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Spectacleddormouse, or Namtap(Graphiurus ocularis)
Phylum —chordata
Class — mammalia
Order — rodentia
Family — gliridae
Genus – graphiurus
Appearance
It has a bushy, squirrel-like tail, a fairly short muzzle, small ears and soft fur. Its face is marked with white and grey, with dark rings (spectacles) around its eyes. Its cheeks, underparts and the upper surfaces of its paws are white. Its tail is also usually tipped with white.Total length 25 cm; weight 80 g.
Habitat
The Spectacled dormouse is endemic to southwestern
South Africa.
Behavior
Spectacled dormice are nocturnal and territorial. Family groups are thought to consist of a pair of adults and the young of the year. Northern hemisphere dormice species all hibernate during winter, but provided sufficient food is available the Spectacled dormouse remains active throughout the year. If food supply is limited or the temperature drops suddenly the animals do become sluggish and torpid for a period of 3 – 4 days. A combination of both these environmental factors can cause hibernation of a month or longer.
Diet
Its diet consists primarily of seeds, other plant material and invertebrates.
Reproduction
The gestation period is 21-32 days. A litter of 4-6 young are born in spring to summer. The pups are born naked and blind. They become independent after about 4-6 weeks. Litters are produced at 6-8 week intervals.
Lifespan of these animals – 4-6 years.
In captivity
Keep Spectacled dormice in vertical cages with a very frequent grid, or in terrariums. The terrarium is beautiful and comfortable; there is no sawdust scattered on the floor. In a cage or a terrarium, you must have a shelter (for example, a house made of coconut or a bird's hollow), a drinking bowl, a running wheel, and all sorts of "entertainers". As a bedding material for the bottom, it is better to use sawdust purchased from a pet store.
The smell of dormice is what they eat: it is a sweet smell (another undoubted advantage of Spectacled dormice is the complete absence of the smell of urine or feces!), that is, opening the terrarium, you will feel a smell like entering a pastry shop: it smells sweet, but you do not understand what exactly. These dormice are active at dusk, that is, in poor light and at night. They don't make any noise by themselves, but of course, you can hear them when the animals are running around in the wheel. Spectacled dormouse is a real "mass entertainer", it loves everything that can amuse: a running wheel, ropes, tunnels, a small ball, rockers (all these products can be purchased at a pet store today). Spectacled dormice are curious, taken into the house young, easily get used to the person, stop being shy and biting, run on hands, run on the body and head, get used to their name.
Spectacled dormice eat everything they can eat. Zofobas is their favorite and coveted yummy food, but for a full meal you also need a cricket, locusts, sweet fruits (especially bananas), children's sweet food, cottage cheese, yoghurts, grain mixes for rodents, nuts, boiled meat – chicken, boiled eggs. We must understand that dormouse is NOT a hamster! Without protein foods (such as meat, eggs, and necessarily insects) it'll just die. My dormouse also eats noodles, persimmons, and cucumbers, but this is more of a taste preference than a proper diet. Dormouse can not be overfed and give them sweet and flour! Although they are ready to eat delicious food for 24 hours a day, they should not be indulged in any way, as the animals are extremely prone to gaining excess weight.
