Native territories and pedigree of bobak, living in open nature, breeding of a rodent, appearance, advice on keeping a marmot at home, price. If you are seriously looking for a pet, while you would like someone extraordinary to live in your house, but you just cannot make a choice, then we advise you to turn your attention to the groundhog. This is really a godsend for those people who dream of some special and original fluffy animal.
At the very first meeting with this funny representative of the world fauna, he will undoubtedly be able to win your heart and you will already start dreaming that the day will soon come when this "fluffy" will settle in your house.
Such a pet as a marmot fascinates not only with its pretty external appearance, but also with a very remarkable intellect and cheerful perky character, so someone who, but he certainly will not let you get bored. We can say with absolute certainty that some time after he moves into your house, guests will begin to visit you more often, but not quite to you, but to your playful little animal. Believe me - the positive emotions that he is able to give will be enough for you and for all your friends and relatives.
Just so that you and your fluffy pupil feel comfortable living under the same roof, it would be better to get to know him better, because keeping any animal in the house is work and responsibility, and such as a marmot is doubly so.
Pedigree and natural habitats of the marmot
Different people may know this cute little animal by completely different names - bobak, babak, common or steppe marmot. Whatever you call it, but under any of these names, all the same funny living creature lives. Scientists who studied these animals classified them into the class mammals, the order of rodents, the squirrel family and the marmot genus of the same name.
In order to visit a marmot in its native territory, you do not have to swim across the world ocean, it will be quite enough to make a short trip around your homeland. Today this friendly mammal inhabits Rostov, Saratov, Belgorod, Voronezh, Ulyanovsk and Nizhny Novgorod regions. In addition, bobak is widespread on the territory of Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
Favorite locations for a comfortable and happy life of the bobak are plain steppes, which are rich in cereals and various herbaceous plants. If a person came to their native territories and began to cultivate the land, then the animal has to change its place of residence, usually they move to unplowed ravine slopes, roadsides or river valleys. On the fields planted with cereals and vegetables, they settle quite rarely or for some reason for some time. For a more permanent residence, they choose places where perennial grasses are sown. Babak does not feel at all inconvenience if people live nearby.
Features of the behavior of a marmot in the wild
In the conditions of their natural habitat, they do not tolerate loneliness, therefore, they form large social groups for their residence. By their nature, marmots are very hardworking animals, they spend a lot of time building comfortable housing for themselves and their friends, while they cannot do with just one house, they usually construct a large number of burrows that differ from one another not only in size and layout, but also destination. So in their possessions there are special protective places - these are not very large apartments with a single entrance, in which there is no nesting chamber. They use such dugouts to hide from danger, sometimes they can spend the night there. One bobak sometimes has more than 10 such small premises in different areas.
These working rodents also have permanent burrows, which in turn are divided into summer and winter. Brood or summer minks are not just housing, but a structure that looks more like a labyrinth, because it has many exits to the outside, usually at least 8-16. From the front entrance there are many so-called snorkels - these are separate rooms without their own exit, which are most often used by marmots as a restroom. At a depth of more than 2–3 m, a nesting chamber is located, where this representative of squirrels constantly drags dry grass and various roots, thereby equipping a comfortable soft spot for itself.
A dwelling designed for hibernation may be much simpler in terms of layout, but the sleeping room is located at a depth of 6–8 m from the surface of the earth, marmots choose such a depth so that they are not touched by severe winter frosts.
If we look more closely at the possessions of these animals, we can conclude that their entire living area, with all the ridges, chambers and corridors, has a total length of more than 65 m. earthen hills. From these embankments it is easy to determine the residence of these steppe designers.
Near the settlement of babakov, you can immediately notice the trampled observation platforms, from there the animals examine their possessions and all the surrounding territories. If in a given area there is a sufficiently large population of marmots, then the landscape of these lands acquires a peculiar wavy shape.
The duration of the molt period in these rodents depends on their age; the older the marmot, the longer the molt will last. It usually begins in mid-May and lasts until August; in the oldest individuals, it lasts until the end of September.
The diet in the wild in steppe marmots consists mainly of plant products. The Babaks' favorite foods are wild oats, chicory, clover, bindweed and wheatgrass. Agricultural plantations are rarely damaged, only if they resort to such theft, if there is no way to get their own feed on their territory.
At different times of the year, these animals feed on different parts of plants, so during early spring they eat overwintered roots and bulbs, in summer they love to feast on young leaves and shoots of herbs and cereals, sometimes they even eat flowers. Closer to autumn, bobaks begin to have some problems with food, since at this time of the year there is a period of drying of plants and ripening of seeds and fruits, which these cute rodents, although they eat, but their stomachs do not digest this food, respectively, no benefit from them, they receive neither long-term saturation. Therefore, they try to travel long distances in search of more humid areas, where they can still find food useful for them. At a time when plant food becomes very scarce, marmots can also be fed with animal food, such as locusts, caterpillars, molluscs and ant pupae.
For the winter period, this worker never makes supplies, he tries to saturate his little body with the substances necessary for hibernation. As soon as the period of pre-winter feeding begins, the babak tries to devour more than 1.5 kg of vegetable feed in one day.
They usually wake up from their winter sleep in early March. After waking up for the first time, marmots sometimes do what they replenish their vitality, when they eat enough, they do not allow themselves to mess around. The animals immediately start building new apartments, when the construction process comes to the end, then they begin to repair and improve their old burrows.
In families, steppe marmots have some strict rules, while all the animals are eating, then at least two grandmothers should be on the alert, and carefully look around. If they notice any danger, they immediately rush to their burrow, and everyone else follows their example. Hearing in these animals is not very well developed, therefore, in the event of an approaching danger, they rarely emit any sounds, the most informative signal is a marmot rushing at a frantic speed.
