Rodents
Hamsters, nutria, ground squirrels, porcupines - all these animals are united by belonging to the order of rodents, the most numerous in the class of mammals. Today there are 2606 species of these animals. Unfortunately, 49 species have become extinct over the past 5 centuries, and some are now on the verge of extinction.
Family Hedgehogs
The species composition of this family is not the largest. However, 24 different species are known.
All Ezhovs have a number of characteristics that unite them into one family. These include a pointed, elongated muzzle, well-developed eyes and ears, and limbs with five fingers. A distinctive feature of the family is the skin with many needles interspersed with hairs of wool. These rodents also have a special muscle that runs through their entire body. She helps the animal curl up into a ball, escaping from predators.
The habitat of hedgehogs is Central and South Asia, Europe. They were once introduced to islands near Africa, where they spread safely.
Hedgehog
Features of rodents
The name of the order Rodentia is translated from Latin as “gnaw, gnaw.” The most characteristic feature of all rodents is the enlarged incisors on both jaws. Moreover, they grow throughout their lives and are designed in such a way that they can sharpen themselves. But rodents have no fangs at all.
Most often, representatives of the order are small in size. Among them there are tiny ones, for example, the dwarf mouse, and large individuals, such as capybaras. Very often the length of the tail exceeds the length of the body (in jerboas and mice).
The shape of the limbs and body depends on the lifestyle. Gophers, which jump a lot, for example, have highly developed hind limbs. Some gliding species have a skin fold on the sides.
Rodents are mammals, and their skeleton is basically similar to the four-legged members of the class.
Breeds of decorative rats by color
It is customary to divide the colors of rats into several groups.
Homogeneous
The name of the group speaks for itself. All the hairs of the animal are the same color and are evenly colored from root to tip. Uniformly colored rodents include the following colors:
- black;
- blue in different versions;
- mink;
- platinum;
- beige;
- caramel;
- chocolate, etc.
Things like caramel and chocolate aren't even standardized. Rats come in other colors.
Ticked
Ticked colors have uneven colored hair. It is as if divided into sections painted in different colors. At the same time, the guard hairs are monochromatic. Wild rats belong to the ticked group - agouti color. At the base of the back, the hairs are dark gray, higher up there are yellow and orange shades, and the guard hairs are black.
Wild relatives of decorative rats have a ticked agouti color
Agoutis can be blue, platinum or amber. In blues, the coat changes from light gray to brown with light blue guard hairs. Platinum fades from light blue to cream. Amber has a transition from light orange to silver beige.
Among the ticked type there are also red representatives of decorative rodents.
The color of the fawn is distinguished by a bright orange color. The base of the hair is gray or blue, but then there is a rich red tint. Interspersed with silver guard hairs do not change the overall picture. The ticked group also includes different pearl colors of rodents.
Silver
Silver color is determined if the number of white - silver hairs is equal to the number of homogeneous ones. The animal's coat should sparkle. If there are few white hairs, then this effect will not occur. The end of the white hair may have a different color, this is allowed. The main thing is that the white wool is in sufficient quantity and mixed with a uniform tone to create shine.
A decorative rat is classified as silver if its skin is shiny
Combined
The color is a combination of two primary colors. The combined type includes Siamese and Himalayan colors, Burmese and Burmese colors. English version of the name Point. Darker points follow the main color.
Combined color involves a combination of 2 colors
Lifestyle
Most rodents are nocturnal animals, although many are also found during the day. Some animals live on their own, and some gather in entire colonies of up to one hundred individuals (naked mole rats).
You can find rodents on the ground, underground and even in the air (flying squirrels). They live on every continent except Antarctica.
Rodents mainly feed on plant foods - stems, leaves, bark, and roots of plants. Some species are carnivores. Their diet consists of various types of insects. There are also individuals with mixed nutrition.
Djungarian hamster
This is a cute, active and inquisitive pet. The animals are distinguished by their fertility. Among the disadvantages, it is worth noting the short lifespan. They live up to 4 years.
