Sony are small in size. Their torso is slightly elongated; round brilliant eyes stand out on a narrow head with a sharp-nosed muzzle. The ears are rather large, bare, with rounded tips.
On the face of the dormouse are very sensitive long whiskers - 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 organ of touch, with which the animal probes its surrounding space. The limbs are thin and short, with four fingers on the front legs and five fingers on the back. Thick and very soft wool of the animal has a small and uniform throughout the body.
Lifestyle and nutrition
Most of the members of this family sleep during the daytime, and only after dusk do they get out of their shelters. Thanks to this feature, they got their name. With the onset of cold weather, Sony falls into a stupor and in this state can spend the entire winter. During this period, their body temperature drops, their metabolism slows down. Some animals wake up during the thaw, eating their stored food during a break from sleep. Other stocks do not and survive the winter due to the accumulated over the summer and autumn fat.
The basis of the diet of these animals are the fruits of plants and various seeds, less insects. They also do not refuse, on occasion, from eggs and young chicks. It is interesting to watch how the dormouse eats (the photo of the animal taken by this process is posted in this article). Holding the food firmly with the front paws, the dormouse brings it to her 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 touch them with your hands. Sony do not like this very much.
On the territory of European countries, there are 4 genera of these animals - hazel, forest, garden and Sonya polchok. In total, the family of sleepy has 9 genera and 28 species. They mainly inhabit the northern part of Africa, Japan, and China. There are also in the Altai and in Asia Minor.
Hazel Dormouse is the most attractive of all rodents, and among the representatives of this family it is the smallest animal. The length of its body is 7–8 cm. The animal differs from its relatives with a yellowish-red color. Especially the bright color of the coat has a young hazel sleepy. The rodent got its name due to its habitat, a prerequisite of which is the presence of dense thickets of hazel, wild rose, viburnum and other shrubs. Refers to tree species, rarely descending to the ground. Thanks to the clinging paws, it is very clever and quickly moves along the trunks and branches.
Garden dormouse is a larger animal (up to 14 cm), with a very peculiar color. The upper torso is gray-brown in color, and the belly is white. Eyes border the black rings, giving the face a very intelligent and expressive look. Although mostly garden sony live in deciduous forests of mountainous terrain, they are often found in conifers, penetrating further north than other members of this family. Prefers to settle in gardens, near human habitation.
Sonia Polchk - one of the largest. Its size can sometimes reach 19 cm. The fur of this animal is very thick, the back is painted in dark color, the sides are lighter, and the belly and inner surface of the paws are silver-white. The eye is bordered by a brown ring. The tail is covered with thick fur, below it is decorated with a white longitudinal stripe. Of all the rodents, perhaps the most voracious is this dormouse (see the photo of the animal below).
She will eat as long as she is able to do it. At the heart of her diet are acorns, nuts, but often she has predatory tendencies, when a polchka attacks smaller animals, ruins nests, eats chicks.
Forest dormouse has much in common with the polchkom. She has the same fluffy tail, which fluffs, if you annoy the animal. The gray-brown color of the fur coat is more like a garden dormouse. Only in individuals living in the southern regions, it is brighter - the neck has a yellow-orange color and the same color spots are located on the cheeks of the animal. Body length is 11 cm, tail about the same.
For keeping in captivity, the hazel groomer is most suitable - an animal that does not show aggression, quickly gets used to the person and becomes tame.
Description of forest sony
The forest dormouse Sonia has a lot in common with mice and squirrels, and at the same time. Features of appearance, namely color, size and behavior depend on the place of direct residence. Depending on the place of residence, the color of the wool of the Sony forest can be darker or lighter, the contrast between the shades is different.
Character and way of life
The favorite places for the dwelling of the Sony forest are deciduous thickets and forests. She is a fan of thicket with dense undergrowth, places of hollow trees. But at the same time you can meet her in the garden or park area. This funny animal is widespread in the middle lane and in the west of the European part of the Russian Federation. For the dwelling, the dormouse chooses natural shelters. These can be hollows of trees, old abandoned nests of various birds. For example, forty. If no suitable vacant place was found, the sleepy will not be disturbed by the presence of “masters” in the nest. She can settle in a hollow or a nesting box, having kicked out feathered owners from there.
Can this rodent make a home on their own. The material most often used is the bast of trees and other plant small “garbage”. This grass, feathers, dry leaves, as a frame used wicker of flexible branches. The construction of one dwelling takes about 2-4 days. Sony manage to build their homes in the thicket of thorny shrubs. Thus, they make it safer by not allowing the predators to get close. Forest dormouse is an economic rodent, most of the time of construction they devote to the arrangement of the interior of the dwelling. Sonya stuffs it with fluff, wool, dry grass, which makes it not only warm and cozy, but also perfectly disguises the nestlings grown in it from prying eyes.
Therefore, if you happen to see an untidy see-through nest without bedding - this is the home of a bachelor or a temporary overnight stay. In such a house, the animal does not linger for a long time, it could serve as a point of retention, then the dormouse will go to build a new nest. On the territory of residence of one individual you can find up to 8 such dwellings. A rodent can change apartments, even if they are clogged, in order to comply with sanitary standards. In the nest there is no separate move. The dormouse enters and leaves through any suitable gap between the rods. Such a structure also makes it difficult prey for predators.
