Many of us, coming to the forest, stopped to admire squirrels. A fast-moving, nimble animal, he has been busy in the household since early morning, running around in search of food, playing catch-up with his relatives. Every year the life of fluffy is subjected to severe tests: drought, crop failure, severe frosts and deep snows, from which there is no access to supplies.
For the beauty and sociability they are often chosen as pets. In captivity, the protein life span is greatly increased.
Description, or What is this beast?
The genus Squirrel ordinary unites in itself more than 50 species living in Russia. This is a small animal, its body length is 20–32 cm, while the tail is almost equal to the size of the animal itself - up to about 31 cm. The weight varies, depending on the season, from 200 g to a kilogram.
Elegant and graceful, they attract the attention of both adults and children. Slender body complements the luxurious, fluffy tail and rounded head. Big dark eyes and tasselled ears make this creature even more attractive. In nature, protein life expectancy often does not exceed four years. The causes of early death can be hunger, disease, predators or poachers.
The squirrel lives exclusively on trees, here it builds nests, breeds. Her tenacious claws are ideally suited for such a life.
Character long-tailed beauties
The squirrel is quite an intelligent animal. What is the ability to economically stock up supplies, expertly hide them and find them later. For example, a squirrel will never take a spoiled nut for harvesting. Her legs know the weight of high-quality bumps, and all the rest will be immediately rejected. The same instinct is preserved in home protein, which causes a lot of trouble to the owner.
An animal brought from the forest can take food from your hands, but the friendship will not go beyond this, so be prepared for bites when you try to take the animal in your arms. If your protein is grown in a nursery, it will be much more trusting, but still it will not allow you to nurse with it. Patting on the back is all that a host can count on.
With a good content at home, the life expectancy of the protein is increased several times, some individuals live to 15 years.
Neighborhood Relations, or Other Pets
With our smaller brothers - dogs and cats - squirrels live quite amicably. The speed of adaptation depends, of course, on the character of each individual, as well as on the age at which the animals met. The ideal option would be the simultaneous maturation of the squirrel and the puppy (kitten). Knowing each other since childhood, they will not be hostile.
The host should remember that even a single cat bite can seriously shorten the life span of a squirrel. In the saliva of our murok contain special bacteria that can hit the central nervous system fluffy beauty. Save the animal can only antibiotic shots.
But with whom the squirrel just does not get along, it is with rodents. Keep them separate. Parrots and other birds, too, will not be delighted with such a neighborhood, because she will necessarily hunt for them, well, or try to at least tear out feathers, having reached through the bars of a cage.
The most exciting question: the relationship of fluffy with children
Even when grown in captivity, the squirrel retains a certain amount of caution when dealing with a person. Allow yourself to be stroked and take on hands will be only a few individuals, and the chance that you will get exactly this, quite small. In most cases, you will only occasionally be able to touch the back of the animal in passing.
How to let a squirrel out for a walk without supervision and to leave it alone with young children is strictly not recommended. Having tried to grab the animal, the baby can get painful scratches or bite. Older children need to explain the rules of communication with the squirrel, and then he will fully be able to experience delight, feeding the beauty with nuts from his palm on his own.
Before you bring a pet to your home, ask how many squirrels live. Buying a pet for a child, get ready for the fact that the age interests of children change quickly, and all the responsibility for care for many years will fall on you.
Diet and balanced nutrition
How much proteins live in natural conditions is directly dependent on nutrition. A well-fed animal can suffer many diseases and will easily escape from danger. It is especially difficult in winter when deep drifts and severe frosts do not allow access to supplies. In most cases, it is because of the harsh conditions that the life span of proteins in nature is small. Perhaps this explains the omnivorous nature of the animal: there is no special choice, eat what falls under the arm (or rather, under the foot). Squirrel in nature gnaws nuts and seeds, any cones, buds and shoots of trees, fruits, berries and mushrooms. And even the insects caught along the way go to food. She also wants to hunt for lizards and chicks.
For home-based content, the host should also provide a rich and varied menu. The basis are cereals, nuts in the shell (except almond) and raw seeds (pumpkin, sunflower). Be sure to prepare for your favorite pine, spruce and cedar cones.
Certainly in the diet of the pet must be present vegetables and fruits (and most of it is dried): apple, pear, dried apricots, zucchini, carrots. Fresh, too, can be given, but not too often and in small slices. Dried mushrooms are a favorite delicacy, but exclude mushrooms and oyster mushrooms.
For variety, offer berries, fruit tree branches, cottage cheese. Always in the cage should be fresh water.
Do not forget that the life of a squirrel in nature passes in an active movement. Sitting in a retreat, the animal can gain weight and get various diseases of the joints, so daily walks are mandatory.
Protein content at home
Squirrel is a very active animal, therefore, letting it out for a walk, limit access to wires and valuable things, to everything that you can try for a tooth. If she got out of the cage, do not chase: it is impossible to catch this mischief. Wait until she gets hungry and herself returns home.
It is not necessary to bathe and comb it, this will only complicate the life of the pet, exposing it to unnecessary stress. Putting a wide cup of water in an open-air cage, you will give the squirrel to solve hygiene issues independently. Twice a year there is a molt, for this period you can reduce the number of walks, so that thick wool does not cover the entire room.
