| Zebra Mice |
'Zebra Mice: First Impressions' article also available. Introduction Within
the Lemniscomys genus there are eight species; L.griselda,
L. linulus, L. rosalia, L. roseveari, L. striatus, L. macculus, L. bellieri
and L. barbarus. It is the
last species that this text will focus on, as it is the most commonly
kept species. Zebra
mice come from central to South Africa (Morocco to Tunisia, Senegal
to Sudan and Tanzania). The
first thing that one would notice about this species is their attractive
stripes of brown, black, and buff running laterally down the body -
from the sharp shoulder through to the long delicate tail. The under
part is usually off-white to buff. They have a coat of coarse, rough
hairs, which sometimes appear spiny. Having a slim, slender physique
they can often look unhealthily thin but - rest assured - it is quite
normal. An adult can be from 10-14cm plus another 10-15.5cm for the
tail, making a maximum total length of 29.5cm though mine is more like
23cm. A
life expectancy of around 4 years is significantly reduced to 18 months
in the wild. The
mice are mainly terrestrial, but have a great ability to climb. They
are typical of dry savannahs and steppes* adjacent to Sahara desert.
They develop runs (pathways) to construct a simple system interconnecting
areas of importance e.g. food, nest, and water. They
are known as 'Zebra Mice', 'Striped Grass Mice', 'African Striped Mice'
and sometimes lazily the abbreviation 'SGM' is used. *Steppes
are large areas of grassland with no trees. Feeding A
natural diet of grass, seeds, crops and sometimes insects can easily
be reintroduced into a captive environment. A
standard rodent mix will cover the seeds and crops of the diet, while
fruit and vegetables can fulfil the 'herbivorous' section of the nutrition.
Cooked meats or dry cat food can supplant the insects. Weight
gain leading to obesity is not a problem in the species, so avoidance
of peanut, sunflower and other such seeds is not totally necessary. My
individuals will readily consume many fruits and vegetables including
sweet potato, carrot, apple, kiwi, banana, broccoli, dried wholemeal
bread, and unsweetened breakfast cereal. They
do seem to eat a large amount of food in relation to their low weight
and small size. Fresh food appears to be eaten at a faster rate to dried
food. Water
is of course needed to be offered at all times though being a desert/semi
desert species little water is consumed, therefore one should make sure
the water is not allowed to spoil. Food
can be provided in bowls as it will not be spread - water may also be
offered in this way but a bottle is preferred to reduce the risk of
water 'going off'. Housing I
find they prefer a dark and undisturbed habitat - I have used an ex-display
cabinet with glass sliding doors at the front. I did have to cut large
ventilation holes, which I then covered with mesh. Although this set-up
may be preferred they will still live and breed in a standard terrarium
(retired fish tank). Whatever
the type of enclosure, it should be no less than 2 feet long and one
foot tall and deep. A mesh lid is required for tanks. As
mentioned earlier, although they are mainly a terrestrial species they
will climb- and enjoy doing so. Their habitat should be furnished to
allow them to do so; branches, ropes and commercially available constructs
could be used. A
nest box is not entirely needed but will be periodically used, as they
seem to have squabbles wherein one or the other is forced to resign
to the 'dog house'. A
shallow layer of shavings will be adequate as burrowing is not a major
pastime and bedding of various sorts should be supplied. Hay and tissues
will shred to a feathery fine, highly insulating ball like nest, I expect
the denseness of the material is to compensate for the thin coat on
the cold desert nights and being solitary animals they do not benefit
from the body heat of others. Breeding The
best breeding set-up is a pair - trios are often seen but may be more
volatile. Check the behaviour section for more information. Mating
is quite a manic procedure involving large amounts of chasing and in
some cases fighting. Oestrus will last 3-5 days and young will be born
21 days after successful copulation. Litters can range from 1 to 12
but 2-5 are most common. Their eyes will open at 6-8 days and they will
eat solids at 14 days [full size is attained at 6 months]. A pair, when
kept together, can produce a litter at every 21-25 days. Males will
reach sexual maturity at 2.5 months while females can produce the first
litter at 5 months and the last at 14 months. I
have been told, and agree, that the babies when furred look like mint
humbugs with tails! Females
have 2 pairs of pectoral nipples and 2 pairs of inguinal nipples. Behaviour I
feel it is well known that Zebra mice are a very volatile species, and
established pairs, trios and colonies are prone to explosions of aggression
(especially if not litter mates). This can result in bitten ears, tails
and sometimes body blows, which often end in death. It is this reason
that specimens are often observed with abnormally short tails and missing
or damaged ears. Being
of a nervous disposition they are not easily handled and will flee if
given the chance. I have found they will often feign death (play dead)
and when in this state they can be 'scruffed' i.e. held by the nape
of the neck - they will freeze thus allowing inspection and transportation. They
will chew soft plastics and woods but avoid brittle materials. It
is very hard to introduce two adult mice of any sex combination. It
is possible and I have achieved it though I feel it was a fluke. The
combining of two separate litters will almost certainly have a bloody
and fatal outcome. For more information refer to the 'Introducing Animals'
article. They
are occasionally crepuscular and nocturnal. I
have not noticed any signs of communication though obviously they must
do it somehow!
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