It is interesting! Forest dormouse carefully treat the purity of their own bodies. They can spend hours on combing each villus of their own tail, gently turning them over.
Winter apartments are built deep underground in heaps of brushwood or thickets of the tree root system. Close to the surface, the ground freezes too hard, not giving a chance to survive, so they settle down with the onset of cold weather 30 cm down from the ground level.
The forest dormouse is a climbing animal. It is perfectly moved along the branches of trees and shrubs, while the activity is active both during the day and at night. During the day, even most of the species is in a dream. Sharp curled claws and special “corn” allow it to easily hold on to the branches, without falling down. And vibrissae help to navigate well in dense thickets.
Cold enter the animal in a stupor. In this condition, the forest dormouse hibernates all the cold days of the year. Such a stupor lowers the temperature of the rodent's body, slowing down the course of metabolic processes, making it possible to economically expend vital resources. For this period, some dormouse stockpiled food, which they gladly eat at the moments of awakening during thaw periods. After this, with the repeated decrease in temperature, the sleepyhead may fall asleep, having refreshed, continue to hibernate. The remaining members of the species consume only the fat reserves of their own body, accumulated during the warm seasons.
Forest Sony Diet
Various insects may be present in the diet of forest Sony.. However, the preferred type of food animals choose plant foods. They are happy to eat the seeds of plants that come across the path of the fruit, do not disdain and seeds of berries. If a bird's nest meets small chicks or laid eggs on the path of the forest dormouse, she will enjoy it with pleasure.
It is interesting! The process of food absorption by animals deserves special attention and emotion. Like most rodents, they take food in tiny paws, and then bring it to the mouth. It is nice to watch how cleverly these little ones finish their tiny fingers with seeds and berries.
Reproduction and offspring
Immediately after waking up from hibernation, the animals go in search of a family partner. Males, driven by instinct, wake up earlier. They are very active during this period, they rush endlessly along the branches, marking everything in their path. The females wake up a little later. They begin to emit special attractive sounds, then look for the tags of the males to leave in their place.
It will also be interesting:
The pregnancy of the female lasts about 28 days. During this period, they show all signs of a typical mother awaiting addition. Females repair and clean their nest, improve it, discarding and replacing damaged parts. The day before the birth of babies, they expel the males, who fulfilled their purpose. Sonya couples build temporary ones, there is no talk of a long and faithful “love”.
Broods are usually one per year. In rare cases, in warm climates there may be 2. In one litter, up to 8 babies are born. After being born, mothers constantly comb and lick their naked, pink and completely helpless children. Only by the 16th day of life the first fluff appears on their body, and the eyes open.
The female leaves the nest only to eat. Babies sometimes fall outside the dwelling, but mothers accurately identify them by a characteristic squeak and drag them back to their father's house.
At the age of one and a half months, babies can live independently, but many still do not leave the nest limits. With enough food, Sony can stay in groups.
Natural enemies
The main enemy of the Sony forest - gray owl. This is an owl with a wingspan of up to one meter. It is medium in size, weighing no more than 600 grams. This bird lives in the same places as the forest dormouse, is active only after sunset.
The origin of Sony and its native habitats
Sonya is a pretty tiny living creature that represents a large animal kingdom. In the process of studying these tailed animals, scientists have classified them into a class of mammals, an order of rodents, and a sleepy family.
The area of natural distribution is quite wide and depends on the specific type of Sony, but if you have such a desire to go on a visit to this rodent, then you will not have to travel far, these animals can be found almost throughout Europe and Asia.
Description of sony species and their characteristics
According to some scientific sources in the world there are approximately 25–30 species of the most diverse representatives from the family of dormouse, these include several varieties that, unfortunately, did not live to the era of our modern times. Several species are presented to your attention, which live not far from us and which are best suited as pets.
Forest Dormouse
This native of the same name of the forest dormice, lives in Europe and, as far as is known, settles near oak stands. But in the Caucasus and Asia, this animal is associated with a variety of trees and shrubs. It is possible to see a miniature rodent throughout the entire territory of the Balkan Peninsula, in Greece, on the lands of the Apennine Peninsula, where this animal lives mainly in the Calabrian mountains. As for the Eastern part of the European continent, such a small animal there is found almost everywhere, it bypassed only the northern part of Poland and the Ukrainian lands, near the Black Sea. Large populations of dormice inhabit the lands of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Turkmenistan and many other countries in Asia Minor.
In Russia, this forest rodent lives in the Tver region and in the western part of the Kirov region. In the lands of the Caucasus, these animals are distributed almost everywhere.
For their comfortable living, small mammals prefer broad-leaved forests with fairly dense undergrowth, and can occasionally settle in mixed forests, dense gardens and in areas rich in shrub thickets. As their personal living space, forest dormouse chooses hollows made in advance by other forest inhabitants, abandoned bird nests, and if it has time and inspiration, then sometimes it can also construct a nest for itself with its small legs.
These tiny animals almost never have problems with food products, they can be content, both with feed of plant origin and with live food. Forest dormouse likes to eat fruits and seeds of plants, for example, acorns, various nuts, apple seeds and even juicy fruits, if they are lucky to get them. As for products of animal origin, they happily and with great pleasure eat various insects, in difficult times they can afford to devour bird eggs, and even little chicks, without remorse of conscience.
If we talk about the appearance of this little animal, then it is quite a small animal. The length of its miniature body reaches approximately 10–12 cm, the tail process grows to 9–10 cm, the body weight varies from 30 to 45 grams.
The forest dormouse, of course, is not a chameleon at all, but its color tends to vary, depending on the territories where the little animal lives. Most often, the coat of these mammals is represented in grayish tones. But in some localities, sony can be decorated in slightly brownish colors, there are locations where animals of yellowish-gray shades live, and on their bodies you can easily notice the border between the color of the upper part of the body and the lower one. If this forest animal settles in a mountainous area, then usually their fur is decorated with a white and gray color scheme.
The tail process is usually quite fluffy, its color is most often represented by dark shades of gray color scheme. The tail of the sony has a very good blood supply, for this reason, if the animal gets into some unpleasant situation, the hair on the tail rises strongly, and the blood flows into the tail vascular network, then you can see how gradually this part of the sonic body is transformed and becomes reddish.
Sonia Polchok
This representative of the world fauna differs from all its relatives in its dimensions - this is the biggest dormouse. The body of an adult animal grows in length from 15 to 20 cm, the mass of their bodies varies from 150 to 200 grams. The tail is about 10–13 cm long. If you don’t take a particularly close look at this fluffy, then you can suspect him of closest relationships with the squirrels, and indeed they are somewhat similar to each other. Only the ears of small polchkov are devoid of peculiar brushes.
The body of this mammal is wrapped with a thick enough fur layer of fur, but the hair is relatively short. Compared with its forest congener, the color of this animal is always the same and neither geographic nor climatic conditions affect it. Usually, the half-sleepy dormouse is decorated in greyish-brown shades with a slight smoky hue. The area of the abdominal cavity is usually lighter than the back area and traditionally painted in white and yellowish tones. The cute face of this living creature immediately catches the eye with its “natural accessories” in the form of dark rings around the eyes, which are somewhat reminiscent of sunglasses, but some representatives of their kind have hardly any noticeable ones.
For the first time, this medium-sized rodent is described in the UK, although the range of natural distribution is rather extensive and goes far beyond Asia. These eccentrics with fluffy tails can be seen traveling in France, Italy, Spain and even in the coastal Mediterranean regions.
Since these beautiful animals are by nature strict vegetarians, they choose wooded areas for living where a large number of fruit trees grow, but they can't eat acorns and nuts all their lives, and they are not against eating some juicy fruit. Shelves can settle near agricultural holdings, such as vineyards or orchards. Кушает зверек не так уж много, поэтому существенного убытка урожаю он не принесет, а сам останется сытым и довольным. Очень он любит яблоки, груши, кизил, сливы, черешни и даже малину и ежевику. Прежде чем приниматься за трапезу, животное сначала должно убедиться, что его пища созрела, он никогда не будет кушать, если его обед не достаточно спелый.
The period of activity of these Fuzzies falls at night, with the approach of twilight to the earth, these nimble little animals leave their cozy little houses and start looking for various delicacies. Most of their time is spent on trees, ground walks are extremely rare. But they are not active for long, as from the middle of September they begin to fall into winter sleep. Very interesting is the fact that the adult males are the first to leave for the winter rest, and then by seniority.
For wintering, polchki usually dig deep holes, which are approximately 180–200 cm in length. But if they have no desire to engage in construction, and there are human settlements close by, then these cunning people can spend the winter on the hayloft and even under the attics of houses. They never make supplies for the winter, for this reason, during times of cold weather, a large number of animals die, who did not have time to feed themselves out over the summer, because if they disturb their sleep, they wake up right away, but they have nothing to eat in winter.
Garden Dormouse
It is a medium-sized rodent, its muzzle has a slight pointedness, its large round ears have significantly narrowed near the base. The caudal process is also remarkable - it is covered with rather thick hair throughout its length, and ends with a wide fluffy brush. The dorsal part of the garden sony trunk is colored gray-brown, but the neck, abdomen, chest, limbs and ears are usually white. From the visual organs to the ears are drawn a few bands that are painted in dark shades.
On the territory of Russia, this mammal is widely distributed not only in dense wooded areas, but also at different forest edges, in orchards and even urban recreation parks.
By its nature, it is an omnivorous animal, it can satisfy a hunger attack with various seeds, nuts, fruits, but still its favorite dishes are animal products, for example, dung beetles, crunches, click beetles and other insects. With pleasure this fluffy sly fellow absorbs small defenseless chicks.
If they are very lucky in life and people live nearby, the garden dormouse can also make their way into their premises. Of course, they do not climb onto the bed and do not turn on the TV, but they can afford a little treat with various foods. Bread, milk, sour cream - this is one of the most favorite delkatesov little thieves.
