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Vole Breeders

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Gunther's Vole
(Microtus guentheri)

Article by Colin Bradbury
Reprinted from EXOTICKEEPERSFORUM.co.uk

Common Names - Mediterranean lemming / gunthers vole

Housing - The best housing is either a vivarium or aquarium with ventilation in the hood , avoid most rodent cages as they can squeeze through the smallest of gaps and are able to climb most cages , in nature they live in the ground in tunnels they have dug in the soil, some people use peat to replicate this in captivity but high moisture levels that become contained in aquariums and vivariums is bad for there lungs and can lead to pre-mature death. several inches of wood chippings can also give the same effect but any tunnels dug need to be destroyed when cleaning out there housing , the best solution is therefore a shallow layer of wood shavings and a series of tunnels made from old kitchen rolls or pvc waste pipe that can be obtained through most diy stores. I have found the best solution is to provide a 2-3" central tunnel that is positioned from around 2" from one end of the hosing and runs to over half way of the enclosure , I then add bedding of the paper type to the end of this central tunnel closest to the enclosure edge , do not be shy with this as it will be used for nesting and tunnel construction. I then lay in some smaller pieces of tube each side of the central tube , I then cover half of the enclosure containing the tube loosely with a mix of 50/50 hay and straw , a layer of around 2-3" , this is important as they will use the straw to further construct tunnels and hay to eat and store in the tubes. the other half of the enclosure which should now only contain the wood shaving base I place there food and water. this is placed near the main entrance approx 3-4" away , the rest of the enclosure is left bare ,this allows them to come out into the open when they please and also use an area for a toilet, generally they will use the furthest corner from the central entrance for there toilet which mean only that area needs cleaning on a weekly basis ,by simply scooping out the wood shavings from the empty side of the enclosure and replacing.

Diet - like some other members of this family these animals are sugar intolerant, and care should be taken in the diet , in the wild the main source of food is grass , both fresh and in colder seasons dried stored from the warmer seasons. they also eat roots as well as other greens , in captivity most garden greens are taken very well and are taken with a preference to any other foods . to add some variety small amounts of guinea pigs foods can be used , but make sure no peanuts or sunflower seeds are used , fresh grass is very good for them but be aware of where you pick it from , many grasses in our country are contaminated with chemicals such as insecticides and exhaust fumes , as well as dog urine and faces ect . for this reason a good addition to the diet is grass pellets made for rabbits. avoid all fruits

Breeding - often said to be notoriously hard to breed and not something to be taken on lightly, high mortality is often seen in young and at the slightest disturbance the mother may eat any babies. The gestation period is approximately twenty-two days and litters are usually small, . I have found that the addition of a light source directly above the enclosure simulating daylight ( a small aquarium type tube would be perfect) of at least 12 hours is highly beneficial , in the wild the most prolific breeding is seen when the days are long and food is plentiful , so daily additions of fresh leafy greens is advisable. during there winter months breeding is vastly reduced as is food supply and they chose to spend most of there time in there tunnel systems feeding on stored food from the summer. I believe replicating the long summer months is the key to breeding this species. the female can be seen to get obviously bigger in the belly region around a week before the young are born . babies are very small when born and with no fur and eyes closed . if enclosure is disturbed within the first couple of weeks after birth ,the mother will often run around the tunnel system with babies still attached to her , often dropping them and even running over them . however as soon as the danger is gone both parents will franticly search for the pups and collect them in there mouths returning them to the nest . after approx 14 days the most developed of the young can sometimes be found venturing outside the tunnel system while mum and dad are asleep. on awakening they are swiftly re-collected by parents. at this time I start to handle any pups found out wondering on there own , by day 20-22 they are starting to eat the greens , hay and guinniepig food offered to the parents and appear to be fully weaned , although parent will still collect them if there is a sign of danger . at around 1 month old they are fully independent and ready to go to there new homes.

Temperature - they will suffer if temps get too high , they prefer a steady flow of cool clean air. room temperature is fine throughout the uk. on the hottest of summer days a fan pointed at the enclosure can be beneficial.

Life expectancy - The life expectancy should be around 2 years. until recently and the realisation that these animals depended on greens and where sugar intolerant meant 4-5 month in captivity was the norm , however with the correct care they should now see there full life expectancy out in captivity

Other notes - Rarely seen in captivity and threatened throughout there native habitat , they make an excellent exotic pet for the seasoned hobbyist and all efforts should be put into captive breeding of these great creatures , regular exchanges should be made between hobbyists lucky enough to own this creature to allow the diversity of new bloodlines. very close but rarer relative of the steppe lemmings. although often referred to as nocturnal they are actually awake several times throughout the day and night taking there rests in between. they are often said to have a feeble bite that does not break skin , however I have found even at 1 month old they can and do break the skin although they only tend to bite when either there is food ect on your hands , or parents when pregnant or have pups in the nest.