Peace and strong friendship usually reign in the marmot family, fights and confusion are extremely rare. Babak can use force only when their congener from another colony invades their possessions.
Continuation of the genus of marmots
Puberty in these animals begins at about three years of age. The mating season starts at the beginning of April. The duration of pregnancy lasts a little more than a month, after the end of this period 3-5 small marmots are born.
The body of newborn babies is very small, its length is about 8–11 cm, weight is 30–40 g, it is completely uncovered with fur, and they are also blind. Babies begin to see the world around them at about 20–23 days of age.
For the period of gestation and milk feeding, the female marmot prefers to live alone, so her male settles into a separate dwelling. Little marmots feed on mother's milk for up to 45–55 days, although from 35–40 days of life, the mother gradually teaches them to adult food.
The offspring of marmots live in the parental nest until about the next summer, then they start to build their own dwellings, but often spend the second winter of their life under the mother's wing.
Sometimes it happens that the marmots leave their parents earlier and move into other people's families, where they are accepted as relatives, and their mothers and fathers, in turn, also adopt other people's children.
Characteristics of the external appearance of the bobak
The common marmot is the largest relative of the squirrel, its body length is approximately 50–75 cm, and the body weight of an adult male is sometimes 8–10 kg. The body of this rodent is quite well-fed, rests on short, but very strong legs, which end in overall claws.
The head in relation to the body is large, slightly flattened, it is placed on a very short neck, which gives the impression that the marmot's head is a direct continuation of the back. The length of the caudal process in a marmot does not exceed 15 cm.
The body color of the babak is complex. The main tone is yellow-sandy, in the projection of the back of the marmot there is a large number of dark guard hairs, they create a kind of ripple on the back of the animal. The abdomen is slightly darker, with a pronounced reddish tint. The cheeks are light red in color, under the eye sockets the fur is colored dark brown or black.
Keeping a marmot at home
Before bringing such an original pet into your home, make sure that it has its own roof over its head. An ordinary cage is suitable as a dwelling for this cheerful rodent, but it should be spacious enough and with strong bolts, it is desirable that there are several of them. With the most common latch, the intellect and playful paws of your friend will cope with surprising ease, and it will be very bad if your pet goes for a walk around the apartment when no one is at home. He will be very pleased, but you are unlikely to be pleased with the consequences of such a trip.
The marmot is by nature very curious and active. Be sure that his nose will visit all corners of your house, he loves to bury himself in bedding, imitating the construction of a hole. Also, one of his favorite activities is to gnaw and tear almost everything that catches his eye, and it can be not only books, house plants, but also your furniture and wires, and this can already lead not only to great financial costs, but also to the loss of such a favorite.
A tray must be placed in his personal apartment, which he will use as a restroom. There are several ways to accustom the steppe marmot to the tray, you can try to explain to him what kind of place it is and what needs to be done there, sometimes it will be crowned with success, but it would be better to put a small amount of his waste products in the tray, the marmot will understand what exactly he needs there to relieve need.
In addition to the toilet, there should be a place for rest in his cage, it can be just a soft place, but it is better either to build or buy a closed house in a pet store, in which your friend will feel much more comfortable, since in nature he is used to living away from anyone something eye.
It is advisable to install the cage in a spacious room, but make sure that there are no hot heating devices near it, that direct sunlight does not fall on the animal in any case and that your pet is not exposed to drafts. A container with food should be placed in his house only at the time of eating, after a meal, the feeder must be removed, otherwise you will have to clean the whole house of the groundhog, but this comrade must have access to drinking water all the time, so it is best to install a dispenser in his cage …
The presence of a bobak with his own home does not mean that he must stay there all the time. Keeping such an active animal as a marmot in a cage is an irreparable blow to the psyche of the animal. Therefore, if you are at home, let your pet go for a walk, if he is under your supervision - he will definitely not learn anything bad.
As for the personal hygiene of your pet, then this usually does not cause problems. For the reason that marmots are naturally afraid of water, you should not hope that he will dive and splash in the bathroom, you should not forcefully bathe him, all these attempts usually end up with your hands scratched into the blood and fright, and, therefore, bad your buddy's mood. In principle, babaks are very clean and do not emit an unpleasant smell from them, it is quite enough for them that they comb their fur on their own. But if this fluffy has not eaten some juicy fruit very neatly, then it is best to wipe it gently with baby wipes or gently wash it under running water.
In the wild, these cute animals eat almost all day, making short breaks between meals. At home, he must be fed at least twice a day, his menu can be varied with various bran, not sweet bread or cereals. Fruits and vegetables should still be the basis of his diet. They are very fond of apples, pears, fresh cucumbers, persimmons, bananas, bell peppers, various greens. Before treating your friend with these delicacies raw, it is better to rinse them thoroughly under running water; marmots are also not immune from various infectious diseases. Experimenting with exotic fruits is not worth it, because he never tasted them in a natural environment and no one knows how his fragile body will react to an orange or pineapple.
From time to time, you can offer this comrade a universal food for rodents, marmots rarely refuse it. In the summer, you can bring him flowers or plant shoots from the street, but it is better to wash them too. It will be good to change products, with the monotony of the diet, this animal can refuse the dish that is boring to him.
Groundhog acquisition
Despite the fact that this playful mammal can be caught on your own, because it lives not so far, but it is better to spend money and buy an animal. After all, a babak who comes from the wild can be a carrier of a number of diseases, thereby you will protect yourself and the animal will not harm by taking him away from his family. The price for one individual of this animal ranges from 10,000 to 35,000 rubles.
How to keep a groundhog, see below:
