Origin of jerboas and native habitats, behavior in the wild, procreation, species of animal, tips for rodent care. Most people from early childhood dream of having some kind of pet in their home, only recently these cherished creatures were kittens, puppies, or, in extreme cases, hamsters or parrots. To date, the range of the concept of "domestic pet" has significantly expanded and includes the most diverse and previously unaccustomed representatives of the animal world of our planet.
Today, nothing is impossible, and, probably, there is no such animal who could not be kept at home. For this reason, the choice of your smaller friend does not at all depend on what animals are available in a particular pet store or nursery, it all depends on your personal tastes, preferences, the size of the living space, the amount of free time, and of course your financial condition. …
There are people who prefer to keep dogs of various sizes and origins in their homes, some choose insects or reptiles as their friends, but some have an irresistible desire to acquire some cute original rodent. If you are fans of these small nimble animals, but the usual hamster or guinea pig does not delight you, then you should turn your attention to the jerboa.
A charming and original appearance combined with a playful and perky character - this is all about him, about the jerboa. In modern times, this mammal is gaining more and more popularity as a pet, this is also due to its cleanliness and accuracy, in addition, such a companion is very affordable.
In the event that your choice fell on this wonderful animal, before rushing headlong to acquire it, it would be desirable for you to get to know it better, because, like any exotic animal, caring for it has some nuances.
With a little effort, as a result, you will find a pretty and funny friend who will wait with great impatience for you from work and entertain you at any moment, even the most sad and dreary.
Jerboa pedigree and their natural habitat
The jerboa (Latin Dipodidae) is an extraordinary little animal classified by scientists as mammals, the order of rodents and the jerboa family. As for the genus, there are several of them, the most common are the genus of ground hares and uplifted jerboas.
As some literary sources from the field of zoology say, these pretty rodents have adorned our large planet Earth for several tens of millions of years, because they are among the few animals that were found in fossil form, but continue to inhabit the planet to this day.
In order to meet this eccentric in his homeland, you do not have to swim across the world ocean, they do not live so far away. Such countries as Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan revered the jerboas as their Fatherland. It can be found in the forest-steppe zone, in mountainous areas, in semi-desert areas and even in the vicinity of large bodies of water. These persistent animals were never afraid of climate change or not entirely favorable weather and natural conditions, they can adapt to temperature changes and variability of air humidity, as well as to the soil that is under their paws, because it can be both earth and sand, and even rocky rock.
The habitats habitual for him are the sides of dirt roads that are located in the steppe area, the edges of fields, low-grass lawns, the edges of pine forests. On the territory of deserts and semi-deserts, it can be found only on mobile pliable sands, light loams, where a variety of succulents, cereals and wormwood grow. In mountainous areas, it can slowly but surely conquer heights up to 1700 m above sea level.
Features of the behavior of mammals in open nature
This representative of the jerboa family is not very famous for its friendliness and sociability in his native circles, therefore he prefers to live in proud and independent solitude. Establishing contact with their relatives only for the duration of the mating season.
The period of activity of this animal falls at night, when it is light outside, it never sticks out its cute nose there. The jerboa sits all day in its house, and when the sun sets it still waits for about an hour, only then it begins to gather in search of food. This little animal is by nature very careful and cautious, it does not just come out of its burrow just like that, before going out it sniffs out everything for a long time and listens to see if there are any unusual extraneous sounds or rustles.
Also, these fluffy animals are notable for their hard work and diligence, this is manifested when the jerboas begin to build their own home. For his beloved, he often pulls out several burrows at once, among them there are burrows intended for hibernation and summer burrows for permanent residence, he also designs temporary housing.
If you examine the personal possessions of jerboas, you can easily notice that "houses" with the "permanent" status usually begin with a move that is closely packed with an earthen ball. This passage runs horizontally, its length on average can be up to 5–6 m, there is a small turn from it, which in turn leads to a certain nesting chamber located at a depth of about one meter. From this so-called "corridor" several separate branches can depart, which the jerboa does not deliberately reach to the surface of the earth, because who knows, suddenly he urgently needs an emergency exit.
In the nesting chamber there is a "bed" of the animal, which resembles a ball in shape, it is formed from a variety of dry grass, moss, wool, down and feathers.
Winter minks of jerboas differ from summer ones in their depth, which is often about 2-3 m. At different levels of such a winter “apartment”, these pretty animals set up nests for themselves.
Lazy jerboas are also found in nature, they are famous for the fact that burrows built by other animals, for example, ground squirrels, are often used as dwellings. Throughout the warm season, the jerboa does what it prepares for winter, namely hibernation. He is not used to making large reserves of food, his whole preparation consists in the fact that he carefully feeds himself, by the end of October the mass of his miniature body usually doubles. And at the beginning of November, he already falls into a deep winter sleep, which usually lasts until the beginning of April, but this is not always the case. In the event of early spring or thaw, their sweet sleep may be interrupted. Also, these animals are famous for their unpretentiousness in food, they are usually omnivorous, in its daily menu there are plant foods in equal parts, such as a variety of seeds, roots and plant bulbs, and small insects, it all depends on which foods prevail on his home territories. In the event that the jerboa lives near agricultural land, then his life is much easier, because he has access to walks through sown fields and vegetable gardens, where he can eat plenty of cereal grains, sunflower seeds, peas, but does not bring any significant losses harvest.
The mating season in these mammals usually lasts a little longer, but most often such activity for mating in them falls on the period from April to June. A female can become pregnant twice a year, but this is not a regularity. The gestation period for babies lasts approximately 23-28 days. At the end of pregnancy, from 1 to 9 cubs are born, most often they are 3-5 small jerboas. In the mother's abode, newborns usually live for 1, 5–2 months, after which they go into their adult and independent life. The ability to reproduce in them begins at the age of one, sometimes they can become sexually mature a few months later.
