elastic outer shell reliably hides the entrance hole.

Dormouses sleep in winter. They awaken by the time the snow finally melts and positive temperatures set in - in April-May. The males are the first to wake up and begin to feed intensively, replenishing energy losses during the long winter. They are very excited and run around a lot, exploring the boundaries of their territory. After 7-10 days, females awaken, ready to reproduce. Pregnancy lasts 27-28 days. Childbirth most often occurs at night. Forest dormouse On average they live 3 years. They are the most mobile of all species of this group of animals, which should not be forgotten when feeding them. Dormouses love to rebuild their shelter, so the cage or enclosure should have supplies of hay, straw, branches, etc.

At any time of the year, dormice willingly eat fresh branches, tearing off their bark, leaves, and buds. You can keep forest dormouse in your home zoo in large groups- usually they do not show aggression towards each other, but during collective wintering, hungry animals can eat a fellow sleeping nearby. Forest dormouse, taken young, quickly get used to humans and even take food from hands. They can hang on the net for hours in the hope of getting some kind of delicacy - a mealworm, a beetle, a butterfly. As soon as you bring it to the cage, the animals instantly gather around the food, trying to get ahead of each other. Even during the rutting period, the company lives in the same shelter, although the males chase each other with squealing, but there are no bloody fights.

Sonya the regiment. The largest representative of the dormouse family. Body length 13-18 cm, tail about 10 cm. Ears are short, with rounded tips and sparse hair; the soles of the hind legs are bare, the heels are covered with short hair. The color of the back is smoky-gray with a brownish or silvery tint; the belly and chest are white; paws are pale yellow; the tail is gray above, whitish below. The hairline is long and fluffy.

Dormouse inhabits lowland and mountain broad-leaved forests in the central zone of the European part of Russia and the Caucasus. Preference is given to areas with a predominance of oak, beech, walnut and wild fruit trees. It feeds on acorns, walnuts, chestnuts, beech nuts, various berries and fruits. Animal feed of great importance Dont Have. The animals love sweet, ripe fruits and berries, so during feeding they try the fruit and throw it away if it doesn’t suit their taste.

The dormouse leads a predominantly arboreal lifestyle and rarely descends to the ground. It climbs well not only on trunks, but also on thin branches, easily jumps from one tree to another at a distance of up to 7-10 m. It makes nests in the hollows of old trees, artificial bird nests, and less often in natural voids under snags.

Mating begins in July. The female's pregnancy lasts 20-25 days, females give birth to 1 litter per season, in which there are 3-10 cubs.

From November until the end of May-June next year, the dormouse is in deep hibernation. Often several animals, usually 4-8, spend the winter in one nest. The dormouse awakens later than other types of dormouse, in different areas in different ways. In the Caucasus, for example, a mass awakening occurs in the second half of June: during this period, cherry plum and mulberry fruits ripen in forests and gardens, which are what the grasshoppers mainly feed on. The males wake up first.

The rutting period is very stormy, accompanied by endless running around and a showdown. The forest in which the bats live is filled with grumbling, chirping, grunting, sharp high-pitched screams, and often ends with a whistle - this sound can be repeated at different intervals throughout the night. At this time, fights between males are possible.

Marriage relations in half-breeds, they are not preserved after mating, and the female raises the offspring alone. Newborn animals are very active, but their development is rather slow. Ten-day-old wings are covered with hair 6 mm long, the back and head are pigmented, the claws are dark in color, and the toes are separated. Their incisors are already coming through. They become sighted at 18-20 days, leaving the nest at the age of about 45 days.

Polchkas are rarely kept in home zoo corners, since these animals spend about 7 months a year in hibernation, are awake at dusk and at night, and do not like to be watched. They hibernate even when they are kept in a warm room. In addition, bats caught in captivity do not become tame, they show aggression towards humans and can bite if handled carelessly. Housing conditions, care and feeding are the same as for other species of this family.

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