Dormouse care is not easily found on the internet and I have yet to find a book concerning the care of dormice. Everything that I have listed on dormouse care I have either found after a great deal of research, or I have learned through experience.
Habitat: The best housing arrangements would be in an aquarium or a terrarium as dormice are generally able to slip through wire cages (yes, even the ones for hampsters/mice that are found at local pet shops). Branches, bird toys, toilet paper rolls (tunnels), and wheels are necessities to provide dormice with objects to play on as they are incredibly energetic and vivacious. They also need a thick layer of bedding to tunnel through and nest in. I use Aspen bedding, and CareFresh bedding on the occasions that I run out of Aspen. I am uncertain if this holds true with dormice, but pine and cedar are toxic to several of the rodentia species and I am unwilling to take any risks.
Diet: My dormice get a diet of seed mix and lab blocks specifically formulated for rats/mice, Can O' Worms, Can O'Crickets (both of which can be found at your local petshop in the reptile section), and Bugs & Berries and Supreme Blend (which I purchase from the Animals Exotique website). The lab blocks and seed mix are left for free feeding at all times in a bowl at the bottom of their habitat. The rest of their diet alternates as dormice enjoy variety. They love to get the Supreme Blend, which has a sticky texture, off of their topmost branch. I suppose this gives them that extra challenge. A small sized water bottle works wonderfully as they are capable of getting water out of the nozzle, which is a concern for several of the smaller species.
Social Needs: Dormice are incredibly social animals that live in large colonies of up to fifteen in the wild, and require interaction with their own species to thrive, just as we humans do. Dormice are best kept in same sex pairs as, more often than not, breeding pairs tend to not make good pets. Female dormice reach sexual maturity at 16 weeks of age, and males at 18 weeks of age. Gestation lasts for about 28 days before the arrival of between two to five kits. Kits remain with their mother until six to eight weeks of age before ready to be weaned. |