These cunning members of the sononeva family are not at all afraid of dying during the fierce winter cold, because they are the most voracious among all their relatives, therefore their fat reserves are enough for the whole winter period, some individuals do not even lose weight during hibernation.
Spectacled, South African Dormouse
This species is distributed far beyond the borders of our Homeland, they mainly inhabit rocky locations, located in the western part of the hot African continent.
The African dormouse is a small animal, its miniature body does not exceed 15 cm in length and weighs approximately 25–45 grams. The fur of this eccentric from Africa is very pleasant in texture, soft, painted in smoky-gray shades. The projection of the tummy of this mammal is decorated in a white color, occasionally with a slight ash tint. For some specimens on this background it is possible to notice a certain pattern, formed by small specks, of a brown-reddish color. The same pictures can be on the animal's attractive face.
Unlike their domestic relatives, this African rodent does not tolerate loneliness at all, for this reason they usually live in the wild nature by fairly numerous social groups.
Keeping rodent sony at home
Bringing a pet into the house of such a pet as a dormouse, first of all, you need to take care of its personal roof over your head. As a house for such a friend nickel-plated cage is perfect, it is desirable that it be spacious enough. As for the dwelling area, these cute animals do not put forward special requirements, they feel great in modest conditions, but the more their personal apartment is, the more active your pupil will be. And since movement is life, physical exertion will not only cheer up your furry friend, but also strengthen his health.
At first, you may experience some inconvenience associated with the night activity of this rodent, in order to avoid a lack of sleep, it is best to take the sleepy cage for the night to the place most distant from the bedroom. In that case, if you give your friend a sufficient amount of attention, he will easily change his usual schedule for you. And if you also indulge him with delicacies throughout the day, you can be sure that your vacation will not be disturbed by a well-fed and happy pet.
Usually, Sony quickly become accustomed to a person, and already some time after the start of living together, they gladly make contact with their masters, especially if they have prepared something tasty for them.
In the house of the animal, you need to put a trough, a container with drinking water, and also make a place to rest, preferably in the form of shelter. This little tenant, too, sometimes wants to retire.
Cleaning in his home must be done regularly, not only to avoid unpleasant odors, but also to prevent various diseases of your friend.
In the event that you stay at work for a long time, think about your fluffy friend, he will be bored, if you cannot allow this, then make sure that your pet has something to do in your free time. As an entertainment, you can install a running wheel in a cage, believe me, in it your dormouse will drive like mad. In addition, it is desirable to build a place designed for climbing from different branches and trunks. It is recommended to put the animal a little straw or dry foliage, suddenly he will have a desire to build a place for himself to sleep with his own paws.
The diet of the domestic rodent should be as similar as possible to the diet of the animal in the wild. When it comes to such a small animal, like a dormouse, then recreating the natural menu is pretty simple. Her daily grocery list should contain nuts, various berries and fruits, acorns. It is possible for your friend to arrange a feast from time to time and treat him with insects, it is better to buy them on the market, as live food caught in the garden can bring with it many problems, such as parasites or infectious diseases for your pet. In the summertime, you can bring young shoots into the cage of sony young plants, they will be happy to nibble them.
If you decide that you want to buy another dormouse, you can do it without fear, animals usually get along well with each other, and even bring posterity.
Purchase and price of a Sony animal
Of course, you can try to save money and try to catch a sleepyard somewhere in the forest, but this is not worth it, as rodents often carry many diseases. It is better to purchase a pet in a pet store, the price of one individual of this exotic comes from 2,000 to 8,000 rubles.
Looks like a dormouse, look here:
Sonya is an animal with an unusual lifestyle. Description and types
One of the oldest rodents is Sonia, 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.
What does the dormouse (hazel, garden) look like: description, photo, features of caring for the animal at home
Sonya is not only a characteristic of a person who loves to sleep, it is also the name of a cute animal, to which the adjective “Kawai” begs. As a pet recently, a dormouse has confidently crowded stars such as chinchilla or dwarf rabbit. With the peculiarities of the content of this rodent, we will try to understand.
What does it look like?
The sonone family or sony (Gliridae) belongs to the order of rodents. These are mostly small animals, but the body length of the largest species can reach 20 cm. Their tail is usually slightly shorter than the body. Some species are predominantly terrestrial, they are distinguished by a half-naked or bare tail, and their appearance is very similar to ordinary mice.
Species that prefer life in trees have lush tails and look like squirrels. Sometimes these animals are called rat proteins, but they are completely different from rats. These small rodents are spread over large spaces. They can be met in Europe, in the north of Africa, in Small and Central Asia, in the Altai Mountains, in the territory of Japan.
There is also a South African species.
Oreshnikovaya
Of all the types of dormouse this species is most suited for living in trees. The length of the animal's body reaches 15 cm, the tail is bushy, with a tassel at the end. The fur of the animal is red, with an ocher or reddish tinge. Below it is brighter, has a fawn shade. Hazel Dormouse prefers deciduous and mixed forests.
She usually arranges several nests on branches or in hollows. He likes to seize birdhouses, and can banish the birds that occupied them. The diet consists of plant foods: hazelnuts, chestnuts, acorns, beech and linden nuts, berries and fruits.
In the autumn, when the air temperature drops to +15 ° C, the hazel sleepers hibernate, which wakes up in April or May.
This type of Sony can be identified by the pointed muzzle. The length of the animal's body reaches 16 cm. It has a fluffy tail with a tassel at the end, the hair in the upper part of the body is gray or brown, the bottom is white, there is a black stripe from eye to ear.
The favorite habitats of the Sony garden are old gardens, parks and deciduous forests. This species is omnivorous, its representatives along with various fruits and berries eat insects, small rodents, nestlings, bird eggs.
Nests prefer to arrange on the branches or in the hollows of trees. Hibernation lasts 5–6 months.
Outwardly, this species resembles a garden dormouse, but has smaller dimensions. The body length of an adult individual does not exceed 12 cm. The tail is fluffy, the coloring of the upper 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 nose to ear.
The forest dormouse settles in broadleaf or mixed forests, arranges dwellings in hollows, on branches, in abandoned bird nests. The animal is omnivorous, in addition to plant food, such as various fruits, nuts, etc., eats insects, devastates bird nests, eating eggs and even chicks.
In the fall, hibernation begins, from which the animal leaves at the end of April or in May.
This species is the largest of all dormice. It can be taken for a small squirrel. In length, the body of the animal can reach 20 cm, its tail is fluffy, slightly less than the body.
Fur on top can be gray or gray-brown in color, the bottom color changes to light gray or white. Dark rings may be observed around the eyes. Sonia Polchok loves deciduous and mixed forests.
Prefers such areas of the forest where there are many wild fruit trees and shrubs with edible fruits (hazelnut, hawthorn, honeysuckle, etc.). Nests, as a rule, equip in hollows. Sometimes it can build a nest among stones or under fallen trees.
Often settles in birdhouses, expelling birds from them. The polchk eats exclusively vegetable food - fruits, seeds, berries. Lies into hibernation in the fall, wakes up only in May, or even in June.
The necessary conditions
For the content of this animal is a spacious cage, and even better aviary. If the size of the enclosure allows, then you can create elements of the natural landscape in it: cover the bottom with moss, put thick boughs inside, or even plant fruit bushes in pots. It is necessary to take care of the conditions for hibernating the animal in advance - put a path in the form of a pipe section into the prepared hole.
Important!Cleaning the cage or aviary, where the animals are, should be carried out daily. Periodically it is necessary to carry out disinfection. Without these procedures, animals can get sick, and the cage will become a source of unpleasant odor.
Cell requirements and placement
The minimum size of the cage suitable for keeping sony is 50 × 30 × 30 cm. It must be made entirely of metal, otherwise the rodent will easily ruin it. The best shape of the cage is rectangular, which is easier to clean. The cage should be equipped with an automatic watering system, a feeding trough, 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 borne in mind that they are very active at night and the noise they make can interfere with the sleep of people. In addition, the cell should be in a place well lit by daylight, but it should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
Do not place near electrical devices and heaters.
Pet feeding
The basis of the diet of homemade dormice is plant food. This is a variety of fruits, nuts, cereals, grains. Periodically should be given animal food: eggs, cottage cheese, boiled meat, insects. From insects animals prefer mealworms. Eating animals often and in large quantities, it can even lead to unwanted obesity. However, on the eve of hibernation, excess fat will not interfere with animals.
Learn how to teach a parrot to talk and sing. Taking care of dormice is simple, you only need to clean the cage daily, feed and water the animals on time. The animals have good health, but they can get sick. Signs of the disease - the animal's refusal to eat, untidy fur, apathy. In this case, you must show the pet to the veterinarian.
Breeding dormice
The instinct of reproduction in dormice wakes up in the spring, immediately after the completion of hibernation. Females bear children 3-4 weeks. 2 to 10 cubs are born. The feeding period lasts about 3 weeks.
Important!Already at the age of 1 month, the young become sexually mature, at this age they are better separated from their parents. Otherwise, uncontrolled reproduction of animals may begin.
Sonya at home: pros and cons
In favor of home maintenance dormouse says their good looks and simple rules of care.
The minuses can be considered mainly nightlife, the need for daily cell cleaning and hibernation. As we have seen, sleepy is quite simple to keep as a pet.
These beauties can be a good alternative to such “stars” of zoo-angles, like hamsters or chinchillas.
Interesting rodent sonya - how to contain them
Sonev or dormouse belong to the family of mammals, to the order of rodents. This mammal looks very similar to a mouse and a squirrel at the same time, it has a long bushy tail, resembling squirrel.
They got their name for a reason. The first reason can be called a nocturnal lifestyle of the animal, and the second reason will be a long period of hibernation in the cold. Some species are hibernating for 7 months a year.
- Description
- Interesting facts from the life of Sony
- How to contain dormice
- Varieties of dormice
- Hazel Dormouse
- Garden Dormouse
- Forest Dormouse
They are very small in size, beautifully placed on the palm of a person.
All members of the family of these animals have a similar structure of the body and organs.. They all have big dark eyes, long whiskers and round ears. Wool - only fluffy and soft, and the tail - long, squirrel.
The habitat of dormice are trees. If they are absent, the rodent can be found in the branches of the bush. Some species are practically all the time on the ground.