The maximum life span in the wild is 3 years.
Description of species of representatives of jerboa
- Large jerboa or earthen hare. This animal differs from all its relatives in the impressive dimensions of its body. In length, its body grows to about 19–27 cm, but the length of the caudal process is on average 1, 3–1, 5 times longer and is approximately 25–35 cm. The body weight is approximately 280–320 grams. A small rounded head is decorated with a slightly extended forward wide muzzle, which ends with a cute patch. In the projection of the head, the cervical intercept is well distinguished. Small short ears, stick out upward, their length is about 1–1, 5 cm. In the structure of this animal, the most noticeable part of the body are its feet, which reach almost half the length of its body. The color of the coat is completely heterogeneous, most often it is represented by a range of colors from brownish or gray-brown to pale yellow. The area of the cheeks is painted in lighter, almost white tones, but the throat, chest region, abdomen, inner thighs and forearm are presented in a snow-white color scheme. The outer side of the thighs is light yellow, it seems possible to make out a white line on it, which is located transversely. Another notable part of the jerboa body is its tail. In its shape, it resembles a feather of a beautiful bird, the tail is painted in black and white shades, the basal part of the caudal process is black, and the apical part is already noble white tones.
- Small jerboa. This is a miniature representative of its genus, the length of its body is about 12-15 cm. The muzzle is slightly elongated, and slightly flattened in its front part. Also, this animal has relatively long auditory organs. The hind limbs have five toes. The tail is usually much longer than the body; for the jerboa, it is not only an adornment of its cute little body, but also an integral attribute during jumping, it serves as a balancer. This tail process is presented in two colors: the tip is usually painted in black color, a longitudinal white stripe flaunts below the dark part, and the end part has lighter shades. The color of the whole body of the small jerboa can be rusty-brownish, sometimes individuals with a sandy coat are found. The area of the abdomen and limbs is usually white.
- Upland jerboa. This small rodent is not particularly large in size, on average its body length is 14-16 cm, the length of the caudal process is 22-24 cm. Its head has a regular rounded shape, relatively small and short ears flaunt on it, they do not exceed 2 in length. see On the paws, you can see only three toes. A stiff hair brush grows on the fingers, perhaps thanks to this feature these animals got their interesting name. The entire body of the fur-legged animal is wrapped in thick, soft textured wool, colored in various shades: from buffy-sandy to brownish-buffy. Most often, the color of jerboas strongly depends on the geographic residence of the animals. The muzzle of the fur-legged jerboa also differs from the rest of its congeners. It is relatively elongated, not very shortened and is never flattened; the nose does not have a "patch" shape. The teeth of these animals also differ, or rather their color. In this species, the incisors are yellow in color, while in other species of jerboa, the teeth are white.
Keeping jerboas at home
In order to provide your friend with proper living conditions in your apartment, you need to give him his own living space, where, firstly, he would be the owner, and, secondly, conditions should reign there as much as possible similar to his natural habitat.
A cage or terrarium can be suitable as housing for jerboas. Only when choosing a "apartment" for your unusual pet should you take into account the fact that by their nature they are very active, and even excellent jumpers. For this reason, a spacious home will become the main guarantee of comfort and coziness for your little friend. He needs such a large amount of personal space not only so as not to get bored, but also to maintain health, because with low physical activity, the limbs of jerboas can become numb, and the life span is simply reduced.
It is best to use medium-diameter sand or turf as a filler in his home, and it is better to cover the substrate with a layer of such a thickness that your pet can afford to dig a small burrow. In addition, it is advisable to place a certain amount of dry grass, branches and roots in his home, if this is ordinary garbage for you, then valuable building materials for your jerboa, from which a cozy soft place for sleeping and rest will be made over time. The more of these materials, the longer your animal will not be bored in idleness.
Fine sand is an integral part of your lodger's cage; you can use it to cover some part of the house. Taking sand baths, the animal cleans its fur coat.
Particular attention must be paid to sawdust, it is with them that in no way can the floor of the jerboa's house be lined, because the material accumulates moisture very strongly, and the high humidity of the air is destructive for your "fluffy", and the dust that is stored on them can provoke a serious allergy in animal.
As for the trips of jerboas to visit you, it is not advisable to do this, because it is still not a cat that will take a walk and come into your arms, but a wild animal. Having released the jerboa from his cage, he will immediately find a secluded corner in your apartment, from which it will be very difficult to get him. And in the event that you cannot keep track of where exactly he hid, then this is not at all good. After all, this cunning man, having climbed behind a sofa or a closet, will immediately begin to dig a hole, or gnaw a wall, and making a hole even in a concrete wall is not at all problematic for him.
The best food for a domestic jerboa is rodent mixes, which can be purchased easily and inexpensively at any pet store, usually consisting of oats, wheat, barley and millet. We must not forget about fruits and vegetables, which should also be present in the diet of your pet in considerable quantities, you should not only feed him with exotic fruits. It is better to offer him the usual apples, pears, carrots or cabbage. You can also feed the animal with a variety of seeds. To maintain optimal protein levels in its body, the jerboa should also have animal feed such as mealworms, grasshoppers, crickets, butterflies and beetles on the menu.
Since the jerboa is a strictly nocturnal animal, sometimes this fact can bring some discomfort to its roommates, for this reason it can be gradually taught to be active during the day and sleep at night, so it will not disturb your night's sleep, well, you will have the opportunity admire your active companion daily.
More about jerboas in the following story:
