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Caucasian squirrel, or Persian squirrel(Sciurus anomalus)
Phylum —chordata
Class — mammalia
Order — rodentia
Family — sciuridae
Genus – sciurus
Appearance
Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz).
The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red.
Habitat
Caucasian squirrels are native to Greece, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Behavior
They are diurnal and stay active all year except in winter. They are most active in summer season. Caucasian squirrels become most active during the early morning to morning and during the two hours before sunset in early summer.
Like other tree squirrels, they are territorial. The animal marks territories with urine and feces. The marks are renewed several times every day. Diurnal tree squirrels tend to be solitary during non-mating seasons, so Caucasian squirrels may be a solitary, as well.
Diet
Caucasian squirrels are herbivorous. They mostly eat pine acorns, other seeds and fruits.
Reproduction
They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots.
Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.
Incaptivity
The first thing that should appear in your home with the appearance of a squirrel-a cage or an aviary. A 60 cm high and 50 cm wide cage is suitable for a squirrel. An adult squirrel will need more space. For an older animal it is better to buy a cage about 1.5 m high and 60x80 cm wide. In such a home, the squirrel will feel comfortable. When choosing a cage, pay attention to the presence of a pallet in it. Convenient retractable, galvanized and equipped with a handle pallet will save your cleaning time in the squirrel's home.It is also very important to equip the squirrel's home inside. First of all, the cage should be equipped with a water drinker and a food bowl. At the bottom of the cage you should fill the bowl for rodents. Install a house resembling a nest or hollow and put in it dry hay, cut cotton cloth or scraps of fur. When buying a squirrel house, make sure that it has a hinged top or a convenient hole that your hand will fit into. Housing of this design will be easier to clean. But do not buy a house without a bottom, because it will still need to be fixed as high as possible in the enclosure.
In addition, you need to put a snag in the cage or fix a branch on which the squirrel will grind its teeth and claws. If the animal does not have something to sharpen its claws and teeth on, then soon the squirrel will begin to have health problems.
For actively spending time in the enclosure additional elements can be installed: a wheel, a hammock, a ladder, bathing. Only when installing additional accessories, keep in mind that the wheel must be axle-free, and the mounting on the hammocks are carefully hidden.
Very small squirrels up to two weeks old (with closed eyes and no hair) are fed 2 ml of milk every 2 hours. 3-week-old animals are fed 2-4 ml every 3-4 hours. Babies of 5 weeks of age are given 4-6 ml of milk in 4-5 hours. The last feeding of a 5-week-old squirrel can be carried out at 00:00 hours, and the first morning feeding can begin at 06:00. Also, at the age of five weeks, solid food, peeled pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, low-fat cottage cheese and dried fruits are introduced to the diet of squirrels. Starting feeding, do not add fruit or vegetables to the squirrel in any case. The stomach of the baby can not simultaneously digest, and lactose.
After each feeding, the baby needs to have the tummy massaged so that it can go to the toilet.
At the age of 2 months, the squirrel is completely transferred to solid feeding. From this period, the baby begins to eat all the foods.
Products that can be fed to a pet squirrel: mushrooms, cones, acorns, fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, bread, cereals, nuts other than almonds and peanuts, young tree shoots, beetles, bird eggs, mealworm, chicken meat. Out of the minerals in the cell there should be salt stone and chalk.