They are nocturnal and do not require special care. They are fed morning and evening. You can use food for small rodents or prepare a mixture of oats, corn, peas, seeds, and nuts.
You can add carrots, zucchini, cucumber, greens, lettuce, apple, pear, and berries to your diet. Sometimes you can treat them to boiled chicken, low-fat cottage cheese, and unsalted lard.
It is forbidden to feed:
- potatoes;
- sausages and sausages;
- mushrooms;
- onions, garlic;
- cabbage;
- watermelon;
- citrus fruits;
- chocolate;
- cookies;
- honey;
- sugar;
- salt and spices.
The natural color is expressed in a gray-brown back, which has a pronounced black stripe and a light belly. In nurseries, varieties with pearl, tangerine, and sapphire colors are bred.
Hamsters love edible sticks and spikelets. To grind teeth, it is appropriate to use a mineral stone or a birch block. Animals are kept in cages or aquariums. Place it in a quiet place where there is no exposure to direct sunlight or drafts.
Djungarian hamsters.
Porcupines
Porcupines are the third largest rodent, reaching from 40 to 90 cm. Evolution has turned part of its fur into spines. Thanks to this, the fat and overweight porcupine became practically inaccessible to predators. Its needles seriously injure animals and can make them disabled, incapable of fast and dexterous hunting. Because of this, predators often switch to catching slower prey - humans, which becomes a serious threat to us.
Reliable protection made the rodent fearless. When danger appears, he does not retreat. Shaking its needles, it first warns the enemy, and then attacks him, approaching him with his back. Courage plays a trick on him when the animal tries to attack fast-moving cars.
The porcupine lives in foothills and deserts. It is common in India, the Middle East, Asia Minor, Italy, Transcaucasia and the Arabian Peninsula. It arranges housing in small caves and rock openings or in burrows if the soil allows them to be dug. A rodent's home can be up to 4 meters deep and up to 10 m long. The animal often lives next to humans, feeding on crops from fields and vegetable gardens.
The rodent is nocturnal. It does not hibernate, but in cold weather its activity is greatly reduced. It feeds on tree bark, plant tubers, watermelons, pumpkins, grapes and even cucumbers. Occasionally may eat insects. In the past, animals themselves became food. People caught them for their juicy and tender meat, which is said to be tastier than rabbit.
Diet of mice
In addition to the fact that the mouse is an omnivore, it has to constantly chew something in order to wear down its teeth, which are constantly growing. In this regard, it seems that the rodent eats ingredients that are not at all edible. Therefore, her appetite is explained by some features of her life. So:
- Mice constantly chew on hard objects to keep their teeth from reaching gigantic proportions.
- Mice digest food quickly because they are constantly on the move. During the day, the animal should eat at least 5 grams of food and drink up to 20 ml of water.
- Mice are distinguished by one characteristic feature - they taste all new objects.
The mouse is considered a predator that prefers food of plant origin. She eats worms, insects, chicks, eggs, due to which she replenishes her body with proteins. In addition, if she climbs into the nest of the chicks, she will eat them, and then she will set up her own mouse nest in the bird’s nest.
Despite this, she happily eats seeds, roots and greenery of plants. If there is not enough food for her, then she turns to vegetables, fruits and berries.
Interesting Facts! Having settled in a human home, mice eat everything - sausage, cheese, meat, lard, cookies, candy, soap, napkins, toilet paper and other non-food components. I can’t even dare say that a mouse is a predator.
Mouse squad
Mice are classified as mammals because they give birth to live young. After birth, the female feeds her offspring with milk for a month. Each female has 8 nipples. After mating, the female carries the future mice for about 25 days. 9 days after giving birth, she can mate again and again bring forth offspring. Each time she can give birth to from 1 to 12 cubs. She can become pregnant up to 5 times in a year. The rodent population increases noticeably once every 7 years.
