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Libyan
Jird Article
By Dennis Quinter
Rodentia;
MURIDAE Genus MERIONES (M. libycus) is not known well to the U.S. market.
The body length is 5"-6" with a tail length of 6". The tail has a black
small tuft at the end. They are Diurnal (active day and night) and normally
very docile. The gestation period is 19-23 days with litter of size 3-6
young. The eyes are open and they are on there own at 3-4 weeks. They
will breed all year round. The tips of the fur is black coloured and the
base is sandy coloured on the back, lighter coloured sides, and a white
under side.
In the wild,
the north Sahara Dessert, they are mostly vegetarian and live in sandy
desserts with patches of bushy vegetation. They are sociable animals and
sometimes live in colonies. They some- times go into a state of hibernation
for two months in the northern part of their range.
They eat
rodent blocks, Zoopreem, Monkey Chow, raw peanuts, and Deluxe Hamster
and Gerbil Mix , but pick through it and eat certain seeds. They will
also eat spinach, Romaine lettuce, and most any greens including most
weeds. They also eat almost any insects.
They prefer
a nest box and newspaper is preferred nesting material, which they shred
into various size pieces. When the female is ready to have her litter,
she will make a nest and get a aggressive. It is probably best to remove
the male for his sake, the female gets territorial, and gets stressed
out in small cages keeping the male away. If they have two nest boxes
in the cage they can be left together all the time. They are good mothers
and move the young around the cage if it has warm and cool spots to keep
the temperature best for them. As a threatening gesture they thump their
back leg similar to the way a rabbit does. With more than one male in
a small cage there may be a problem with fighting and tail biting.
They are
very docile and not likely to bite when being handled. There is little
noticeable odour from their cage like the ammonia smell with hamsters.
They are clean animals. They like a sand bath and it is good for their
fur. They alternate between napping and activity all day and night. They
do like a wheel to run in and love to dig and love tunnels. |
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