Obeying instincts, the squirrel will hide all uneaten food, make stocks for the winter. Wean from this is impossible, because this behavior is inherent in nature. Therefore, simply limit the amount of feed given, offer exactly as much as he relies on for one day. During the walks, no food should be freely available for the animal, especially for harmful candies and cookies, which can shorten the life of the squirrel, impairing its health.
Pet Seat Equipment
The first thing to think about is a large and spacious aviary in which the animal can run and climb walls (it is desirable that they have a wooden finish). At home, the minimum life expectancy of squirrels is 6 years, so make sure that the strength of the aviary is enough with a margin. The minimum size of the cage is 100 x 100 cm, and at least 150 cm in height.
A feeder and a trough should be installed in the aviary, preferably having a wheel. Since the energy reserves of these Fuzzies are truly endless, such equipment is the safest way to spend it. Soon you yourself will notice that it revolves in it for hours.
It is necessary to put a nest in which pieces of paper, fabric, moss and cotton are put in, so that the pet can equip it at its discretion. During cleaning it should not be touched.
The aviary needs a pallet so you can clean up without scaring the animal. Please note that they are quite odorous, so you will need to clean the cage often. Daily cleaning is recommended (maximum - every other day).
Breeding
Bears the offspring of a protein for 35 days. From 2 to 10 (sometimes 12) naked and blind squirrels are born.
Only 14 days later they will be covered with fur, and on the 28th day they open their eyes. Closer to 2 months, babies become almost independent, and by 5 months - mature individuals.
At home, the average life expectancy of proteins is longer, but it is not always possible to get offspring. Only with a well-balanced diet and sufficient physical activity are fluffy beauties capable of pleasing the owners with the appearance of babies.
Common diseases, prevention and treatment
At home, due to improper protein content is often obese, diseases of bones and joints, beriberiosis is often found. It is clear that with such a bouquet about the offspring is not necessary to think, and the life of the animal itself is in danger. If the protein began to demonstrate a lack of activity, poor appetite, lethargy, you should contact your veterinarian to review the diet and the number of walks.
Animals suffer from infectious diseases such as plague, encephalitis, scabies, skin fungus. In order to prevent the deterioration of the condition, with any change in behavior, be sure to consult with your veterinarian.
Where can I buy a squirrel
This is usually specialized nurseries or pet stores. If you are sure that you are able to provide a long, decent life for a squirrel, you can place an order in any of them, and soon you will have a smart pet.
Compared with the natural conditions, where the squirrel is only 2-3, a maximum of 4 years of life, living in a city apartment gives it a chance to live a lot more. But will the cage replace the forest glade, the tree trunks warmed by the sun, and the opportunity to live next to the congeners? Most likely not, but when grown in captivity, the squirrel can no longer live in its natural environment.
How is the average life expectancy of animals?
There are many unconfirmed signs, which can determine the average length of life of animals. Among them:
Duration of growth of the animal. The longer it grows, the longer it will live. Crocodiles are a good example, they do not stop growing until the end of life and die on average at the age of 300 years,
The size of the brain. The bigger it is, the longer the life of the animal. The theory is confirmed by the facts of the small life of small rodents and birds,
The inversely proportional dependence of the life of the beast on the number of cubs that it carries at the same time.
These theories are largely controversial and are subject to further verification, but few people doubt the dependence of the life time on the nutritional conditions and habitat.
How many live proteins in the home and in the wild?
On average, proteins live in an artificial home environment for much longer than in the wild. But it is necessary to take into account how she lives exactly - how balanced her food is, what the temperature conditions are, whether the house is well arranged and whether people and other domestic animals treat her with care.
In the wild, squirrels rarely cross the line at 4 years, and many of them die due to lack of food or disease after a couple of years. The situation with young bellets is even worse, up to 60 - 80% of the young do not survive their first winter. This is mainly due to the lack of sufficient food and epizooty (infectious diseases that affect several groups of animals in one habitat).
In comfortable home conditions, squirrels live much longer, up to 10 - 12 years, and in some cases up to 18. Life expectancy is greatly affected by where the protein lives in a cell or in a spacious aviary. Those animals that feel sharpened will live far fewer animals moving freely around the living space.
The squirrel lives in small cells, usually no more than 8 years. Poor nutrition can reduce their lifespan to just two years. Rodents need to eat about 15 grams of wheat bread daily in the form of crackers, 20 grams of nuts and 25 grams of dried fruits and berries. Sometimes the animal can be pampered with honey and not very sweet biscuits. Do not give the protein more than 45 - 50 g of food per day.
Ways to increase the life span of a squirrel in captivity
Do not overfeed the animal and protect it from disease. Obesity is very harmful for protein, so watch the amount of food (45 g per day), its variety and quality. Create a balanced feeding plan for the animal, and the squirrel will live for a couple of years longer.
Sometimes add a piece of activated carbon to a rodent - this will protect it from infections and poisoning, help proper digestion.
Make sure that the protein does not develop avitaminosis. Be sure to feed them with berries, fruits and fresh vegetables. The signs of this disease are lethargy and thinness.
Do not chase the animal if you let it out of the cage or aviary. It can fall from high furniture or lighting fixtures and break something. Do not make sudden movements when trying to catch a squirrel - there is a risk not to calculate the force.
If you give your pet plenty of free space, feed a variety of useful products, and also show love in every way, then the squirrel will feel it and will delight you with its attention over the years of its life.
In our online store you can buy stuffed squirrels, in the catalog there are a lot of high-quality and detailed photos of stuffed animals in different angles, so that you can best appreciate the finished product.