Newly born mice have no fur, no teeth, and they cannot see yet. After just 1 week, the offspring have teeth and hair begins to grow, and after another 20 days they can feed on their own. After 3 months, the young offspring are able to fertilize themselves, increasing the rodent population.
Family Jerboa
These rodents live in desert, semi-desert, steppe, and low mountain areas. They inhabited northern Africa, some parts of Europe, Asia, Kazakhstan, southern Siberia, etc.
These mammals have a short body, elongated hind legs, and short forelimbs, with which they remove the earth dug out with their incisors. The size of these rodents is 4-25 cm, weight no more than 300 g. All species have a very long tail, which serves as a rudder and balancer when running. These animals have a short neck, a large head, long rounded ears and a uniform skin of beige-brown shades.
Jerboas, with rare exceptions, are nocturnal. They dig burrows, feed on plants and insects, and bear offspring one to three times a year.
Small jerboa
Desert jerboa
Prairie and Chinese dogs
A rodent that deserves a separate story. Several years ago it literally amazed Russian gardeners. A new animal suddenly appeared on farmland and cottages, quickly destroying crops. Without understanding its origin at all, summer residents quickly dubbed the rodent a Chinese dog.
It's actually a water vole. The animal belongs to the hamster family. It grows 15-20 cm long, lives near rivers and other bodies of water, destroying fruit, cereals and vegetable crops nearby. The water vole is considered one of the main pests of the economy.
She previously lived in the region of Siberia, Kazakhstan, the Lower Volga region and the North Caucasus. But the rodent received such a strong reaction and a new name relatively recently. By the way, among rodents there are other dogs – prairie dogs. They belong to the squirrel family and live in North America. They prefer arid areas with low bushes.
Prairie dogs are quite large. They reach 35 centimeters in length and weigh about 1.5 kg. In appearance, the animals resemble marmots; they also stand on their hind legs, stretching their bodies upward and pressing their front paws to their chest. They have light fur of gray-brown shades. The tail is white on all except black-tailed dogs and Mexican dogs.
Squirrels
Squirrels are common inhabitants of city parks. They inhabit Europe, temperate Asia, and America. They have a long body and a large bushy tail. The muzzle is vaguely similar to that of a mouse, but more rounded and blunt. The animal's ears are long and pointed, sometimes with fur tassels.
Their strong, muscular legs help them climb trees and jump long distances. An impressive tail is needed for balance. The color of animals ranges from bright red (common squirrel, red-tailed squirrel) and brown (Bolivian) to black and gray (Arizona, Yucatan). In winter, the fur becomes lush and thick, in summer it thins out and becomes short.
Giant squirrels are the largest representatives of the genus. They are almost twice the size of the common squirrel, reaching a length of up to 50 centimeters. The smallest are mouse squirrels. Their size does not exceed 8 centimeters.
Animals inhabit forests because they spend most of their lives in trees. They descend only to search for food and water, and also to hide what they find under a layer of foliage. They feed on both plant and animal foods. They can eat nuts, seeds, mushrooms, as well as frogs, chicks and beetles. In winter, they find food even under a thick layer of snow, tearing apart their own and other people's hiding places.
The advantages of keeping them in a family with or without children
Regardless of the type of rodent, this animal can become a good friend for both a large family with children and single couples. Small rustling creatures quickly get used to people and show devotion to them.
Both children and adults will enjoy playing with the pet. And you can perfectly brighten up the time by teaching your pet simple commands or simply watching your rodent.
Responsibility of care and attention
Any pet, be it a rodent, cat, dog or ornamental bird, requires special treatment, attention and care.
Before purchasing a rodent, you need to carefully study the exact species you have chosen. Rodents need special cages, some need baths, as well as balls, houses, toys and even swings.
Pet food is selected individually, depending on the preferences of a particular species. But all rodents love seeds, cereals, fresh and dried vegetables and fruits.