Three types of dormice are known.which live in Russia and are listed in the Red Book:
It is very interesting to watch these rodents, except that they are small, they are very funny and funny. Compared with other rodents, they live for a long time and practically do no harm.
To buy a dormouse as a pet - it makes no sense. And all because of their activity in nature begins at night. This is due to their lifestyle.
Not every animal lover will be interested at night, instead of sleeping soundly, watching this little rodent. On sale they are extremely rare.
It is known that they are in captivity, being in a cage, can change their way of life, adapting to the life rhythm of the owners. But few people know about this fact.
Interesting facts from the life of Sony
Despite the fact that the rodent has an active nightlife, in the daytime he sees no worse. The mammal has a special skeletonwhich can shrink in a vertical direction.
This allows the rodent to crawl into the narrowest crevices that are on the trunks of trees. So they find the safest place to rest and build a future nest.
Due to this important quality, the animal still lives and breeds.
Getting out of their shelter in search of food, despite good vision, sleepy relies on his unique hearing. In the role of locators are small, round ears that can change their position on her head.
Movement of the ears asynchronous, independent of each other. Самые большие уши имеет садовый грызун, немного меньше размер – у орешникового, ну а третье место занимает лесной.
Фото этих замечательных и неприхотливых животных можно найти в интернете.
Во время приема твердых сортов пищи, соню можно сравнить с белкой. Она держит свою добычу передними лапами и быстро ее вращает. Благодаря таким действиям и своим острым резцам, она может без всякого труда вскрыть твердую скорлупу ореха и различных семян.
These mammals are not fruitful. First, they mature rather late, and second, they never have more than 5 cubs. The third reason is the number of matings per year - there are only two of them. Well, the main reason is their love for sleep and its duration.
If we talk about all these reasons at the same time, then the sonnemic species would have long ceased to exist. But in reality, everything is different.
The maternal instinct, which is very well developed in females, makes it possible to care for each calf with special tenderness and care. It is worth adding here good health and a long life.
It turns out sustainable population, the safety of which does not threaten anything.
How to draw Sonya? This will help the photo from the Internet.
How to contain dormice
At home, such a rodent should be kept only in a metal cage with a fairly strong metal pallet. This is no more difficult than keeping the homes of other, more famous rodents.
Cage requirements quite serious ones are being put forward, because the sleepyhead will very quickly deal with the tree and even with the plastic. Therefore, the cage should be only metal.
You can buy it at the pet store, order it strictly according to its size or make it yourself.
While the cage is made, the rodent can be kept in a normal terrarium, the main thing is that this room is well ventilated.
Mammalian cage should be equipped with a feeding trough and a nipple drinker. The material for their manufacture must be the same metal.
Food should always be in the trough, and water should be in the trough. While awake, they eat and drink a lot.
As a litter in the cage, you can use sawdust or granulated wood. It needs to be changed regularly so that it is not wet. In the cage you need to equip a secluded corner where the dormouse could hide. Only in a secluded place can she fall asleep.
For a temporary shelter fit a wooden house or a house made by hand from a cardboard box. Shelter will indeed be temporary, as the rodent will quickly destroy it. But with a cardboard box, as a house, you can experiment, and every time to do better and more beautiful.
In a cage for a rodent you need to make all the conditions, like in nature. He should have ladder, shelf, tree, on which he can run. This must be done to ensure his good health. The fact is that the animal does not control its appetite, and a special metabolism contributes to the accumulation of fat reserves. He just needs to move more.
Since the rodents are very clean, their "house" must always be kept clean. Regularly wash the drinker and feeder, every 2-3 days you need to change the litter in the cage. Rodents pay great attention to their soft and smooth fur - they clean it several times a day.
Where there is a cell, there should be no drafts. There should be enough solar lighting, and the height of its location - at the level of the human eye.
Sonya's description
Immediately I want to say that these are very small rodents, and an adult dormouse can easily fit on the palm of an adult. Home sony became very recently, and this contributed to the reduction in the number of dormice in natural conditions.
In order to somehow save these rodents, which, by the way, are of 2 types - with a lush tail (they live in trees and live like squirrels), and with a bare tail (live on the ground), they were decided to bring them to Red the book, and later began to engage in their domestic breeding.
So, from conditions of the wild nature, sony got into pet stores and settled into rodent lovers' homes. To date, there are 9 genera sonnies, and 28 species, while all of them are part of the dormouse family and belong to the subcategory of squirrels, to the order of rodents.
Where dwell in nature
In nature, dormouse rodents inhabit forest-steppe and steppe zones of North Africa, Europe, Asia Minor, Altai and even in the northern regions of Japan and China, in the northern part of Scandinavia and in southern Africa - where the only species of African dormice live.
By the way, most often you can still meet proteinaceous dormice with a lush tail that live on trees.
There are even those who never go down to earth for all their lives - they live in trees, build nests there, multiply ... But, here are terrestrial dormice, on the contrary, they don’t dig minks at the roots or settle under fallen trunks.
There are also a kind of garden dormice, although they are considered to be pests, since they destroy many useful plants from which you plan to harvest.
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Features of keeping dormice at home
In Nature, Sony lives in the forests
If you decide to have a sleepy at home, you should take care to create the most comfortable conditions for it.
By the way, if you want to keep several rodents - no problem, these creatures get along well with each other, the main thing is that the room or cage where they live will be spacious enough for them, otherwise the muscles of the animals will atrophy, they will intensively gain weight and may start to hurt.
For maintenance, it is better to use spacious cages or enclosures in which you can create a natural landscape for dormheads, if you cover the bottom with moss or peat, spread out thick branches or snags.
Some even plant edible shrubs in such enclosures or put pots with garden shrubs and grass.
Of course, there should be a shelter for hibernation in the aviary or in the cage - for these purposes a pipe can fit, which you insert into a hole dug in advance, which will end in a “nest” - the function of which will be performed by a warmed box lined with dry grass.
If you do not have the opportunity to provide a rodent a spacious aviary - you will have to confine yourself to a large cage - there are several other, though quite standard, requirements for its equipment - a retractable tray, a filler (sawdust can be used), an autodrinker, bowls, toys - running wheel, nest
Wherever your dormouse lives - in a cage or in an aviary, it will be necessary to carry out daily cleaning and periodically - disinfection. Otherwise, very soon the dormouse in your house will start to emit an unpleasant smell, and inside the cage or the aviary there will be unsanitary conditions that are favorable for the occurrence of various diseases.
Cell Requirements for Sony
Since not everyone can afford to equip an entire aviary, and dorm sleep more than a cage is suitable for apartment housing, we decided to describe in detail the basic requirements for such a housing for your pet. So, the size of the cage for one animal should be at least 50 centimeters by 30 centimeters and 20 centimeters.
It is better to choose all-metal cells with a rectangular shape, nickel-plated ones also suit - they let in a lot of light, are durable and hygienic in terms of cleaning, you can also watch the animal life without any problems. Such a cell will resist Sony's teeth, and it will also transfer the disinfection procedure without harming its condition and appearance.
True, their cost is quite high, but it is worth it.
As for the combined variants of cells made of wood and metal, plastic and metal, such cells are not durable, they are afraid of dampness, parasites can live in their gaps, and it’s not worth treating their surfaces with disinfectants, since in particular the tree absorbs them, and this may later be dangerous for the life of Sony.
Cells made of organic glass and other synthetic materials, although practical and convenient in terms of cleaning, but use disinfectants in them with caution.
As for the shape of the cage, rectangular is considered the most convenient, whereas round and multifaceted cells are not practical and convenient in terms of cleaning, no matter what material they are made of.
Where it is better to put a cell with dormouse
The rodent cage should be placed away from electrical and heating devices, and at a distance of not less than 20 centimeters from the walls. It is necessary to avoid drafts and direct sunlight on the rodent's dwelling.
And, here is the light around the cell and inside it should be enough - if it is necessary, you can install additional illumination by taking care that it does not cause harm to the life and health of your Sony.
What eat Sony in captivity
Since, most often, dormouse live on trees, they feed on what one can find on them - these are fruits, nuts, seeds, leaves, small insects. Terrestrial species of rodents like to feast on grass, but woody ones - they even sometimes go to the crime - ruin the nests of birds in order to feast on bird eggs.
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How to feed Sonya at home
Taking into account the peculiarities of the natural diet, you can create an appropriate menu for your already pet, including vegetable fodders, cereal mixtures, seeds, fruits, and nuts in abundance. Sometimes you can spoil dormice with carrots and bread.
You can feed the animal and eggs, boiled meat, milk and curd, small insects. By the way, the favorite delicacy, according to many owners of these cute little animals, are mealworms - you have to take care of breeding a whole colony for your pet.
And, as a vitamin supplement, you can give them vitamins for rodents or add fish oil to your basic diet.
Also make sure that the rodent always has fresh and clean water in the drinker.
Given the characteristics of dormice a lot and often eat, the owners of rodents need to monitor the volume of servings and the frequency of feeding animals, as they are prone to obesity.
But, if your animal is going to hibernate in the winter, then by the fall you will gain some extra weight - it will be very necessary, therefore, the autumn diet should be different in calories from the summer one.
Behavioral
Sonya - quite tame rodent
Sony is unusually nimble and mobile animals, moreover, the period of their activity falls on the dark time of the day, so if you plan to put a rodent cage in your bedroom, you may have a conflict of interest, since at dusk your pet will become active and start play, run around the cage. In order for you to sleep, and sleepy - to play enough, it is better to place the cage not in the living room. Alternatively, you can also try to teach your pet to the day regimen. To do this, feed your dormouse 2 times a day, in the morning and in the evening, with the last feeding not later than 7 pm.
As for whether it is possible to tame dormice, then these animals quickly become tame, and they can even be picked up, fed from hands and accustomed to a nickname.
However, you still have to give up walking around the apartment - the chances of the rodent diving into the gap under the floor or clogging under the sofa are very big, and if you don’t want to risk it, let your sleepyard live in a spacious cage.
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Breeding dormice at home
If you decide to start breeding dormice at home and significantly affect the size of their population in your city, it will be useful for you to know that the mating season for these animals begins immediately after hibernation, but they reach their sexual maturity when they are 1 month old .
As a rule, the female produces offspring no more than 1-2 times a year.
And, although many experts talk about the difficulties associated with breeding dormice at home - you can still try, providing your couple with comfortable conditions of detention and guaranteeing them a healthy and balanced diet for them.
If you are lucky, and mating occurs, then the pregnancy at dormice lasts 1 month, after that, the rodents are blind and deprived of the coat.
At one time, a dormouse can bring from 2 to 10 cubs, which will depend on her for the first weeks of her life, since they will feed exclusively on her milk.
By the way, do not rush to separate the offspring from the mother or relocate the male from the female with the children - these rodents are encouraged collective education, and kids need maternal care and early separation from it can cause serious stress for them and may even lead to the death of pets. So, do not rush to hand out small dormice, let them grow up a little and get stronger. True, to forget that already at 1 month they are fully mature - also not worth it, otherwise your population will start to multiply uncontrollably.
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Health care dormice at home
Compliance with the main recommendations regarding the care and maintenance, as well as feeding drowsiness at home is a guarantee that your pet will live a long and happy life and will not get sick.
In principle, the health of these rodents is good, but if you suddenly notice that the animal refuses to eat, behaves sluggishly, its coat looks untidy - show it to the vet better, perhaps sleepy sickness is one of those diseases that rodents often contained in the home ... More on the diseases of hamsters, ornamental rats.
about dormouse in Nature
Today we talked about the features of keeping dormice at home, about how these animals look, how they should be fed and how to breed them ... We hope that this general information will help you decide whether to start a sleepy in the house, and if you already have this pet, you will look after him even better.
We will be interested to hear feedback from those of our readers in whose house this animal has already settled - share with us your notes about his character, behavioral patterns, gastronomic preferences ... We are waiting for your stories, comments ...
Rodent dormouse: description of different types of mice and features of the content of these animals
Sony are very cute and affectionate creatures that have similarities with both the squirrel and the hamster. The name Hazel Dormouse, received, firstly, for its habitat. After all, where they usually live, a large number of trees with a variety of nuts. And they call her dormouse because she is leading a nocturnal animal, and during the day she prefers to take a nap.
All members of the sononev family have similar characteristics, body structure and organs. The eyes of the dormice are large and dark, the ears are slightly rounded, and the antennae are very long. When you take into the hands of one of these animals, you can feel how soft and fluffy their fur is. The tail is one of the advantages of Sony: with long fur, even more fluffy than the animal itself.
They live not on the surface of the earth, but prefer to settle in the trees. In that case, in the area where they live, a large number of really tall trees are not observed, then Sony can settle down in the thickets of any shrubs with the same comfort. However, it should be noted that some species of these mice spend most of their time on the ground with pleasure.
According to gardeners, Sony, and, more precisely, some of their species, are pests, because these animals may well cause some harm to trees in the garden or fruits, but it is not so significant.
In fact, sone can not be denied attractiveness. They are very nice and their behavior is quite interesting to observe. They can be called long-livers, in comparison with other rodents. But, though, Sony and perfectly suited for the role of a pet, they are not particularly common.
The fact is that, as mentioned earlier, Sony lead an active lifestyle only at night, and during the day they are sleepy and lazy animals. Therefore, many animal lovers do not dare to start them, believing that it will be boring with dormice.
Unfortunately, they do not suspect that at home, these rodents can adapt to the human rhythm of life without any problems.
African
This species is the most popular among breeders. It is most often found on sale in pet stores.
A rather large rodent, whose body is sixteen centimeters without a tail and thirty-nine with it. African dormouse is very attractive.
Their coat has an ashy tint, belly cream. And the tail, the main color of which is brown, has a white tip.
The daily diet of this type includes a variety of crops, various fruits, as well as insects. As you can understand, there will be no difficulty in selecting feed for your pet.
The main advantage of animals is their sociability, friendliness and ability to quickly become attached to the owner.
If you train your pet, then he will easily respond to his name.
How to keep at home
It seems to some that it is more difficult to contain these animals than other rodents. But this is far from the case. Rodent pretty unpretentious and very affectionate. However, there are some subtleties in the content of these rodents, which we now discuss.
First, it should be noted that cage for your pet should be made of solid metaland the pallet is made very high quality. Because the plastic things Sony can gnaw and completely destroy in seconds.
Единственная сложность состоит в том, что подобного рода клетки редко встречаются на рынке или в магазинах, и выполняются чаще всего на заказ, а следовательно, и выйдут дороже, чем обычные.
Если вам будет удобнее, то можно купить террариум вместо такой клетки, но учтите, что он должен быть хорошо вентилируемым.
Поилка, которой непременно следует находиться в клетке, должна быть сделана из ниппеля, как и кормушка животного.
Sony eat more than all other rodents, so It is important to ensure that the pet does not overeatAfter all, problems with excess weight can adversely affect the health of Sony.
The cage can be made from sawdust or wood pellets. Be sure to arrange a house for the animal, because he can only sleep in his shelter.
Summing up, it is safe to say that Sony is affectionate and friendly creatures that will become wonderful pets!
