Forest Dormouse
Forest dormouse is common in broad-leaved forests of Europe, Transcaucasia and Asia. A cute and cute rodent with a fluffy flattened tail, which serves not only as a decoration for the animal, but also helps to maintain balance when moving through the crowns of trees.
The dimensions are small: body length — up to 11.5 cm, tail — up to 10 cm. Body weight 30-40 g.
The basis of nutrition is acorns, lime and beech nuts, apple seeds. It feeds on various insects, their larvae and worms, snails and mollusks from animal feeds. They can also eat newborn chicks of small birds and their eggs.
They settle mainly in hollows. Up to 8 such dwellings can be located on the residence site of one animal. This is due not only to the desire to be safe, but also to the possibility of leaving the nest at any time if it becomes polluted or populated by parasites. In winter, dormice dig holes about 30 cm deep, under roots or piles of brushwood, so as not to freeze on the surface, and hibernate for 5 months.
They spend most of their lives in trees. Usually the dormouse is active only at night, but during the rutting period the animal can be found during the day. Usually they lead a bachelor lifestyle, they live in families only during the breeding season. During the breeding season, they live in pairs in the same nest. But just before giving birth, the female forcibly expels the male. Her pregnancy lasts about 28 days. After their passage, up to 8 cubs are born. Basically, the offspring is 1 time per year. On the eve of childbirth, the female becomes especially economic and constantly repairs and warms the shelter. With a large amount of food, dormice can settle in one nest even in families.
Little dormice are born naked and blind and weigh about 2 g on the first day. A caring mother is with the offspring all the time, feeds and warms the children, going out for a short time to feed and closing the nest hole. If one of the kids is missing, the mother finds him by squeak and brings him back.
At the age of 2 weeks, the cubs fully open their eyes and soon they will be able to climb tree branches on their own and find food for themselves. At the age of 45 days, they become independent and leave the nest.
The average life expectancy in nature is three years, but in good home conditions, a forest dormouse can live for five years.